Category: custom vending machines

How UCapIt Can Help EMS Providers Save Money

Posted on by John Van Horn

Today more than ever hospitals, EMS providers and other healthcare organizations are challenged to provide a higher quality of patient care while reducing operating costs and facing increased regulatory requirements and patient volume. UCapIt provides an innovative, yet simple, solution to a persistent problem. Through cloud-based technology and an intuitive, easy to use software platform, UCapIt and IDS increases employee productivity and provides management with real-time analytics from their EMS supply tracking vending machines in order to make data-driven executive-level decisions.

UCapIt and IDS provides medical inventory tracking by allowing administrators to set limits on the number of items a user may take out at a time. Once the user hits that limit the user must return an item(s) before access is returned. Restrictions on usage can be adjusted on a departmental level by authorized administrators and multiple alert options are available via e-mail to multiple individuals based upon client established criteria. Reports include, but are not limited to:

  • Usage Summary
  • Inventory Consumption
  • Comparative Usage by Time
  • Transactions
  • Restock Summary
  • Par Optimization
  • Item Turnover Rate
  • Inventory Totals
  • Discrepancy Report

Here is a direct quote from Capt Beth Hines of Jacksonville NC (Onlow County EMS) about our drug expiration tracking feature:

“The report tells me what I need to know, how many are expiring, where they are located and the name of the medication. I really like that I can run the report for 90 or more days because I order replacement medications 3-4 months in advance, plus my regular stock… so I know I won’t run out. Now instead of having to do a count by hand at the end of the month or so I check them in when I receive them and simply run the reports I need.”

The Controlled Access Pharmacy (CAP) allows many medical professionals, including EMS, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary the ability to restock their units 24/7 and have real-time usage and inventory tracking. The CAP can check multiple forms of ID and will prompt for station or dispatch specific data.

All withdrawals are cataloged, time stamped and regulated by tech clearance/training level. A unique solution to today’s challenge of controlling access, tracking inventory and dispensing of products according to access protocol.

ScrubTrak Pro Tips: Keeping your Scrubs Sanitary

Posted on by John Van Horn

Being knowledgeable about the sanitation of your scrubs, and taking preventative measures to keep scrubs clean is key to avoiding the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses.

In a study conducted by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) stated more than 60% of uniforms worn by nurses and doctors who work in hospitals tested positive for dangerous bacteria.

To combat pesky bacteria, we’ve gathered a few scrub cleaning pro tips that will help keep these germs at bay:

Store your scrubs properly.

  • When you’re leaving the doctor’s office or hospital, take a moment to change into your normal attire. Remove your scrubs and place them in a sealable plastic bag, a large ziplock bag that can be reused is the way to go. This prevents people in your commute home from being exposed to the bacteria that is hanging out on your scrubs.

Consider getting a ScrubTrak dispenser for your medical facility.

  • Hospital grade laundering services provides a thorough, cleaning process that cannot be replicated in home washing machines and ensures scrubs are rid of infectious germs. Through automating the process for receiving and returning scrubs, ScrubTrak assists hospitals in complying with AORN’s recommendation for surgical attire to be laundered by a healthcare laundry facility to avoid the spread of infectious bacteria on scrubs of medical personnel who have patient interaction. By offering dispensing and return units for scrubs, and monitoring compliance through our real-time software system, hospital administrators can confidently comply with AORN. In addition, ScrubTrak’s return units allow for convenient and safe scrub pick-up by laundering staff.

Wash after every wear.

  • Although your scrubs may seem clean, perhaps you only worked a 4 hour shift; regardless, your scrubs need to be washed with hot water after every single wear. It is not a matter of personal hygiene, rather about the prevention of nasty bacteria and viruses.

For hospital and medical facility managers, we highly recommend that you check out the ScrubTrak site and features.

iVendTech – How a Vending Machine In Your Office Can Benefit Business Travelers

Posted on by John Van Horn

IDS Office Supply System is the answer to a simple desire of many businesses: We want to vend & track supplies for our employees. It proves there are no limits to intelligent dispensing. Now everything from ballpoint pens to keyboards can be dispensed from this versatile machine.

An IDS office supply vending machine offers many benefits like the ability to place products where they are needed 24/7 while reducing or in some cases eliminating office supply cabinets and drawers. Everything is secure and trackable letting you concentrate on your core business and not on keeping track of your supplies.

