WHAT IS A PROTEIN AND FOOD SUPPLEMENT VENDING MACHINE?
In recent years, body care and well-being have become a key concern for most people.
More and more attention has been paid to "the figure" by following diets (both slimming and "sports") and trying to achieve a target aesthetic combining the right diet with good, constant physical activity.
Following this trend and starting from a request from one of its customers,Flymax developed its first protein vending machine models about 6 years ago.
In the following paragraphs, let's find out what a protein and food supplement vending machine looks like.
1. Protein and supplement food vending machine features
Always with a view to satisfy its customer, Flymax has developed protein and supplement vending machines starting from 3 of its basic models: F3 REVOLUTION, F600, ACQUAMAT .
The logic was to be able to use the functions and especially the internal parts of the distributors, adapting them to the new type of product and service that the customer required, in order to save both time,ctraining its technical staff to the new machine, and money, avoiding to supply new parts that would have generated in the customer the need to have completely new "spare parts kits" in stock.
Let's now take a detailed look at how it was possible to convert from freestanding beverage models (F600 and ACQUAMAT) and table top models (F3 REVOLUTION) to the automatic protein and supplement vending machine.
The "modus operandi" used was essentially the same for both types of machines.
First of all, the product was analysed and tested inside the containers.
As we will see later, this first analysis is fundamental to develop a machine that will not give the customer problems over time.
If the product has given positive feedback with the current containers for soluble products, we move on to analyse the behaviour of the product after various dispensing operations inside the "mixer cups".
If the feedback is also positive in this case, we conclude with some final tests that aim to test the machine "under stress" to understand if there are any limits and/or problems to be solved.
All of this is always based on the "customer's needs and requirements".
Therefore the features of a Flymax protein and supplement vending machine are in principle the same as those of its vending machines, but they are adapted and modified according to:
As mentioned above, the type of product used cannot be ignored.
2. Importance of the soluble product used.
There are various brands of soluble protein products and supplements on the market.
The first distinction is the one mentioned: proteins are mainly used to 'increase body mass' and therefore have a more targeted function and personalised dosages depending on the training objective; while the latter are basically ingested to 'get back into shape' and can be taken either after a training session to rebalance energy levels, or on a daily basis to restore the body's mineral salt intake.
2.1 Soluble protein products
There are many different types of soluble protein products on the market, and just as their recipes vary, their consistency is never the same.
For this reason, it is fundamental to test the product and see how it responds not only in terms of delivery but also in terms of its presence in the dispenser.
Even the taste (e.g. chocolate or strawberry) can cause the soluble product to be have differently inside the container.
During the tests, Flymax saw that many products were easily thickened by the moisture in the air, which made it difficult to rotate the auger of the container, resulting in no or incorrect product delivery.
This was one of the major challenges that Flymax technicians had to face and, thanks to a careful study of the product, of the machine and of the customer's requirements, they managed to overcome.
2.2 Soluble supplement products.
As with protein products, there is a considerable variety of supplement-based products on the market.
The experience Flymax engineers had with this type of soluble was better from a functionality point of view as it was not as sensitive to external temperature and humidity.
Thanks to the consistency almost similar to that of any other soluble hot drink, it was possible for Flymax to start from their basic model of dispenser for dispensing treated water (ACQUAMAT) to which they added two soluble canisters to dispense the supplements.
The improvement of the ACQUAMAT model with the addition of the soluble kit has been very successful with customers who, to date, are not limited to adding only supplements but various types of products such as, for example, soluble juices of various flavours.
3. Why install a protein and supplement vending machine and where to install it?
We now come to the question that has been asked so far: why install a protein and supplement vending machine when there are already pre-packaged ones?
The answer is easy: for the quality of the service and product offered to your end customer.
With the protein distributor, you can both change the taste of the products on a weekly basis, and also adjust the doses according to the 'sports diets' of the customers in the specialised centres that request it.
Another positive aspect is that you can offer your customers drinks that are always 'fresh' and made 'on the spot'.
In addition, there is a very important issue of environmental sustainability, since the end user can bring and fill his own water bottle or the one provided by the facility.
Vending machines can be installed, according to the relevant regulations, directly inside the "weight rooms".
It should be emphasised that these types of vending machines certainly require more maintenance and cleaning than "pre-packaged" products but, to date, the feedback Flymax has received from its customers after installing and using them has been very positive.
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