Automatic Merchandiser - 31

Dependable Vending's implementation of micro markets
also reduced the number of service calls the company was
accustomed to handling, making room for further growth.
"It allowed us to focus our technicians on different
product lines such as water filtration or office coffee, and
really allowed us to expand into different arenas, which has
been great," Oliver enthused.
TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS ENABLE EFFICIENCY

Expanding the company's service offerings necessitated
technology upgrades to streamline operations. Oliver said
that the company transitioned to USA Technologies' Seed
software over the past year.
"It just fit our dynamic for our long-term goals and
aspirations for scheduling and taking care of our vending
and micro markets," he said. "For our micro markets, we
use Vendors Exchange, which has been a fantastic transition
for us. Our warehousing is done by LightSpeed Level; 100%
of our product is picked through LightSpeed's warehouse
pick-to-light system."
Oliver noted that since these different technology solutions easily integrate with each other and communicate,
it's increased efficiency in the operation. Noting that the
company had experienced the massive undertaking of a
technology implementation before, he's been extremely
satisfied with the recent transition to Seed.
"They've been fantastic - I've got nothing but positive things to say so far," Oliver said. "Jason Pardue, who
is our account manager, has really helped us out. We've
gone through the ringer the first time in implementing
everything. Patrick and I know what to expect, and what to
learn. We understand the dynamic, so this transition was
not nearly as hard as the first transition."
Oliver and Maule understood that investing in the
right technology would enable them to provide the best
service to their accounts.
"So, if we have to drive 50 miles to our first stop, then
we're going to do that frequently enough to keep the customer happy and satisfied with the best service possible,
but also not do it more than we need to," Maule explained.
"All of our machines and equipment are electronically
hooked up to the office, so we have immediate information
of what our equipment needs are in the field."
COVID-19 HITS BUSINESSES HARD

The company's service area includes Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, and San Bernardino County,
where the company has been based for more than 40
years. Oliver said that the company expanded into other
counties, especially in the past five years, based on customer demand.

Dependable Vending is still our
legal name, but our DBA - which we
operate under - is Dependable Break
Room Solutions. This signifies what we're
after: to be the complete break room
solution provider."
Zachary Oliver, vice president of Dependable Vending

"The demographic that we go after is primarily distribution, as well as hospitals and 24-hour facilities," he said.
"We're not very heavy in schools, which has been a blessing during this time. I know there's a lot of operators out
there that are very heavy in schools and [COVID-19] has
really hit them hard. It has hit us hard, but not as much
because we have quite a bit of essential business that has
stayed open."

Little Debbie: America's
Favorite Snack Cake*

Little Debbie® is America's leading snack cake brand* and is the
preferred baked sweet goods solution. McKee Foods Corporation,
the makers of Little Debbie® Vending snack cakes and Fieldstone®
Bakery products, are committed to providing consumers with quality
products at an excellent value. Little Debbie Vending offers sell by
date coded and Julian date coded products of your favorite Little
Debbie snacks including the Double Decker Oatmeal Creme Pie,
Double Decker Fudge Round, Nutty Buddy Wafer Bars, Cosmic
Brownie and Zebra Cake. Fieldstone Bakery products include sell by
date coded Honey Buns (4 oz), Frosted Mini Donuts (6 ct) and Cosmo
Blast Brownies as well as a recently expanded selection of FitPick®
and FitPick® Select products. Visit our website to learn more.
https://littledebbievending.com/www

*Category leader in Dollar Share:
Source: Nielsen ScanTrack®, Baked
Sweet Goods Category, Total US -
xAOC + Convenience, 52 weeks ending
06/13/2020

September 2020 * VendingMarketWatch.com

https://www.littledebbievending.com/www http://www.VendingMarketWatch.com

Automatic Merchandiser

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