Vendon develops telemetry system for remote reverse vending machine management

Vendon has expanded its product range by developing an IoT solution to help reverse vending machine operators track and manage their fleets remotely. The solution allows individuals and institutions running deposit refund schemes to streamline their operations by gaining insights into machine usage patterns and unlocking remote configuration of the machines and permitted products.

Today, reverse vending features are relevant and play a significant role in product package circulation and sustainability. In addition to providing standard telemetry products and solutions, Vendon collaborated with Sielaff – one of the world’s leading brands for sustainable, successful vending machine solutions – to integrate reverse vending features in its telemetry system that have been repeatedly requested by users.

Now it is yet another advanced and resource-saving solution for vendors to use and integrate with their business to become more sustainable and benefit from avoiding unnecessary money and time waste. The remote reverse vending machine management solution allows easily making any updates to the whole machine fleet remotely and all at once.

For example, upon renewing the EAN database by adding or removing products, each machine requires to be updated due to systematic changes in the product range. Vendon solution allows carrying out these updates remotely for all machines at once, saving significant time and money on visiting each machine separately and resetting them on-site.

This comes at a time when numerous European countries look to introduce deposit refund schemes to reduce waste and improve recycling with the goal of meeting the requirements set out by the European Green Deal.

Düll Thomas, developer at R&D Sielaff, said: “With deposit refund schemes spiking in popularity and governments looking into deploying sizable fleets, it is becoming increasingly important to have efficient and centralised oversight and management of reverse vending machines, which is now made possible by Vendon’s IoT solution. Together, we’re making this green initiative simpler and more cost-effective.”

Kristians Vebers, Vendon CEO

Vendon’s solution keeps operators updated about the status and performance of their machines by providing teams with container collection data and technical details, including error and power issue notifications. Additionally, machines can now be configured remotely. This includes most settings – credit system, product detection, drop direction, credit mode, language, currency – as well as product permissions.

“With reverse vending, as with traditional vending, a significant portion of operational costs is made up by machine maintenance,” Kristians Vebers CEO at Vendon, commented. “Typically, that would mean travelling to a machine, manually updating settings or fixing errors, and repeating this for each machine in the fleet. Now, operators can solve most challenges remotely and only travel when necessary, significantly reducing costs and improving efficiency.”

Currently, the solution supports Sielaff reverse vending machines. Vendon plans to introduce support for other machine manufacturers in the future.

To find out more, visit the Vendon website.