Dafydd Thomas of N-and is the first to admit that, if the UK’s vending operators were asked about the company he represents in the UK, the most likely response would be ‘who?’
So let’s try to put that right from the off. N-and Group’s team boasts more than 367 years of cumulative experience in delivering innovative products into the Vending industry. Since the business was founded in 2015, the N-and Group has excelled in the design and development of human machine interfaces and software solutions, most of them intended to upgrade the older machines in the field with modern technological capabilities and cosmetic enhancements.
‘We specialise in the design, development and production of latest generation digital solutions, designed to modernize traditional vending machines, upgrading them with cutting-edge technologies aligned with the challenges and possibilities experienced in a fast-moving Industry’, Dafydd said (in his gentle Welsh lilt).
The Founder of the business, Tarcisio Vergani, was once mooted as one of ‘the 10 most inspiring CEOs to watch’ by Insight Success. He settled in the UK, taking office space in the Bristol and Bath Science Park. Tarcisio always thought that there was a better way to ‘do’ vending. Consequently, whilst the company can offer myriad services to the UK’s operators, Dafydd is proposing to concentrate on one of the company’s services to lure people onto the N-and stand at Vendex: the retro-fitting of older vending machines, to bring them up-to-speed with the new requirements of vending machine users and operators.
‘When a vending contract comes to an end, the ‘redundant’ machines more often than not find themselves gathering dust in operators’ warehouses’, he says. ‘With the assistance of N-and, these machines can be upgraded with modern touchscreens, leveraging Industry 4.0 technologies and the Internet of Things. Moreover, the integration of N-and’s technology set positively transforms the user-machine interaction, greatly enhancing the overall vending experience and enabling convenient, advanced cashless payment solutions. Operators also benefit significantly from the more engaging vending experience that touch screens offer customers, which results in increased sales and long-term customer loyalty.
‘It’s an incredibly cost-effective way of breathing new life into older machines’, Dafydd said. ‘It has to be seen to be believed’.
And that aspect of ‘seeing is believing’ is central to N-and’s mission at Vendex. ‘It’ll be the first time that we’ve had refurbished machines on our stand’, Dafydd says. ‘People will be able to see for themselves exactly what we can achieve.’ A brief scan through the company’s brochures demonstrates the scope of the offer: there are ‘kits’ for a wide range of machines, including many of those made by Evoca and Bianchi.
‘We have a wide range of other tech solutions that we can provide,’ Dafydd says, referring to N-and’s extensive offering of innovative products and services: FleXUi™ user interface software for UI integration and customisation; VendAware™ Business Intelligence platform for the analysis and visualisation of data received from connected devices; payment systems and payment apps, which enables diversified cashless payment solutions for vending machines. ‘There’s lots to talk about besides revitalising older machines’, he says, ‘but if that’s what brings Vendex visitors to our stand, you won’t find me complaining!
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