The ozone cleaning system is fully automated and can be programmed to occur during periods of low activity. No harmful chemicals are required, which offers major environmental benefits over current conventional cleaning methods.

The PouchLink's new drink dispensing system boasts a revolutionary means of ensuring an aseptic connection to the syrup concentrate, enabling the machine to safely mix and dispense non-preserved natural juice concentrates without the risk of microbiological contamination. Unlike most conventional dispensers that chill the unpreserved concentrate, this is achieved at ambient temperatures, making big savings on energy efficiencies.

The improved PouchLink vending machine, developed by UK based Waterwerkz, will be launched in Europe and the US in the Autumn. The PouchLink machine enables a wide choice of water-based healthy juice drinks to be made and packaged  within the vending machine, in front of the consumers' eyes. Drinks are mixed and filled into re-sealable flexible pouches and served chilled to the consumer. This technology, combining post mix drinks dispense with an automated point of purchase packaging system is the first of its kind in the world.

The current machine capacity is a massive 1000 drinks, a feature which dramatically reduces the man hours associated with refilling the machine. The system can operate using remote telemetry to monitor stock and can dispense drinks in a range of sizes from 250ml to 500ml.

In addition to operator running cost efficiencies, the new technology enables a saving of up to 90% of the total drink transportation energy due to the removal of the bulky water component from the supply chain and reduces the total carbon footprint by 75% versus traditional packaged drinks vendors.

The machine also uses on-demand flash chilling of the drink at point of purchase, further reducing cooling energy by up to 80%. The benefit of on-demand chilling the drink compares favourably to conventional chilled cabinets, in which newly stacked drinks can take  an up to several hours before they reach the ideal serving temperature. The whole system boasts the lowest ‘food mile' rating of any vended cold packaged drink system.

Comments Ian Bidmead, Managing Director of Waterwerkz: "The driver to create this new PouchLink system was based on the inefficiencies of the supply chain model associated with conventional vending machines and the growth in demand for the vending sector to meet its environmental and corporate and social responsibility goals. The credentials of this new PouchLink machine meet this demand head on.

"PouchLink also taps into the increasing trend towards healthy and functional drinks. Upon launch, we will have a range of branded drinks such as Vimto, Sunkist and Bottlegreen to complement our ‘own branded' drinks that will include functional waters and schools compliant juice drinks.

"It has taken extensive research and development to bring the whole PouchLink system to market and we have been hugely encouraged by the positive feedback we have received from the market from major drinks brands, food retailers and large operators."

Waterwerkz have appointed SandenVendo as manufacturer of  the PouchLink vending machine and it will be featured on the SandenVendo stand at the AVEX 2009 exhibition in June at the NEC.

See Waterwerkz PouchLink vending machine on:

SandenVendo Stand E50

Vivreau Stand B60

Safer Systems Stand A64

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