An employee arrives at an office that is not their home office and is in need of IT peripherals to accomplish their work. Examples might be a laptop power supply or security dongle. An on-demand electronics vending machine would allow the user to procure the item quickly.

An Employee can go to the machine and input their employee ID or swipe their ID card at the machine to initiate a dispensing session. The machine then sends ID/PIN to the server for authentication and restriction information is retrieved from the database (restriction information is based on departmental limits or other criteria as desired). If the employee is validated the dispensing session continues, otherwise the dispensing session terminates.

Tracking of products is easy. Transaction information is sent to the database including: time and date, account, site, machine, product(s) dispensed, and employee name or ID.

For office supplies and IT management we highly recommend that you check out the iVendTech site and features.

How ScrubTrak Can Help With Compliance and Infection Prevention in Medical Facilities

Posted on by John Van Horn

ScrubTrak™ is a breakthrough in scrub dispensing technology. It helps medical facilities manage their scrub supply more efficiently—reducing inventory shrinkage and increasing the bottom line. And it ensures doctors, nurses and techs always have clean medical scrubs available.

This simple, intuitive system eliminates hoarding, shortages and unauthorized use. We estimate that ScrubTrak™ can reduce inventory shrinkage by 90%.

Contaminated linen, including scrubs and coats, have been identified as a source of large numbers of pathogenic microorganisms. ScrubTrak offers infection prevention solutions by helping control this risk in healthcare organizations by providing return units in key locations throughout the campus. Having multiple return unit locations ensures that employees do not have to travel far distances in contaminated uniforms.

Hospital grade laundering services provides a thorough, cleaning process that cannot be replicated in home washing machines and ensures clean medical scrubs that are rid of infectious germs. Through automating the process for receiving and returning scrubs, ScrubTrak assists hospitals in complying with AORN’s recommendation for surgical attire to be laundered by a healthcare laundry facility to avoid the spread of infectious bacteria on scrubs of medical personnel who have patient interaction. By offering dispensing and return units for scrubs, and monitoring compliance through our real-time software system, hospital administrators can confidently comply with AORN. In addition, ScrubTrak’s return units allow for convenient and safe scrub pick-up by laundering staff.

For hospital and medical facility managers, we highly recommend that you check out the ScrubTrak site and features.

UCapIt – The Next Level of Supply Management for Medical Settings

Posted on by John Van Horn

IDS continues to be at the forefront of innovative vending machine solutions for professionals in every field with their UCapIt series of health care product machines. With both refrigerated and non-refrigerated options, the Cap3, Cap5, and locker-style models all offer a better way to dispense both pharmaceutical and emergency medical service (EMS) items as needed.

What are the benefits of the intelligent UCapIt system in a hospital setting?

Unlike simplistic machines that simply pop open drawers when the correct codes are entered, UCapIt medical supply vending can handle a vast array of different items, from medication to EMS supplies, from oxygen to backboards.

The technology allows for a variety of access options, from traditional pin numbers to proximity card readers to biometric scanning of fingerprints, or combinations. Theft and shrinkage become problems of the past when UCapIt is onsite to track who accessed what stock and when. Storeroom inventory accountability is always working to ensure that older items are used first and that any low stock levels are ordered promptly, all through customized automation.

Managing the UCapIt system is simple, and you can receive updates and information by email, or even text message, which is perfect for medical professionals on the go. Customized reports offer medical supply management by tracking inventory, usage, and even the well-being of the machine itself through self-diagnostic reports.

With the various sizes of UCapIt machines, it is easy and convenient to place a few throughout the medical area or hospital, which can save valuable time in accessing needed items. Saving time in a hospital often equates to lives saved and, at the very least, cost saving, as employees spend less time using the newer streamlined system.

By saving time and money, improving access to needed supplies, and allowing for real-time monitoring and reordering, the UCapIt system isn’t simply a desirable addition to any healthcare setting; it is a modern necessity.

How IDS Helps You Create Custom Vending Machines

Posted on by John Van Horn

When you think of a vending machine, you may be picturing a large, boxy hulk hidden away by an elevator under a fluorescent light, temperamentally dispensing pre-packaged items of indeterminate age and nutrition. That image, however, is a fallacy, an imaginary scene. What if you could create a vending machine, both in terms of aesthetics and function? Now you can create your own vending machine solutions to meet the distinct needs of your area.

