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The OPC Foundation and the European Vending and Coffee Service Association (EVA) have created a new joint venture called 'OPC UA for Vending, Office Coffee Service & Automated Retail Working Group'. The group will develop an OPC UA Information Model to facilitate communication between vending machines, their peripherals and company information systems. EVA said that developing an OPC UA Information Model "is not just an advancement; it’s a necessary evolution". Existing protocols have hindered innovation and efficiency, creating bottlenecks in the current landscape. By harmonising communication protocols and data exchange between vending machines and their peripherals, this initiative aims to overcome these issues, paving the way for a future where machines from different manufacturers can interact seamlessly, and data flows as smoothly as the products they dispense. The joint venture aims to future-proof the industry against changing market demands and rapid technological advancements. Erwin Wetzel, director general at the European Vending & Coffee Service Association (EVA), said: “In an era where technology seamlessly integrates into every aspect of our lives, the announcement of the joint OPC UA for Vending, Office Coffee Service & Automated Retail Working Group marks a pivotal moment for the vending and automated retail industry. This collaboration, spearheaded by the OPC Foundation and robustly supported by the EVA, signifies a monumental step towards revolutionising the way vending machines, office coffee service machines and automated retail systems interact with their peripherals and company information systems.” Jürgen Göbel, business development director at Ingenico, commented: “From a vendor perspective, EVA’s collaboration with OPC UA will reduce technical fragmentation in the industry and enable the implementation of new digital services based on a harmonised standard. This reduces the costs of developing and maintaining new services and solutions for the benefit of operators and consumers.” Stefan Hoppe, president of the OPC Foundation, added: “The collaboration with EVA represents another historic milestone for the OPC Foundation. OPC UA was created by a handful of manufacturers in the process automation space and has become the world’s leading standard for assured semantic interoperability in manufacturing, process, and energy technology. With the creation of this new joint working group, we are bringing this rich ecosystem to the huge world of the vending and coffee machine industry.”