News from the industry

When in 2020 the trade fair euvend & coffeena brings the vending industry together parallel to Orgatec for the first time, new target groups will be addressed. VendingSpiegel talked about this in an exclusive interview with Stefanie Mauritz, Director euvend & coffeena.

VS: Ms. Mauritz, in your opinion to what extent is the vending industry faced with big challenges and at the same time big opportunities?

Mauritz: The future holds great potential. Because especially in Europe, the manpower is the most expensive factor in many sections. Lacking skilled labour and the demographic change will lead to personnel costs becoming even more expensive. The food service and trade are already noticing this very significantly. Hence, we are assuming that more and more automated concepts will play a key role in the out-of-home market.

VS: Where will one be able to find such concepts?

Mauritz: Everywhere, where the price plays an important role. For example, fully-automated concepts are being increasingly implemented at discounters or in the system catering sector. And also in those places where 24/7 services are offered. The availability of products everywhere and round the clock can only occur using automated processes.

VS: Which role does the trade fair organiser Koelnmesse play here?

Mauritz: A lot of the threads come together here in our capacity as a trade fair organiser. We see and hear what moves our exhibitors and visitors. We perceive precisely which themes are occupying the media. We hold many dialogues and analyse market surveys which are confirming that an increased technologisation of products and processes, automation, digitalisation and also individualisation is taking place.

VS: Can you elaborate here?

Mauritz: We are identifying trends like snacking, Office Coffee Service, micro markets, New Work, New Retail. Players that have up until now not had anything to do with the theme vending are also noticing these developments. There are shop builders, who see opportunities in unattended retail. Technology companies, who are thinking about unmanned sales solutions. Non-vending companies like Bitburger and Vorwerk, who are handing over new capital to the food vending machine supplier, Hellofresh-Go.

VS: Do you see a trend emerging here?

Mauritz: The start-ups, think tanks and big technology companies have long since become aware that new retail and food service concepts have potential and that there is money to be made here.

VS: For you as the trade fair organisers of euvend & coffeena the question remains as to how you will be able to lead the vending industry and your trade fair in its capacity as the industry's central meeting point into the future.

Mauritz: That's right. And this is why we are asking ourselves a few questions: How are we going to make both fit for the future? How will we succeed in ensuring that the existing market players with their expertise gained over decades can participate in this new business potential? This industry that has hitherto been used to focusing on one core target group - the operator. Which now has the opportunity to apply its business model to totally new industries and fields of business.

VS: Can you name some examples here?

Mauritz: Vending solutions offer big chances for the discounter, who has problems finding staff and where the staff constitutes a huge cost factor. We are assuming that in a few years we will see unmanned discounters. In those areas where it is not necessary to differentiate through consulting, but instead via the price. Where it comes down to the fast availability of goods round the clock, where the traffic infrastructure can no longer keep up with the logistics of the growing online trade. Where the consumers expect round the clock provision, in modern and mobile working worlds, on the road, where less and less people cook at home, eating out instead - snacks instead of full meals. Where apartments already have no kitchen, because the occupants eat out.

VS: Can the classic vending industry afford this?

Mauritz: In order to transfer the potential of the automated sales world into new areas of application, in order to show these user groups what vending is and what it is capable of - the vending industry has to get moving, namely in the direction of these new target groups.

VS: But the industry is considered to be conservative.

Mauritz: That is why it is also our aim to hold on to what has distinguished the industry so far. The entire spectrum of vending has to be presented - with all of its product sections from automated sales solutions, to professional coffee systems, coffee, hot and cold beverages, snacks and filling products, to multi-payment solutions, through to cups and services. At the same time, winning over the highest number of the main target group of operators as possible and additionally the most important operators from the European and to an extent also non-European market: That is what euvend & coffeena has stood for to-date and it will continue to do so in the future.

VS: And what new aspects will Orgatec, which claims to be the international trade fair for the modern working world, bring with it?

Mauritz: In addition to over 4,000 national and international operators, euvend & coffeena will in future also reach new target groups as visitors: Architects and planners, the real estate industry, facility management providers, contract caterers, decision-makers from the office and hotel sections, works councils and thousands of user companies.

VS: Can you briefly describe who visits Orgatec exactly?

Mauritz: The entire office and commercial building world meets up at Orgatec. The entire world of work comes together here with the key application sections of the commercial building business, i.e. commercial real estate. User companies from the sections medical practices, law firms, shops, supermarkets, shopping centres, industrial parks, administration buildings, office blocks, business centres, hotels, hospitals, sanatoriums, leisure and educational facilities use Orgatec to inform themselves about procurement decisions, gain an overview and make purchasing decisions.

VS: Why do these target groups fit in well with euvend & coffeena?

