The complicated and costly provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is getting a 21st century revamp.
Manufacturers and companies are obliged to make sure staff are supplied with the clothing, tools and protective gear to do their jobs safely. Now they are following innovations in the USA and installing vending machines to provide instant access to PPE in places where staff need it most.
Vending machines can give 24/7 access to anything from gloves and hair nets to high visibility clothing and face shields. Machines cut out the middle man and make a wide range of PPE available all the time, wherever it’s most convenient for workers to have access to it – on the factory floor, in the staff room or in the loading bay.
VendEase is among the vanguard of vending machine operators delivering customised apparatus complete with specific PPE products that are tailored to suit each individual client’s safety requirements.
Dave Berman, Director of VendEase, said: “PPE is a real growth area for vending machines and we are proud to be at the forefront of that revolution. Vending machines are replacing the traditional office supply cupboard – they are never locked, always properly stocked and there’s no red tape to cut before you can get your hands on what you need, when you need it.”
Lessons from the USA, where more than 70,000 PPE vending machines are in use close to production lines, show significant benefits:
· stock is fully controlled and the amount spent on PPE is reduced;
· staff are better protected because they have instant, convenient access to the PPE they need;
· health and safety standards improve;
· operational efficiency is improved, and
· management gain a more realistic understanding of specific PPE usage.
Clever machine to machine technology allows the client remote control of issues such as inventory tracking, cash accountability, stock or operational alerts and cashless systems. Real-time data allows the client to maximise efficiency over PPE stock as well as becoming highly responsive to what workers need and use.
VendEase PPE is partnered with Circum Tec and Wireless Logic to provide the purpose-built back end technology.
Chad Heinemann, Account Manager, Circum Tec comments: “Working with operators such as VendEase, the Circum Tec vending platform delivers total control in real-time to create a super-efficient platform for vending delivery and satisfaction.”
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