Daventry-based Master Abrasives (www.master-abrasives.co.uk) has established a partnership with ASD Systems (a Polish manufacturer of vending machines) to offer industrial vending solutions in the UK and Ireland.

As a specialist in abrasives, as well as electric and pneumatic tools, Master Abrasives will now offer complete and abrasive orientated vendor managed solutions, whether customers require the vending machines alone or as a package that includes restocking machines with products.

Managing director Paul Batson said: “We find that manufacturers are keener than ever to increase their productivity, and contributing to this is reducing the time it takes staff to locate and order consumables.

“Moreover, the software provided with these vending systems gives managers transparency on what items are used and by whom, which helps to reduce the usage of consumable products.

“When vending PPE (personal protective equipment), companies benefit even further, having an audit of the issued items and ensuring that only approved health-and-safety equipment is used.”

Vending machines from ASD Systems have been installed in hundreds of industrial companies in Poland and internationally.

They provide 24/7 secure access to inventory using log-in and pin, RFID, bar-code, magnetic reader or QR code.

Mark Hatfield, sales and support manager for ASD Systems in the UK, said: “Machines start at just 805mm wide, allowing them to fit in the workspace where the items are used, instead of employees having to collect them from stores.

“They give management full control over the distribution of items, and there is the option to set individual limits for each employee.

“An added benefit of the reporting system is that each week (or a set number of days), an e-mail can be sent automatically to the appropriate supplier detailing the number of items used since the last report, thereby ensuring accurate and timely restocking.”

With a connection from a machine to the user’s server, different types of reports can be produced (per employee, product or cost centre, for example), along with the export of all data to Excel or CSV files.

Vending-machine models are available with carousel, spiral or locker style dispensing systems, and Master Abrasives is offering purchasing options to suit different customer needs; these range from outright purchase to renting for a set monthly fee.