Mauritz: In all of the application sections the demand for automated sales concepts will arise and grow to an increased extent. With its more than 60,000 visitors from these target groups, Orgatec offers the vending industry access to these new and growing sales markets. And this in addition to the totally central core target group of operators, on which the focus will continue to remain.

VS: What are your own expectations in the two events being staged parallel?

Mauritz: We are looking forward to heading into the future with its new sales markets and business potentials together with the vending industry. With the support of a modern industry platform and euvend & coffeena, the industry is well-equipped for the future.

In order to transfer the potential of the automated sales world into new areas of application, in order to show these user groups what vending is and what it is capable of - the vending industry has to get moving, namely in the direction of these new target groups," said Stefanie Mauritz, Director euvend & coffeena with regards to the new target groups that will be reached as a result of the event being staged parallel to Orgatec.

The next euvend & coffeena is scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 October 2020, at the fair grounds of Koelnmesse parallel to Orgatec.

Future-looking operating concepts and digital services are gaining significance

The revolution of the vending machines is beginning: In the past vending machines were considered to be stopgaps that were implemented as emergency solutions in order to close service gaps short-term. Nowadays, vending machines are enjoying new popularity. They are modern, customer-oriented and omnipresent in the digital era. Today, vending machines are used as an autonomous and modern sales channel. The public vending section is hereby growing stronger and stronger. However, the variety of possibilities is by no means completely exploited and tailor-made solutions are required. At euvend & coffeena (09-11.05.2019) companies from the vending industry will present their latest products and solutions and show where the journey is headed in the future.

Individual, where possible digital 24/7 services that is what the customers and consumers expect today. The manufacturers and operators are thus forced to adapt their offers if they want to successfully co-shape the market and meet the expectations of the customers. The consumer's first point of contact on the vending machine is the control panel. Here pushbutton systems are still customary, although touch systems have long since become the standard in many areas of life. They can be designed individually and in a user-friendly way. The machines can be visually upgraded alone through a modern design of the control panel in the form of larger touch displays. In addition, further functions such as visualisations can be implemented, which enhance the customer experience.

Touch systems offer new creative possibilities. "Intuitive displays can for instance be used for advertising videos or special campaigns that generate further turnover," stated Oliver Garn, Executive Director and Country Manager Austria/Netherlands at EVOCA Germany GmbH. "Modern machines with touch systems are perceived to be of higher quality and the operating and selection process is faster and more simple for the customer." Gert Mulder, Branch Manager at Animo GmbH sees the aim of digitalising the control panel in optimising the service performances: "The service can be significantly improved for the customer through digital options, for example through the implementation of apps, but also through seasonal product offers and campaigns such as "happy hours" or couponing." This also means further business fields and sales approaches for the operators of vending machines. "Furthermore, operating instructions in the form of active movies are conceivable that support the user in front of the machine," stated Mulder. The communication with customers will continually further develop and offer new possibilities. For instance, André Meier, Commercial Manager/Head of Sales of Sielaff GmbH & Co. KG, is announcing the display of ingredients, nutritional values and allergens, which particularly with a view to the growing interest of the customers for a healthy diet can be a useful service.

If one takes things a step further, face recognition by the machine comes into play. With the aid of the interpretation of facial expression and gestures, the desired product can in future be automatically proposed [1]. This additional service would be a breakthrough for the industry, is however by all means realistic for the future. Overall, the services will be optimised and digitalised in future. "With the right solution achieved for example by means of an app, the consumers can not only see where a vending machine is located, but also which products are available," forecasted John Kolthof, Executive Director, CCV Easy, a brand of the international CCV Group B.V. "What's more, the collected data provides an insight into the consumer behaviour, which enables the service and support to be further improved and become more efficient."

Last, but not least the payment methods play an important role for the consumer. In all sections of the trade the trend is going towards modern payment methods, such as cashless payment and mobile payment. The vending industry should also pick up on this. "The customers are increasingly looking for a high-tech machine that offers the best possible user experience. For example, with the machines of Magex it is possible to pay with cash and credit cards, but also with the smartphone app, QR codes or promotion codes," explained Mauro Maule, CEO of Magex srl. Depending on the area of application, further payment methods should also be considered. "In the case of office vending machines, it would even be possible to deduct the amount spent from the wages," said Hansjürg Marti, Executive Director of Schaerer Germany GmbH.

