Selecta’s next generation of self-serve food and beverage machines will be manufactured by Russian specialist Unicum
By Ian Reynolds-Young
Selecta, Europe’s undisputed market leader in vending services, and Unicum, the St. Petersburg-based vending equipment manufacturer, entered into a strategic partnership in May 2013 to develop Selecta’s next generation of self-serve food and beverage machines. The partnership leverages the knowledge and expertise of both companies to jointly develop the state-of-the art snack and cold drink machine featuring multiple innovations in design, technology and convenience. As a result of this co-development, Selecta will introduce its next generation of public vending machines beginning this autumn 2014.
Selecta will introduce its next generation of public vending machines beginning this autumn 2014.
The machines’ key innovations include a 15 inch (38.1 cm) touch screen with an intuitive graphical user interface, multi-vend possibilities via shopping basket, up to 50% more capacity for a wider product offering, a modern design with integrated side panels for advertising, and superior ergonomic product and change delivery. Regarding servicing, the new vending machines use bi-directional telemetry to allow preventive maintenance, shortening the reaction time for technical intervention and thereby increasing the machine’s uptime.
Innovation a key differentiator for Selecta
“As part of our machine concept strategy we continuously strive to innovate our product and service offering according to the needs of clients and consumers. Attractive, modern and exclusively developed machines designed by Selecta are a key asset to differentiate ourselves in a competitive market environment”, said Patrick Koller, Operations Development Director responsible for new machine concept development at Selecta. “We chose to partner with Unicum due to their excellent mechanical and software engineering skills as well as their proven experience with bi-directional telemetry.” An additional benefit lies in the fact that Unicum belongs to the parent company Uvenco Group, Russian’s leading vending operator. “This means we are teaming up with a partner that understands the importance of operational efficiency and total cost of ownership considerations when developing a new machine,” concludes Koller.
Unicum to deepen vast vending experience
On Unicum’s side, Chief Technology Officer Vladimir Lopatin highlights that “this partnership will further increase our consolidated experience which sustains our significant growth”, adding that “introducing MOVE [project name] represents an invaluable chance for Unicum to demonstrate its capability as a strong, reliable manufacturer and provider of the latest vending technology.” Unicum has an excellent track record in performing innovation and encompassing experience in public vending projects. For example, the company supplies vandal-proof and low temperature resistant coffee and snack machines for Uvenco.
First order already booked
In the coming years Unicum will manufacture over 3,000 [MOVE] machines for Selecta. Some 1,000 units are earmarked for the French national railway company SNCF, which recently commissioned Selecta to equip more than 800 railway stations with the new vending machines. The model specified for SNCF will feature an attractive design with a see-through screen displaying a larger range of products, digital and e-connected technologies such as digital screens, real-time refunds, connections to My Selecta apps, contactless payment methods, and other functionalities that will all provide for a unique consumer experience.
*What do you think? Will this be good for British vending? Let us know!
