SVC only installs brand new DEX compatible digital beverage, snack, coffee and ice cream vending machines. DEX is short for "digital exchange", meaning data can be downloaded with special equipment. DEX specifies a data format to enable all different types of machines and machine models to communicate electronically in a similar manner.

Major soft drink bottlers using this system for their retail accounts wanted a way to receive the same information from their vending machines. Initially, DEX capability was approximated in packaged cold drink vending machines by adding data storage and retrieval capabilities to the vending machine coin changer.

As the potential benefits became more apparent, the NAMA (National Automatic Merchandising Association) Technical Standards Committee empanelled a subcommittee to define a "vending industry data transfer standard" based on DEX. This has undergone successive refinement over the past decade and, today, virtually all vending machines from major manufacturers are compliant. VIDTS allows retrieval of the information from the vending machine with a standard handheld computer (running any of several operating systems) plugged into the vending machine. The standard allows for a variety of measures, including cumulative cash in, cash out, tube cash, box cash, bills to stacker and vend count. And this information is available immediately. The fully-implemented standard also permits capture of sales data, including "line-item" detail. Thus, information about all money put into the vending machine and all merchandise dispensed from it can be collected automatically, or even transmitted to a central computer. This permits immediate cash-to-inventory reconciliation, and allows management to respond swiftly to any discrepancies that appear in the reports.

Beyond its use in settlement, line-item sales information is valuable both in analyzing vending machine sales with a view to optimizing the menu and in establishing a sales history to permit accurate forecasting. The ability to predict what a vending machine will need without requiring the driver to walk past it saves time on the route.

The vending machine can also transmit its sales record to a computer aboard the route truck over a short-range wireless connection ("curbside polling"); or the sales information can be sent to the operator's main computer over a wide-area network. A vending machine compliant with DEX is the precondition for all of these capabilities.

These and other vending machine innovations are making vending machines more intelligent and high-tech. These innovations can make businesses run smoother for vending machine business operators.

In addition, an increasing variety of foods, drinks and other items will be available to consumers through vending machines in coming years. Candies, cookies, popcorn, pastries, juices, vitamins and granola bars in enough variety for the most discerning snacker will be available via machines. Because Americans are the biggest snackers in the world, the U.S. has a growing array of vending machines. And as the variety and technological daring of vending machine manufacturers continues to grow, SVC will continue to stay current with all that latest technology.