At Intelligent Dispensing Solutions (IDS), we specialize in assisting our clients in designing a unique vending experience, customized to their needs and specifications. All it takes is an idea. Do you have a dream of a machine that dispenses office supplies within a library? Penn State now offers a machine with all the non-edible needs any college student could ask for. What if you could buy medical scrubs from a vending machine in a hospital, reducing shortages and improving inventory control? Scrubtrak had an inspiration and made it a reality.

Once you have an idea of the type of product you want to be dispensed, our software and engineering teams begin to consider the best way to supply, plan, organize, interact with, and dispense or sell your unique items. We use state of the art technologies to offer paid, cash free, and no-cost choices, as well as individual design elements, based on your specifications.

After you’ve approved the plan, we move into the fabrication phase. We build on site, using modern systems and over 70 years of experience. None of our designs are sent overseas for production and all phases of the build are done in-house, assuring not only the security of your idea, but also the quality.  Finally, through our global support network and total partnership program, your machine is installed and brought online. Our commitment to your complete satisfaction doesn’t end at launch; we remain involved through service and ongoing improvements and upgrades as the industry advances.

If you bring us a scheme, a dream, or a vision, we will bring it to life for you with a custom vending machine from IDS.

How To Avoid The 3pm Office Lull

Posted on by John Van Horn

custom vending machinesWe’ve all been there. It’s 3pm, you just ate a nice lunch at 12pm. But now the tiredness is creeping in and you are in need of a pick-me-up because even though you are tired, you still have that deadline to hit.

Somehow, the entire day just catches up with you and it’s a struggle to keep your eyes open and to not have your head smash into the keyboard. Taking a quick stroll around the office does nothing. If anything, it’ll make you even more sleepy.

The solution (besides a 4th cup of coffee)? Food. Food, especially anything with caffeine and sugar, will push you through the next two hours of work. Office vending machines are a simple solution to the food problem. Workers don’t have to waste time during the day to head to a store for refreshments. Instead, they can find the perfect snack in the break room. Of course, not all office snack machines have to be loaded with just candy bars and soda. You can choose a mix of healthy items and treats to keep you and the rest of the office happy and, most importantly, awake.

Visit Intelligent Dispensing Solutions to learn more about office vending machines and don’t let the “3 pm sleepies” keep you from getting your work done and hitting that deadline.

Have You Heard of Oasis? Robotic Retail Food Units to Bring Healthy Options to Food Scarce Areas

Posted on by John Van Horn

Have you ever wondered what type of benefits would be offered if healthy foods were available from a vending machine? While this may seem like something right out of “Back to the Future,” this is something you could be seeing in your area and very soon. Increased technology and the need to make good food accessible in food desert areas, has led to the development of this revolutionary product.

The latest Robotic Retail units will be stocked with foods such as eggs, milk, bread and healthy, prepared foods, such as salads that would otherwise only be found in a grocery store. The pricing in these units will not be astronomical either.  In fact, they’ll be right on par with what you would pay at your local grocery store. This makes getting healthy foods much easier for people who don’t live near a grocery store, don’t have a car to get there, or simply live in food scarce area.

When you shop a Robotic Retail vending machine you can pay with cash, a credit card, or a debit card, as well as with a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program card, or other food assistance cards.

These machines, which are being called the Oasis 24seven are approximately the size of a shipping container. They hold between 200 and 800 different items, weighing anywhere between one ounce to 10 pounds. When you shop with the machine you will make your selection on a computer screen, and then a robotic arm will deliver your selected items.

While there are similar machines currently on college campuses, the goal of the Oasis 24seven is to provide access to food for those who may not have it.  And not just any food – but healthy, quality foods for those who may otherwise only have access to processed options.

In addition to benefiting those in areas where access to healthy foods may be low, these machines can help to reduce issues of theft. The inventory control in this machine is superior to even the highest quality grocery store security systems. Why? Because patrons do not have access to the actual groceries. Instead, they will enter their selections into the computer screen, and then have it delivered by the robotic arm and conveyor belt.

The first Oasis 24seven healthy food vending machine is going to be located in the Greater Des Moines area. However, if the trial run goes well, there is a good chance you will see one in your local area before you know it.

