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WKEF-TV ABC 22 News :: News - Top Stories - Local Company Invents Vending Machine That Dispenses With Twitter
Monday, February 25 2013, 06:24 PM EST
Local Company Invents Vending Machine That Dispenses With Twitter
MIAMISBURG -- No longer are vending machines used just for snacks, Innovative Vending Solutions, based in Miamisburg, has created customized machines for several big companies like one at the Mall of America that sells Minnesota Vikings gear or the customized machines used for major events like the MTV Movie Awards or the Conan O'Brien show.

"This runs ads, product description details and we can dispense anything out of here from ear buds to batteries, diapers, etcetera," said Patrick McDonald, CEO of Innovative Vending Solutions.

The business started five years ago in Miamisburg.

"It was one of those 2:30 in the morning ideas," said McDonald.

At first they were just selling T-shirt vending machines.

"We had a lot of companies interested in dispensing non-traditional items," said Jeff Thibodeau, VP of Operations for IVS.

Now it has grown in products and locations.

"T-shirts, pens, keyboards, baby products, jewelry, cosmetics," said Thibodeau.

"We have over 600 technicians throughout U.S. Canada, Mexico and internationally," said McDonald.

Being one of the few vendors selling touch-screen machines wasn't enough. They had to start thinking outside the box.

"We wanted a machine that not only sold T-shirts and novelty items products, but this 10-foot machine can send advertising, gain e-mails so I can generate an e-mail list and send ads through there," said McDonald.

And now they've created smart machines that companies can use to create buzz about their product, like machines that gives out free stuff based on a test you take on its touch screen, or machines that give you free stuff just by tweeting. The company says it is the first in the U.S. with such a machine.

If your company wants to give away some free swag, get one of these vending machines, get your customers to type in the hashtag on the machine and it comes almost instantaneously.

"The software is actually built with the Twitter interface so as soon as that's tweeted, the computer is constantly searching Twitter for that specific hashtag and as soon as it finds it and relaying that to the machine and dispensing the appropriate item," said Thibodeau.

And if you own the machine, you can remotely check your sales, upload images and videos and change your prices.

"At this point nothing's really crazy, I think at this point it's more excitement," said Thibodeau. "If we were more traditional, every concept would be the craziest concept, but this is pretty normal for us."

The machines take six to eight weeks to build and range from $6,000 to $30,000.

Innovative Vending Solutions says it's starting to move into robotic machines this year that will have robotic arms that can dispense items up to 500 pounds.

Connect with ABC 22/FOX 45 Reporter Wale Aliyu on Facebook and Twitter.Local Company Invents Vending Machine That Dispenses With Twitter

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