September 12th, 2006 - P&J’s Vending Inc., a full service operator covering the Boston Metro, Worcester and Cape Cod regions is in the final stages of rolling out SEED™, an advanced Remote Monitoring Solution developed by Cantaloupe Systems of Berkeley, California.
Jim Kelly, President of P&J's Vending, had been considering remote monitoring for a long time. "It just makes sense," Kelly said, "vending machines should be connected just like ATMs. It's easy for me to provide a higher level of service if I know what's happening in my machines."
Kelly initially purchased twenty five Seed units as a pilot. After monitoring the test machines for only a few months, he realized that this was the direction he needed to go to increase his company's efficiency and productivity. Remote monitoring has enabled P&J's Vending to expand its service to include even the most difficult to reach areas of Cape Cod because, as Jim Kelly said, "Cantaloupe's SEED™ makes it possible for me to know exactly when to service an account and exactly what to bring. In addition, it provides me with total cash accountability."
Machines located at colleges and universities tend to experience wide swings in volume activity due to such things as sporting events, concerts, vacation periods, summer schedules, etc. For this reason, close monitoring of machines is necessary to insure timely and proper servicing. The effectiveness of the SEED™ remote monitoring system has contributed to P&J's ability to win bids for several new college accounts including Framingham State College in Framingham, MA and The College of The Holy Cross in Worcester MA. Art Korandanis, Director of Auxiliary Services at College of The Holy Cross, said, "remote monitoring technology was one of the selling points for us in choosing P&J's Vending as our vending provider."
Kelly stated P&J's has made a promise to its customers, "Fresh Products, Timely Service, Guaranteed!" "To help us deliver on that promise," Kelly said, "SEED™'s ability to closely monitor item sales has enabled my team to better match product selection and quantity to the buying preferences of our customers. For example, at one high volume location, SEED™ was notifying us that Sun Chips were selling out only days after the machines were filled. After analyzing the overall performance of the machines, we opted to eliminate some less popular items and add extra columns of Sun Chips, thus enhancing both customer satisfaction and bottom line profitability."
Cantaloupe's SEED™ platform has also helped P&J's Vending to operate more efficiently. Having current information about the status of its machines allowed P&J's to implement dynamic scheduling for its routes replacing the old preset schedule. This new program schedules machines to be serviced based on need. Trucks are loaded with only the required products in the proper amounts and the most efficient route is predetermined for each driver. "Our real-world data has shown that our drivers have been able to handle about 25% more machines on their route after dynamic scheduling was implemented," related Jim Kelly. "I have tested pre-packing and plan to convert my operation to that system by year end. Our observations indicate that pre-packing will save an additional 5-10 minutes on location per machine."
Glenn Butler, President of Cantaloupe Systems said, "I'm delighted that P&J's will become the first operator in Massachusetts to install SEED™ in all its machines. Massachusetts is known as a 'high tech' area and it's only fitting that some of the best technology available for vending operators and end consumers will be available in the state."
About P&J's Vending
P&J's Vending, Inc. www.pjvending.com, 508-544-7007, headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts is a full service vending operator servicing the Metro Boston, Worcester and Cape Cod areas. Working with innovative technologies like Cantaloupe Systems and product management techniques allows P&J's Vending to deliver on its promise to customers for "Fresh Products, Timely Service, Guaranteed!"
About Cantaloupe Systems
Cantaloupe Systems Corporation, headquartered in Berkeley, California, is the leader in developing complete wireless M2M applications for vertical markets. Its unique system of remote monitoring for vending machines, known as Seed™, has been successfully used by vending manufacturers and operators nationwide. Cantaloupe Systems believes that fast wireless information is the key to solving a myriad of industry problems and a cornerstone for maximizing profitable growth.