New digital trends are also being developed for the management of vending machines. For example, intelligent systems, which send automatic notifications to the vending machine operators when a maintenance check is due or faults occur, are required. In the ideal case, the machine determines the maintenance intervals based on the usage of the machine. The development on the market is heading towards implementing new analysis and evaluation functions that work out the economic efficiency of the machines or which can produce sales balances. "Schaerer Germany GmbH is presenting a system at euvend & coffeena that provides information on which beverages are demanded the most, at which times the most coffee is sold or which depicts the performance at individual locations in the case of chain stores. On the basis of this data, different measures can be introduced, such as displaying targeted advertising campaigns on the displays of the machines or adapting the range of beverages to suit the customers' preferences," the Executive Director, Hansjürg Marti, stated. A further development that can be expected is that vending machines will send data, which allows the consistency of the quality of the beverages to be examined and the source of the faults to be identified.

Safety and sustainability also play a major role today. Regardless of all the advantages a smart vending machine brings with it, protection against hackers, i.e. through a safe Internet connection, should be taken into account [2]. The implementation of resource-saving technologies for instance regarding the water supply goes down well with customers and is also kind to the environment. In spite of all the innovations, the exhibitors of euvend & coffeena are unanimous on one point: the high quality of the products remains to be the most important benchmark for the customers and consumers. "Quality will remain to be the trend, because anyone who eats and drinks away from home, simply expects this," explained Matthias Molnar, Sales Director DACH Professional Filter Products at BRITA GmbH.

1 Vgl. https://www.camatec.de/was-digitalisierung-im-snackautomaten-fuer-den-verbraucher-bedeutet (01.02.2019).
2 Further Information: https://www.industry-of-things.de/intelligent-vending-machines-trend-auf-dem-vormarsch-a-768014/ .
Image Material: https://bit.ly/2WGu0CG

Companies at euvend & coffeena 2019 will be presenting new solutions and fields of application for the OCS

OCS has been the talk of the town for some time now already and is one of the industry's strongest growing markets - not only in Germany, but also worldwide. Against the backdrop of changing working environments, increasingly more flexibly designed working hour models and the flowing transition between private and working lives that result therefrom, the needs of the employees within a company, but also those of the customers, are changing too.

On top of this we are experiencing new collaborative forms of working together, which place totally different demands regarding the design of office rooms. Whether creative project rooms, open areas for communication purposes or also classic lobby areas, the fields of application of the Office Coffee Service are manifold and have a positive impact on the image of an employer.

The theme will also play an important role at euvend & coffeena 2019 and a number of the exhibiting companies agree that OCS has great potential: The CEO and Country Manager for Austria and the Netherlands at EVOCA Germany GmbH, Oliver Garn, considers the OCS market to be one of the strongest growing markets in Germany and explained: "OCS will not become, but indeed already is an important theme of relevance for EVOCA, because a good cup of coffee always contributes to the positive mood of the employees and customers." Tobias Lange, Sales Director of Miko Kaffee GmbH shares this opinion and stressed: "OCS is of enormous significance today, the consumer loves drinking his high-quality coffee at the workplace. The OCS market will continue to grow in the coming years too. We think this market will bring great opportunities."

The employees not only expect a contemporary provision with hot and cold drinks nowadays, they above all also await high-quality with regards to the taste. This development is supported by a broad spectrum of offerings: from the small tabletop capsule machine to fully automated coffee vending machines or stand devices, from the hygienic water dispenser to cold beverage vending machines, from the individual maintenance and repair service to the "all-round carefree package", a large number of offerings is available, which makes a customised offer possible for any company size.

Irrespective of the solution the company chooses from amongst all this diversity, the quality must be right. The selection of beverages, their preparation and the design as well as the materials of the devices - which are ideally sustainable - are factors that are equally as important as technical reliability and a long service life. Providers of professional OCS solutions know this.

The theme quality is also under the focus of the manufacturers. "The self-service market is growing, because coffee to-go is an ongoing trend. The quality of the coffee specialities from a vending machine should be on a par with those from a coffee shop or coffee bar," explained Hansjürg Marti, the Executive Director of Schaerer Deutschland GmbH. "We are noticing for example that the demand of the operators for vending concepts that fulfil these standards of quality - i.e. that require fresh milk and freshly ground beans - is increasing. Schaerer launched a quality campaign in the self-service segment two years ago and today offers a sophisticated concept in the scope of the Schaerer Premium Coffee Corner. Because in those cases where conventional vending machines frequently completely fall back on powder solutions, Schaerer is bringing its in-depth coffee expertise into play and is offering diversity and quality based on fresh ingredients in the form of the Premium Coffee Corner. In addition to this there is a unique spectrum of individualising options that are tailor-made to meet the requirements of the customers - regarding both the equipment alternatives as well as the design - and conceivably simple maintenance and filling options thanks to the compact and modular construction," continued Marti.

Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE) Professional also sees very good growth potential for the OCS market. According to Arnd Manau, Sales Director at JDE Professional, "The vending and OCS section is of key significance for us. A lot of potential is lying dormant here and we see good growth opportunities for the business of JDE Professional together with our OCS partners. We particularly see good opportunities here with brand name coffees."

