Apriva, a provider of end-to-end wireless transactions and secure information solutions, announced it has formed a strategic alliance with MEI, a global manufacturer of unattended payment systems, to bring comprehensive cashless payment solutions to vending operators throughout North America. As part of the arrangement, Apriva and MEI will actively co-market and support an end-to-end solution which includes state-of-the art hardware, secure payment processing technologies, reporting and back office tools, and MEI’s leading-edge EASITRAX® vending management solutions. In addition, both Apriva and MEI will actively support each other’s channel partners.
“In terms of market share, innovation, and customer service, MEI is regarded as the foremost provider of unattended payment systems to vending operators throughout the world,” said Paul Coppinger, president of Apriva in a prepared statement. “Over the past few years, we have worked closely with MEI to integrate and certify its cashless payment solutions. This strategic alliance builds on our numerous synergies and successes, and allows each organization to gain access to sales channels that extend well beyond the traditional vending space to include merchant-acquiring banks, payment processors and Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs).”
Apriva and MEI have a successful track record in jointly delivering cashless payment solutions to the market. Each company is an active participant in the National Automatic Merchandising Association’s (NAMA) branded cashless payment offering. MEI is also a core partner in the Apriva Vend™ cashless vending solution, an end-to-end cashless payment service that incorporates hardware, software, wireless transaction technology, and carrier services, as well as reporting and back office functionalities. The strategic alliance expands this partnership by enabling both companies to closely market each other’s solutions, and allows Apriva to sell and support MEI’s EASITRAX technology. The strategic alliance between Apriva and MEI is non-exclusive.
“In only a very short time, Apriva has earned the respect of operators—and the vending industry at large—for its powerful wireless transaction technologies which enable operators to reliably and securely conduct cashless transactions,” noted Jeff Jordan, president of MEI Vending. “We expect that our strategic alliance with Apriva will allow both companies to deliver a compelling ROI for cashless vending technology by offering best-of-breed solutions based upon superior reliability, security and value compared to competing solutions in the market.”
