Vending Machine Connection

The very first coin operated vending machine was created by Hero of Alexandria, a 1st century engineer. His machine delivered a measured amount of holy water. It would take until almost 1900 for the Industrial Age to catch on to the genius of it. From postcards and gum back then, to just about anything from coffee to cell phone accessories, the vending industry generates billions (US) in revenue annually.

While many well-known vending machine manufacturers once stood alone, or were controlled by several major corporations, they are all now controlled by just a few big conglomerates. Other companies moving into the industry are specialists catering to very specific segments of the market. For example, Solectron (Flextronics International), was named the vending machine manufacturer for the Red Box DVD rental systems. Following are some of the major players in vending machine manufacturing.

Aramark: If you have ever put money in an office coffee vending machine, it was probably named Aramark. Its history dates back to 1936 with peanuts and a warehouse that was in the backseat of a car. Founder Davre Davidson always had the vision of putting vending machines in offices.

Automatic Products International: Automatic is the leading U.S. manufacturer of glass front food and beverage vending machines. Automatic is located in South St. Paul, MN and has been in the business since 1949. Crane acquired Automatic in 2006.

Deutsche Wurlitzer: Wurlitzer was the world’s first manufacturer of spiral vending machines. Although, Wurlitzer made its name in vending with cigarette machines, the general public usually associates the name with classic jukeboxes. Deutsche Wurlitzer is located in Salt Lake City, UT.

Diebold Incorporated: Capitalizing on its reputation for safes and ATMS, Diebold now manufactures movie rental machines, credit card gas station pumps, and ticket vending machines. Its history dates back to the Chicago Fire. Diebold has formed partnerships with Nelson Vending Technology and IBM to produce strategic products in the vending market.

Dixie-Narco: A leader in the chilled beverage vending market, Dixie-Narco got its start when Dixie Foundry acquired Victor Products in 1957 and then Narco Sales Group, 10 years later. Dixie-Narco was also acquired by Crane in 2007.

Stentorfield: Stentorfield was originally a UK company, Stentorfield was acquired by Crane in 1998 as another addition to its hot and cold beverage and snack vending machine business. Crane has its European headquarters in Chippeham, Wiltshire, UK, the former Stentorfield Ltd. site.

Sanden: With 70+ years experience in the beverage vending industry, SandenVendo America is the largest distributor/producer of high capacity, chilled beverage vending machines. According to its company information, it was the first to develop the vended beverage machine in 1937.

Other manufacturers with a portion of the U.S. market share are:
A&A Global Industries Inc.
American Changer Corp.
American Coin Merchandising Inc.
American Vending Distributors Inc.
Automated Merchandising Systems
Cafection Enterprises Inc.
Coin Acceptors Inc.
Danaher Corp
Folz Vending Company Inc.
Interlott Technologies Inc.
Mars Inc.
National Vending LLC
PepsiAmericas Inc.
Rowe International
Seaga Manufacturing Inc.
Slim Line Designs Limited
Standard Change-Makers Inc.
The Wittern Group