Last month the AVA hosted its first Technical Day webinar, which was an opportunity for members to hear more about issues impacting the vending industry and receive vital practical advice from industry experts.
The webinar covered a variety of topics from water quality, pest infestations and portable appliance testing, to advancements and innovations in payment systems and the influence on equipment.
These were the key takeaways:
Impact of water hardness on drink quality and machine life
Jenny Scarrott, from BRITA Professional, began the day with a discussion on the impact of water hardness on drink quality and vending machine life.
Revealing that water makes up 98% of a cup of coffee she said it made sense that ensuring the water quality is up to scratch is a key step. She explained why it is so important to make sure that the water that goes into the coffee is of high quality, as well as why this can impact the vending industry – both for the end quality of the product, but also for the machine using the water itself.
Within Jenny’s talk she outlined her golden rules to ensure correct water quality:
test, treat and repeat.
If you’d be interested in finding out more, you can watch Jenny’s full talk here
Extended Producer Responsibility, Mandatory Cup Takeback and Deposit Return Schemes
David Llewellyn, AVA Chief Executive, provided an update on the EPR, Mandatory Cup Takeback and DRS next. He explained how, at present, there are more delays, and more questions, coming to light regarding various pieces of legislation, all of which will greatly impact the vending industry. It is vital that businesses operating within the sector are aware of the changes and can prepare themselves properly.
The EPR consultation initially took place in 2021 and was supposed to be fully implemented from this year, however, we now know that it will not happen until 2025. Despite this delay, it’s important vendors know how this will impact their business and can begin to make the necessary preparations.
David shared the key things to consider, including:
- The plastic packaging tax which was originally £200/tonne on newly produced and imported plastic packaging, with 30% recycled content but is now £210.82/tonnes, and will go up in April, each year
- If your business generates over 50 tonnes of certain packaging, and turns over £2m, then you will be liable to pay for EPR for processing the packaging.
- For example, if you use approximately 5 million of your own branded cups, then you will be liable to report this packaging to the relevant organisation, as it goes through the business
- From 2025, every company that has over 10 full time employees, which provides filled, single-use paper cups, must have arrangements in place to record cups issued, taken back and recycled
- There will be a UK wide DRS scheme – it will require a 20p deposit by the consumer when they buy a glass bottle, can, or PET plastic container. The money is then re-imbursed when the empty containers are returned to a drop off point
David reiterated that the key thing for the vending industry that is needed in all these pieces of legislation is consistency – and this is what the AVA will continue to lobby for.
You can watch David’s presentation here
Cashless and telemetry – boost your vending efficiency and profits
Robin Turver from SB Software talked about the growing level of data that businesses now possess and focused on the importance of utilising this data in the right way. This is likely to become even more important as new legislation (such as the DRS and EPR) come into force, as vending operators need to be more closely monitoring their data and take responsibility for ensuring they are compliant, by providing the relevant data to government bodies.
Key stats:
- 5 years ago, only 12% of vending machines had cashless/ telemetry.
- According to the 2022 AVA census, 65% of vending machines now have cashless/ telemetry.
- Over 75% of machines are ‘connected’ through cashless / telemetry / automated data collection.
This highlights the way that the vending industry has diversified in response to changing requirements on the way that they report data, as well as to meet the needs of customers.
To find out more about how the vending industry uses data, tips on data reporting, head to here
Engineer electrical training and portable appliance testing
David Bamford provided insight into the AVA’s Engineering Training Programme, which is the first ever vending specific training programme, put together with the help of industry experts and the involvement of the AVA technical committee.
The Electrical Competency programme is available for all levels of engineers, from new starters to the highly experienced. Designed to support all companies, no matter how big or small, the course will provide engineers the chance to develop their skills. Successful completion of the training programme will earn that engineer a certificate of competence by the City and Guilds PAT testing qualification.
There was also a lively discussion about Portable Appliance Testing and where the responsibility lies.
To find out more about the programme, go here
Dealing with pests: what you can do
No operator wants to hear the word ‘pests’. However, if you ever receive a complaint on this, then Alex Wadefrom Wade Environmental can advise on the next steps.
Pest management is the overarching process that everyone is responsible for, whereas pest control is the removal of the pest once it has been established whereabouts they are invading. The main concerns are disease, damage and distress; all of which are caused by pests, and all of which must be avoided.
For more information on how to combat pests, watch Alex’s full presentation at here
Why listeria matters and legionella doesn’t in vending
Mike Saltmarsh, of Inglehurst Foods, took us through some of the facts when it comes to listeria and legionella. Ultimately, while it is rare that such diseases can seriously harm us, it is still imperative that as an industry, we do everything we can to protect the health and safety of our customers, and colleagues.
Throughout his talk, Mike explained the steps to take in order to do this. The first step is to try avoiding this risk altogether, by choosing a food supplier carefully and ensuring that they have good processes in place – with a good reputation to back them up. It is imperative that vending operators monitor and record the chill chain on their equipment, whilst also regularly testing and recording the bacterial results.
For the full rundown on Mikes presentation, visit here
Payment systems – the progress of cashless from the AVA Census
As Jim Birch, of VMC, explained in his talk, payments within the vending market are largely driven by other sectors including transport, retail, banking, contract catering and, of course, Government. When thinking about developments in payments, the future of cash is a prevalent factor, however cashless payments are increasingly becoming the method of choice within the UK.
Throughout his talk, Jim went on to explain further developments in cashless payments and the implication of changes to mobile connectivity within the UK too.
Following his talk, Jim hosted a panel discussion on the future of cashless with experts including Alan Taylor from Worldline, Mark Parry from Vianet and Paul Shattock from CPI.
To hear James’ full talk and catch up on the panel discussion here
Legacy equipment remanufacture and refurb vs new!
Mark Stevens of Scobie McIntosh, discussed ‘remanufacturing’ of legacy equipment and deciding between refurbished or new machinery.
He started by saying whilst we may love our legacy equipment, they all eventually suffer the same outcome. From outdated tech, high levels of maintenance, limited customisation, and security vulnerabilities (as well as a list of other challenges); eventually the time will come for older machines to be replaced. However, whether that is new equipment, or refurbed equipment is down to you.
Modernising equipment is vital for vending, and will result in increased efficiency, improved customer experience and reduced operating costs. Updating and replacing equipment is a necessity, yet it is important it does not come at the expense of sustainability.
Following Mark’s presentation, Andrea Goswell from Westomatic and Ian Johnston from Coffetek, joined him to form the panel discussion on the same topic, answering some of the audiences’ questions, and discussing the impact of buying refurbished equipment versus buying new.
For Mark’s presentation go to here
