Last week, TeslaVision exhibited at the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA) Expo in Chicago, Illinois at Navy Pier. It was a great show for us, and an interesting look into an industry that has, until recently, been dominated by junk food, sugar, and highly inefficient vending machines.

It is hard to open a newspaper or web browser today without reading something about climate change or various green initiatives that countries, companies, and industries are undergoing. The vending industry is no exception. Not only are the goods within vending machines becoming healthier (www.fitpick.org), but several machine manufacturers are touting their decreased energy draw, light fixtures, and increased cooling efficiencies.

Although it is a step in the right direction, I would argue that some of the "green" progress made in this industry, may actually be hurting participants more than it helps. While talking with one owner/operator, I was shocked to find that when he retrofitted his vending machines with an LED lighting from incandescent bulbs, his energy draw actually increased. This was because it took many more lights in order to provide the same amount of lighting. Another green "improvement" in the vending industry that may not be the best business solution is the introduction of motion sensors, which allow the machine to idle with no lighting when they do not sense a nearby customer. This might seem like a good idea, but with some research, one quickly finds that this leads to a significant decrease in the use of said machine, mostly because an approaching customer who doesn't get close enough to trigger the sensor thinks the machine is off or broken.

In an industry where profits are measured in cents per unit sold, one cannot afford even the slightest dip in traffic to a machine. Is there a better solution that would provide both eye-catching lighting & animation, while still maintaining a green initiative? I think so.