Planet Antares Inc | Planet Antares | Planet Antares Vending

A blog to discuss vending solutions provided by Planet Antares Inc

Friday, August 22, 2008

What Mechanics Can Do For Your Vending Machines

Vending machine mechanics are skilled technicians who install and repair vending machine. Moreover, they transport the machine and make the essential water and electrical connections by using the instructions of the manufacturer.

Daily use of Planet Antares vending machines will eventually lead to deterioration and damage. This implies need for repair and replacement of vending parts in field locations and shops. The vending mechanics must diagnose the problems that make the machines stop and fix them. If they are unable to do this at site and isolate malfunctions, they can troubleshoot by following procedures developed by vending companies.

For major repairs or overhauls, the vending machine mechanics will take the equipment or a certain part to the service shop. This will be followed by dismantling of the vending machine, repair and reassembling of the units.

You must ensure that the mechanics follow technical guidelines, blueprints, schematics, diagrams and repair manuals to fix up the Planet Antares vending machines. Nowadays, technologically advanced vending machines have become very popular and contain electronic parts that set prices, calculate customer’s purchases and control the dispensing of change and products.

Apart from this, hand tools like wrenches, screwdrivers, pipe cutters and hammers may be used to tighten, adjust or cut the machine. The mechanics use heavy machinery such as grinding wheels, saws and drills to work in the shop. They also handle problems related to the water flow of the vending machine or with the carbonation system and brewing devices.

It is essential to maintain your vending machines properly and lubricate them regularly. Remember that mechanics who repair Planet Antares snack and beverage vending machines need to comply with state and local sanitation procedures and health codes.

Usually, Planet Antares vending machines are heavy and must be moved with the help of hand trucks or any other moving device for taking them for repair. The mechanics will be responsible for the vehicles provided to them by the employers.

Even after the rise in number and type of vending machines, there are lesser job opportunities available for mechanics these days. With computerized vending machines, vending operators are eliminating the need for mechanics. Still, there is always demand for skilled technicians and mechanics.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

The State Of Mid Market Accounts

With the increasing cost of operations, many Planet Antares vending operators have no other option than to ignore locations with less than 100 people. One segment of this market, the honor box customer, continues to have a strong hold. However, the honor box snack operators have also begun exploring new business opportunities in view of the increasing product and labor costs.

Mid market account locations are those which are too small for traditional vending machines but larger than 10 to 50 person accounts that honor box operators traditionally serve. As a Planet Antares vending operator, you can take interest in this underserved market.

In the meanwhile, the honor snack market remains the exclusive domain of a small group of operators who have learned to survive the demands of product shrinkage, annual account turnover, high employee turnover and almost no means of product accountability.

Yet, some Planet Antares vending operators don’t see vending as a threat to honor box accounts. Most of them have less than 50 employees, which is of no interest to vending companies. One of the keys to the honor box business is high account volume.

If the needs of an account are not being fully met by a honor snack box, you can stock multiple boxes in a location. Moreover, you can call up a Planet Antares vending company to take over an account with about 80 people that want a snack machine and a soda machine. The owner of the honor box may aim to diversify his business to meet the growing demands of midsize accounts.

As the owner of an honor snack business, you can also choose to operate a Planet Antares vending route. Commonly, there is need of vending when an account gets too big for an honor snack box, or maybe the shortages are too much economically to carry on with the boxes.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Collecting Cash In Planet Antares Vending Machines

One of the biggest advantages of vending is that it is an all-cash business. All you need to do is collect cash when you service your accounts and deposit it in your bank. As long as you have a good location then you will have cash to collect from your vending business. Just make sure that you invest in the right vending machines like Planet Antares vending machines, placed at the right location.

As a Planet Antares vending operator, you will perhaps begin as a part time vendor with a regular job accompanying your business. You will have to collect cash from the vending machines at a time when it doesn’t interfere with your normal work. Cash collections can be made on a daily or weekly basis. Moreover, you need to collect cash from the machine you intend to make repairs to the coin mechanism or overall maintenance.

The frequency of your cash collection is determined by the location of the vending machine. Your vending machines may be located in a crowded area where you can expect potential customers. In such circumstances, you need to make frequent cash collections for convenience and security purposes. On the contrary, if your vending machine is in a location that is not visited by people frequently, cash collection can be made every few weeks.

Assuming that you have more than one vending machine in a location or in various locations, it will be difficult to collect cash from these machines all on the same day. Then, you can have a sales outlet operator deliver the cash or keep locked money boxes in the vending machines. Also, you may decide to use a night depository box.

While collecting cash from Planet Antares vending machines, you can use a money bag for the safe keeping of the cash. Moreover, you can avoid making it a habit to collect money from the machine on the same day. You never know who might be watching you. For the security of your Planet Antares vending machines, try to switch the days that you make the collections.