Friday, April 25, 2008

Vending Trends For Cold Drinks

In recent years, there was a fall in the sales of vending machines cold drinks. This is not the case anymore. There has been a rise in the sales of cold drinks since then. Bottled cold drinks have made the largest gain in past few years since bottled drinks appeared on the vending machine market in the late 1990s.

Even though vending machine cold drink cans such as those in Planet Antares vending machines remain more profitable, consumers still prefer bottled cold drinks from vending machines. They are more fashionable and thus, the preferred choice of majority of the customers. They can sell the bottles again but the problem is that bottled cold drinks are more expensive for vending operators.

The percentage of can versus bottles sold indicates the vending machine company size with smaller vending operators selling fewer bottles than cans. In Planet Antares vending machines, you will find cold drinks in cans and juices in bottles.the cold cup beverage vending continued to reduce in spite of its potential for profitability. Increased placement of vending machines has also enabled to expand vending machine cold drink sales.

Glass front cold drink vending machines have enabled higher sales for thes evending machines. However, the proportion of closed front vending machines remains higher than glass front vending machines. Most of the glass front vending machines must be front loaded and have lesser capacity. A Planet Antares Refreshment Center has a large capacity even though it is glass front vending machine. The advantage is that they increase cold drink vending machine sales as they can showcase a larger selection of beverages than closed front vending machines.

Despite gains in the cold drink vending machines, vending operators have found it difficult to keep up with the retail carbonated drink sector. One of the reasons for this is that bottles have been more prevelant in retial outlets than vending machines. All in all, cold drinks in vending machines have resulted in extraordinary profits for Planet Antares vending machine operators as well as other operators.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Interchangeable Canisters In Vending Machines

Recently, there have been innovations in the vending machine manufacturing process that has turned the vending industry on its ear. This is in the form of interchangeable canisters made of thick, high-impact, shatter-proof polycarbonate to protect the vending machine products while simplifying the vending machine’s upkeep for the owner.

Apparently, there is nothing worse for a vending machine operator than having candy, nuts or toys spill out across the floor while trying to refill their vending machine. This system of interchangeable canisters has reduced the time it takes to refill a vending machine as well as make owners look more professional in front of customers and location employees while they service their vending machines.

With traditional Planet Antares vending machines, owners have to guess at which two or three products will sell the best for each location. It is impossible to know what will sell best in any particular location without trying different products. Having unsold candies sitting in a vending machine month after month is lost revenue as the candy gets expired and stale and has to be ultimately thrown away.

As the owner of a Planet Antares vending business, you can track and deliver the best-selling products for each location with the help of interchangeable canisters in three easy steps. These are as follows:

1) Choose some popular products and fill the canisters with them. After two or three weeks, empty and track the money collected from each canister of the vending machine.

2) Remove the three canisters and pop on the interchangeable canisters with three new products. Collect the money again after two or three more weeks and record how much each of the new products made.

3) Use interchangeable canisters to exchange products again. Give those products two or three weeks and collect the money again, writing down how much each product made.

When you follow these steps, the vending machine owner will have income information for that location on nine products, enabling the owner to pick the most profitable combination of candy for their vending machine.

No doubt, this system has proven to be a revolutionary change in the vending industry and has several benefits for the vending machine operators as well as manufacturers.

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Role Of Mechanics In Your Vending Business

Vending machine mechanics are basically skilled technicians who install and repair vending machines. They transport the machine and make the necessary water and elecrtical connections using the instructions of the manufacturer.

The deterioration of a Planet Antares vending machine from ordinary use and damage will mean repair and replacement of vending parts in field locations and shops. The vending mechanics must look for the reasons that the machine has stopped working and fix them. If the mechanics cannot diagnose the problem on site and isolate malfunctions, they troubleshoot by following procedures developed by the vending machine manufacturers.

Whenever there is need for major repairs or overhauls, the vending machine mechanics will take them or their parts to the service shop. This will be followed by dismantle of the vending machine, repair and reassembling of the units.

Make sure that the mechanics follow technical illustrations, schematics, blueprints, diagrams and repair manuals to fix up the Planet Antares vending machines. These days, vending machines are very technologically advanced and contain electronic parts that set prices, calculate customer’s purchases and control the dispensing of change and products.

Several hand tools such as wrenches, srewdrivers, pipe cutters and hammers may be used to tighten, adjust or cut the machine. The mechanics use heavy machinery such as grinding wheels, saws and drills to do their work in the shop. He will also handle any problems with the water flow of the vending machine or with the carbonation systmes and brewing devices.

To prevent trouble with starting your vending machines, it is imperative to maintain them well and lubricate parts regularly. You must remember that mechanics who repair food and beverage machines must comply with state and local sanitation procedures and health codes.

Usually, Planet Antares vending machines are heavy and bulky and must be moved by hand trucks or any other moving device for taking them for repair. The mechanics will be responsible for the vehicles provided to them by the employers.

Despite the increase in the number and type of machines, employment for mechanics is declining nowadays. As vending machines are now computerized, mechanics are not required to maintain them. However, technically skilled mechanics are still in demand.