Digital Technology Vending Machines Developed in Hungary

H-Vend Service Ltd., based in Szeged, SE Hungary, has developed, with EU support, beverage and food vending machines using digital technology, which can be managed remotely and controlled without touching, the firm's managing director and owner, Gábor Haska said on Friday.

At a press conference presenting the project, he said that H-Vend Service Ltd., founded in 2001, initially operated beverage vending machines, then expanded its activities to include the conversion, design, development and production of equipment.

The vending machines are equipped with a control panel to meet customer requirements, and the necessary software and hardware are developed by the company. The first equipment was presented at a trade fair in 2010, and the vending machines have been further developed over the years, he said.

The HUF 223 million project, which was funded by an EU grant of HUF 139 million, has developed a hardware and IT system that provides a one-stop shop for a complex service for their partners, who sometimes operate up to 5,000 vending machines, Gábor Haska said.

Customers using the vending machines can receive dynamic information about available products and promotions on the touch screens, and with the help of a phone application developed for the system, it is even possible to count calories.

Users can use the application to select products without touching them and pay for them using the wallet integrated in the application, which can even be used by the employer to top up credits for a vending machine installed in a plant, he added.

He added that the vending machines can also be equipped with an RFID reader for radio frequency identification, so that in a business environment, users can identify themselves even with their access card.

The system helps operators with their operational tasks. The information provided by the sensors in the equipment can be used to optimise the filling process and significantly improve the operational safety of the vending machines. "The system uses artificial intelligence to evaluate fault signals from the sensors, performs primary troubleshooting remotely and only notifies maintenance if this does not lead to results," the managing director explained.

He stressed that the company produces almost entirely for export, with customers in 20 countries, the most important of which are France, Spain and Italy, where they already have a stable customer base and a secure market.