Office Supply Vending Machines Introduced to Libraries

Posted on by John Van Horn

you walk up to a traditional vending machine, you expect to drop in a few coins and receive a snack, a cup of coffee, or even a cold soda. How about a pen?  A notebook? A computer keyboard? Or even a new set of scrubs?

Vending machines are moving far beyond the traditional snack foods and drinks. The Penn State library recently installed two vending machines that dispense office supplies and necessary items for their student population including blue books, writing utensils, headphones and calculators. Students do not need to have cash on hand to use the machines; they simply swipe their university card and the purchase is deducted from their balance.

When it comes to this new generation of vending machines, the sky’s the limit. Conventional office vending machines provide that 3 PM snack, but instead of chocolate, chips, and mints, IDS machines can replace the standard office supply cabinet. Inventory control is provided by having employees scan their ID or entering their employee number to receive necessary supplies.

The most interesting aspect of an office supply vending machine is that they can vend almost any type of supply your employees or customers require. Custom vending machines allow businesses to sell their product automatically at any time of day or night by automating the transaction. Any type of medical supply that is subject to inventory control, from pharmaceuticals to equipment, can be easily tracked. Even IT equipment like a keyboard or a mouse, that would have been a hassle to replace in a corporate environment requiring tracking paperwork, can be dispensed via vending machine automatically.

With web-based iQ technology, inventory managers can easily track the machine’s inventory.  By simply logging in to a web based device from anywhere, supervisors can track the machine’s records and track sales or employee use. No longer will that supervisor need to check each machine individually to inventory its remaining products. With iQ technology, businesses can increase employee accountability with detailed records of materials or products requested by each person which leads to a decrease in theft and shrinkage.

The automatic vending feature appeals to any business that is working toward increasing employee autonomy and efficiency. For example, rather than having employees fill out requisition forms and wait for necessary replacements like a computer power cord, Facebook CIO Tim Campos created a series of custom vending machines to automate this process, reduce expense, and increase efficiency.

No longer just for snacks, smart supply vending machine manufacturer Intelligent Dispensing Systems creates custom machines to dispense office, medical, and IT supplies.

Cashless Vending is Safe, Secure, and Smart

Posted on by John Van Horn

In our ever-increasing cashless society, wouldn’t it make sense to create a cashless vending machine?  According to the Bloomberg BusinessWeek, however, “…most of the 5 million vending machines in the U.S. still accept only coins or bills, even as prices rise.”  And when many people don’t even carry cash any longer, that means those vending machine operators are losing sales and profits.

To fix this problem, vending machine manufacturers are designing and installing vending machines that accept credit and debit cards, the most common way for Americans to pay today.  Some of these machines, called “smart vending machines” can even accept payment with a smart phone and then allow the customer to charge their smart phone at its very own smart phone charging station.

This new method sure brings convenience but what about security?  According to Vending Times, the vending industry’s leaders held a seminar during the 2014 Atlantic Coast Exposition to discuss just that.  For example, Lauren Miller, whose credit card vending machines appeal to customers who don’t carry cash, says that his vending machines operation “doesn’t touch your card, and doesn’t store your data.”  This means fraud, which is reportedly low at $1 for every $1,000 spent at vending machines, is minimal.

While security for the consumer who engages with a cashless vending machine is safe, the same can be said for the vending machine owner.  For example, at Intelligent Dispensing Solutions, they never track customer’s information, but they do use a system that tracks the inventory data for any vending machine anywhere and makes that data available to their customers at any time. This means inventory control just got easier and smoother than ever.

Instead of having to visit every office vending machine to check on inventory levels, you can check your inventory remotely from anywhere there is Internet service.  Furthermore, operators can also access data that helps them choose the right items to stock their vending machines by knowing what is and isn’t selling according to stocks.  On top of that, vending machine operators get more sales with cashless vending offered by Intelligent Dispensing Solutions who never store payment information, keeping your customers safe and secure.

The future of cashless intelligent supply vending machines is gaining ground because it is easier for consumers to pay with debit cards, credit cards, or their smart phones. Smart cashless vending machines are where vending operators need to grow their business in order to survive. Using cash to pay for a candy bar or a can of soda is becoming less and less convenient in our modern cashless age.

Cashless vending machines accept credit cards and mobile payments. And you can charge your phone at the same time.