Pavlic Vending Inc.
W223 N750 Saratoga Dr., Waukesha
Innovation: Avanti Markets self-checkout vending system
Technology has driven everyday tasks to become more automated, paperless and more convenient for consumers.
Waukesha-based Pavlic Vending has been fulfilling the vending needs of southeastern Wisconsin businesses for more than 50 years. But the company recently formed a new division: Avanti Markets Milwaukee, which utilizes cutting edge technology to make company vending options smarter, more efficient and more convenient.
“The concept places a convenience store directly in the workplace,” said Rick Pavlic, president of Avanti Markets Milwaukee. “Instead of the five to ten different soft drink options we can provide 40 or 50 soft drink options in addition to racks of dry snacks, frozen food and refrigerated meals.”
Pavlic Vending has become an exclusive distributor of the Avanti Markets system for southeastern Wisconsin. Avanti Markets was formed just over a year ago and is now in 30 different markets across the country.
“It’s a very new technology,” Pavlic said. “We’re excited to be able to offer these types of options to businesses here in the southeastern Wisconsin region.”
The Avanti Markets system provides a scalable set of refrigerated units, a rack for dry snacks like chips and granola bars, and also a frozen food unit, Pavlic said.
“The key to the technology is the automated kiosk that is used like a self-checkout system,” Pavlic said. “Employees can come in, find whatever it is they want to purchase, scan the barcode and pay with either a preloaded key card or simply swipe a credit card.”
The kiosk is very easy to use and allows for seamless purchases by consumers, said Jim Fronberry, sales executive at Avanti Markets Milwaukee.
“Users can either pay with a credit card or they can load cash onto their personalized key tag and purchase items that way,” Fronberry said. “The technology allows us and the company the ability to offer coupons, discounts or incentives by pre-loading cards with complimentary dollars as well.”
This type of vending explodes the number of options a consumer has, and it also gives the employer more options on the types of foods they can offer, Pavlic said.
“We’ve found the model works really well for employee wellness programs,” he said. “Because now we have the ability to offer refrigerated salads, fresh fruits, and yogurt, in addition to traditional healthy vending choices like granola bars.”
The kiosk is hooked up to a company’s internet line which allows Avanti Markets Milwaukee to automatically download information from the kiosk, Pavlic said.
“We have the ability to tell what is being purchased the most from the market and what we need to stock up on the next time we revisit,” Fronberry said. “It also helps us determine what items maybe aren’t preferred and that we can swap out for a favorite or two the next time.”
The kiosk eliminates the majority of technical errors that typically occur with a vending machine, Fronberry said.
“There’s no chance of your change not being returned and your food can’t get stuck in the machine because you are selecting it off the rack,” he said.
The Avanti Markets Milwaukee’s system is ideal for companies with at least 150 employees, Pavlic said. Larger companies have the purchasing capacity to purchase larger quantities of the food, some of it fresh, before it reaches the end of its shelf life, Pavlic said.
“We’ve found that right now, companies with a few more than 150 employees have the capacity to utilize this technology, but they also have the space available to keep the unit,” he said, “At this scale, smaller companies might not have the capacity for it just yet.”
Pavlic suspects that as the technology improves, it will become more advantageous for more companies of all sizes and industries to implement the systems.
“The markets that have a jump on this technology are already seeing astounding success,” Pavlic said. “I think as we continue to move forward, and reduce cost and eliminate waste, this technology is going to change the vending industry.”
The Avanti Market Milwaukee vending system utilizes a built-in camera detection system that records market usage and kiosk scanning, Fronberry said.
“People in this area are very concerned with theft,” Fronberry said. “People are presented with the option of paying or taking every time they walk into a convenience store. This is no different and if the camera system is able to identify employees who didn’t pay it helps to put their mind at ease.”
The system can be installed at no cost for the customer, similar to a traditional vending service, Fronberry said. There is no installation fee and the company just pays for the cost of power and makes sure there is a place to connect the kiosk to the internet, he said.
“Item pricing is similar to what a person would pay either in a traditional vending machine or at the convenience store,” Fronberry said. “This type of technology is highly applicable for a number of different types of companies.”
Avanti Markets Milwaukee started offering the system in fall of 2010, Pavlic said.
Since that time, they’ve installed one successful project at a large law firm in the area, and hope to finish additional installations this year.
