Major Beverage Bottler Invests In Vending Technology, Hastening The Pace Of Change

I have it on good authority that one of the major beverage bottling organizations has committed to equipping their vending machines with wireless reporting capability. This might not sound like big news to veteran observers. After all, bottling companies have been tested vending technology for several years. But this time its different, and it will hasten the industrys adoption of software and hardware that will make vending more profitable.Wireless reporting and cashless transaction technologies have improved significantly as of late, and the big bottling organizations are well aware of it.One of the two major bottling organizations has begun the first phase of introducing wireless capability. My sources claim the plan is to have all company owned machines equipped within a few years. The company is working with one of the best established technology providers in the industry.Both of the major beverage manufacturers consolidated their bottling organizations in recent years. They did this to improve their efficiencies and achieve greater control over service and product quality.The company referenced is focusing more on wireless reporting at the present time than on cashless, but the two technologies are closely related. Once the machines have wireless reporting capability, adding cashless becomes easier.When the big bottling organizations expand wireless and cashless, they will reap big gains in their vending sales and profits. Vending will grab a bigger share of their total sales, and the bottlers will increase their share of the vending market.Vending operators will want to win their share of this business, and to do so, they will increase their own technology investment.Industry observers have wondered when the tipping point for wireless reporting and cashless will arrive in our industry. This refers to the point in time when most operators realize they need the technology to be competitive.The big beverage companies are pushing the vending industry closer to this tipping point.