Matthias Molnar, Sales Director DACH Professional Filter Products at BRITA, confirmed this development: "The desire for good coffee has grown and this can definitely also become a moment of enjoyment in the office too. Good machines and good beans are important, but are not a guarantee for good taste alone. The basic element water influences the coffee aroma, that is a fact. Although invisible for the naked eye, the water constituents effect the taste, the cream and the appearance of coffee - positively or negatively. Thanks to BRITA filters the optimal composition of minerals for the popular hot drink can be achieved allowing the coffee to present itself in the best possible light."

But why are (more and more) companies opting for OCS? The advantages are plain to see here:

- OCS offerings contribute to creating a space where employees can meet and exchange ideas. That promotes not only a pleasant work atmosphere and a feeling of mutual belonging: Employees don't need to leave the office for a "coffee break" (for example, to go to the nearest coffee shop around the corner). The result is increased presence at the workplace and increased productivity as a consequence.
- Apropos productivity: especially the relaxing and stimulating effect of coffee results in improved performance in many people. The proverbial "good cup of coffee" helps people reset themselves and tackle tasks with a new dynamic.
- Last but not least, OCS solutions also express appreciation of one's own staff: the free supply of coffee, tea, water or even snacks expresses a kind of recognition, with a positive impact on commitment and the work atmosphere.

euvend & coffeena 2019 as the central meeting point of the industry is thus the ideal marketplace to present the latest OCS solutions, from versatile vending machines through to professional coffee machines. As such, the offices of today will quickly become the modern coffee houses of tomorrow.

Portraits of the persons quoted can be downloaded under the following link: https://bit.ly/2MVRC2t

For a long time to pay for things one needed money - cash. And this particularly also applies when purchasing products and goods from the vending machine. The German Vending Association (BDV) estimates that approx. 75 percent of all vending machines operate using cash and are thus primarily fed with coins. However, cashless payment is a trend that doesn't come to a stop at the vending industry - and which is more widespread in countries like Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden or Poland than in Germany. "The German consumer is still much more reserved regarding cashless payment systems in the international comparison, even if a strong shift can be observed here, which of course is also effecting the vending market," André Meier, Head of Sales at Sielaff GmbH & Co. KG.

According to a survey carried out by the Allensbach Opinion Poll Institute in June 2018, already 59 percent of the German respondents over 16 found it practical or very practical to pay for snacks, beverages, cigarettes or travel tickets from vending machines using a girocard. In Germany there are over 100 million girocards and bank or savings bank customer cards. Since the end of 2016, all new girocards issued by the German cooperative banks and savings banks and some of the private banks have an integrated contactless function in order to allow so-called direct contactless payment "en passant" using the NFC technology without having to charge them with money from one's account in advance. By the end of the year 75 million contactless girocards will be in circulation. Furthermore, since 2018 the German credit sector has been enabling contactless payment using the smartphone. Thanks to Google Pay the owners of an Android mobile phone can also already pay using the smartphone. A new alliance between Google and Paypal will no doubt accelerate this development considerably.

The advantages of contactless payment

The users and operators of vending machines can use the changed attitude of the Germans towards cashless payment to their advantage. Operating the machine becomes more efficient and more viable for the operator because change no longer has to be paid out (and thus the provision and filling of the machine is no longer necessary). The banknote and coin inventory becomes a thing of the past. And the risk of vandalism and theft is reduced, because there is no cash inside the vending machines.

"The increased implementation of the connectivity leads to the operator being able to access his devices more easily. This enables him to react fast to the current market situation, i.e. through the flexible adaption of sales prices," which Sielaff consider to be a further advantage for vending machine operators. Equipping vending machines with cashless payment options could actually pay off in hard cash, John Kolthof, Executive Director of CCV Easy, a brand of the international CCV Group B.V., said: "We see great potential for all types of vending machines that have to be equipped with an electronic payment solution which are able to execute all types of payments. Current surveys show that the consumers will spend much more if they are not limited down to the coins in their pockets."

At euvend & coffeena 2019 systems for cashless payment will attract a great amount of attention. Including "Hi!", the new cashless reader by EVOCA Germany GmbH and the respective app "Breasy". "Simple and fast payment is a must nowadays. Hi!, the new cashless reader, which contains the Bluetooth and IrDA technology, unites flexibility and maximum security. The key laser has a new security level, which offers increased protection against hacking. Furthermore, the proximity reader disposes of the Mifare DESFire technology for cards in order to offer higher security," is how Oliver Garn, Executive Director EVOCA Germany GmbH, explained the advantages of the new system.

Further trends and potentials of cashless payment can be found at euvend & coffeena in Cologne from 9 to 11 May.