Why Televend is a game-changer for vending operators | Live from 2025 NAMA Show

    May 20, 2025
    At the 2025 NAMA Show in Las Vegas, Bob Tullio of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch.com sits down with Jim Mitchell of Televend to discuss how the company’s vending technology can help operators get detailed VMS data from traditional vending machines.
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    At the 2025 NAMA Show in Las Vegas, Bob Tullio of Automatic Merchandiser & VendingMarketWatch.com sat down with Jim Mitchell of Televend to discuss how the company’s vending technology can help operators get detailed VMS data from traditional vending machines. With 500,000 connected machines and 4,000 operators worldwide, Televend is bringing its real-time data, AI-driven tools and payment solutions to the U.S. market.

    During the interview, Mitchell shared how Televend’s T36 telemetry solution allows operators to receive real-time data streaming instead of traditional batch DEX reporting. This allows for advanced sales forecasting, AI-driven route planning, and overall operational efficiency from legacy vending machines. The vending management system is already connected to 500,000 machines across 4,000 operators worldwide.

    Mitchell also highlighted the TPAY 300, a cashless payment system integrated with the T36 box, which allows operators to recoup costs through features like dynamic pricing and automated tax and deposit calculations.

    To learn more about Televend:

    No time to listen? Prefer to read? Here is a video transcript:

    Hi, it’s Bob Tullio, Automatic Merchandiser and VendingMarketWatch.com. I’m here at the 2025 NAMA Show in Las Vegas, and I’m with Jim Mitchell from Televend. Jim, this is not your first NAMA Show, is it?

    Jim Mitchell: No, it’s not, Bob. I’ve been in the industry for about 35 years.

    Bob Tullio: Tell me a little bit about your background.

    Jim Mitchell: Well, like so many people in this industry, I started out working for my dad. I worked in the warehouse. I ran relief routes and, ultimately, ran routes. I worked into purchasing and just continued my way up until that was part of my company.

    From there, I got into the micro market space. We created our own brand called Company Kitchen. And ultimately, about six years ago, we sold both companies to Compass Group.

    Bob Tullio: And the other company was Treat America.

    Jim Mitchell: That’s correct. 

    Bob Tullio: That’s right, well, very successful ventures. No question about that. Your company, Televend, has actually been to the show the last two years prior to this year, strictly to do research and evaluate the market. What did you find?

    Jim Mitchell: Well, first of all, last year is when we really started, I personally started to get involved with TeleVend. So, we met here at the show, we talked through what some of the competitors were doing, we started speaking with customers about what their needs were, what their issues were, and we found that Televend was an excellent solution for a lot of the things that those operators are dealing with today.

    Bob Tullio: So, fast forward, you take a company that is already a massive success, and it has a huge presence internationally. What’s the number — it’s 4,000 operators, 500,000 machines that are connected by your VMS. Is that correct?

    Jim Mitchell: That is correct, and growing every day.

    Bob Tullio: That is an impressive number. And you take that, and now you’re launching it right here. What have operators had to say about Televend, and tell me why they’re impressed if they are.

    Jim Mitchell: Well, Bob, the things that make us unique are very significant, and what operators are telling us is, “Wow, if that’s really true, then you’ve got a real game changer here. So come show us.” So that’s what we’re doing today. We’re showing everybody exactly what we can do. We’re demonstrating it here on the floor.

    Bob Tullio: Fair enough. I hear that game-changer term thrown around, but I do know one thing about one of your products, and I’m going to ask you to go through your products. One of your products solves the lost sales tax issue. But let’s talk about why you think your products are a game changer.

    Jim Mitchell: Yeah, Bob, number one is our T36 box. This box works very differently than any other telemeter on the market. This box actually mounts between the control board of the vending machine and the payment systems and takes full control of the machine. And rather than reporting batch DEX files, we’re streaming real-time transactions just like a micro market.

    So, now we have very rich data coming into our VMS system, which allows us to do a number of really fantastic things, like forecasting sales for the week, which allows us to use AI to plan routing and really optimize the efficiency of the operations.

    Bob Tullio: So, I have a route of vending equipment that is truly not state-of-the-art from a technology standpoint. You can step in there and take it to another level.

    Jim Mitchell: Right, so many operators have a base of assets out in the field, older vending machines. And now they’re bringing on new products, new capabilities, but those machines are too costly to replace. But with just this device, we can bring any old vending machine up to modern standards for a few hundred dollars.

    Bob Tullio: And this is a device that’s prevalent and very successful in other parts of the world, obviously.

    Jim Mitchell: Absolutely. 500,000 of these are in the market today.

    Bob Tullio: That’s fantastic. Let’s talk about the TPAY 300. And that’s an exciting product, I think, for any operator. Tell me about it.

    Jim Mitchell: Well, the T-Pay 300 is our cashless device. But rather than communicating directly, this device is controlled by our box. So, there are a number of things we can do with that. But the biggest thing is that when the transaction occurs at the machine, we can add on this display and to the transaction such things as sales tax, bottle deposits, and we can charge different pricing for cash versus credit cards.

    Bob Tullio: Wow. So, basically what you’re saying is, if you can recover that sales tax, it kind of pays for the system in a pretty short period of time.

    Jim Mitchell: That’s absolutely right.

    Bob Tullio: That’s fantastic. Now, what if you’re an operator that’s already entrenched in another VMS system? Is that a difficult move, or is it still very feasible?

    Jim Mitchell: Well, our VMS can actually handle transmissions from any other system as well. But, we believe that this device and the speed at which it pays for itself and the capabilities it has in controlling the machine really will make a difference so significant that it will, and the fact that it will pay itself off so quickly. It makes sense to convert completely.

    Bob Tullio: It does make sense. What’s the message that you want to send to operators at the show and beyond?

    Jim Mitchell: Come by and see us. We’ll show you for real how the system works and prove to you that it makes sense to make the change.