TELEMETRY
machine. Most operations manage
warehouse and truck via SKU but
not the machine. DEX helps them
get control of the machine SKU data.
Automated data collection provides a wealth of information for
basic tasks such as identifying route
effciencies, analyzing product sales,
improving space to sales and managing over/short cash information.
Although most modern machines
are built to be DEX-compatible,
many machines in the feld are
not. It is important to inventory
machines in the feld to determine
vending operators go
"When hardware, they really out and
buy new
want to
think about having EMV (Europay MasterCard
Visa) capable hardware, otherwise they're going
to fnd that their hardware, after several years,
will become obsolete.
"
– Rinaldo Spinella, executive vice president, Apriva.
To hear more go to: www.vendingmarketwatch.com/10979897
their readiness. A VMS supplier can
assist with this. For example, MEI
"When considering technology, look foris
a market-proven, reliable solution that
easy-to-deploy and has all the key components."
- Mike Lawlor, vice president of sales, USA Technologies Inc.
To hear more go to: www.vendingmarketwatch.com/10979900
has a sheet that will describe the
frmware needed for DEX or telemetry capability by machine make
and model number. Key questions to
resolve are: Does the machine have
the right erasable programmable
read only memory (EPROM)? Does
the DEX port work? If it is an old
machine, would an investment in a
new machine be warranted? Some
machines can be upgraded with the
necessary boards, but those in lowvolume areas may not warrant the
cost. In this situation, it might be
a good option to put non-DEXable
machines in low-volume areas where
monthly inventories are performed.
There are three additional phases
to be explored on the road to implanting technology. To read those and
how to get there, visit www.VendingMarketWatch.com/1101712 for
Getting There From Here, Part 2: A
Vendor's Roadmap To Technology
Implementation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Doug Haddon is
global director of
technology solutions
for MEI with 15 years
of experience identifying and providing
technology solutions for bottling, vending
and OCS and specializing in operations
software, telemetry and cashless. He can
be reached at Doug.Haddon@meigroup.
com.
18
Automatic Merchandiser
VendingMarketWatch.com
August 2013