Rhea Vendors Group SpA, producer of customised vending machines, and SECO, center of excellence in the field of technological innovation for IoT and AI solutions, have signed a partnership agreement for the development of innovative solutions in the world of vending, coffee machines and new retail.
The first step of this partnership envisages the adoption of Clea, the integrated software platform with IoT and artificial intelligence functionalities developed by SECO Mind, on the new generation of Rhea vending machines.
Rhea will use a custom solution powered by SECO, an integrated system combining an edge platform and a human-machine interface which has recently entered the mass production phase.
Clea will be installed on all the Rhea new machines, giving rise to an all-in-one infrastructure which collects data from the field, transfers them to the Cloud and analyzes them in real time, returning high value-added information enabling data-driven business processes.
This will allow Rhea to make its installed base monitoring more efficient and effective, optimising its asset management costs and, above all, to activate a new set of functionalities available both to its own customers and to the end users.
The installation of Clea on Rhea’s machines will start in 2022, with its up-to-speed deployment on approximately 40,000 units in the forthcoming future.
“We are delighted for this partnership with Rhea, with which we share the passion and the commitment to innovation, quality and sustainability. We are happy to support our clients in a scenario where IoT and AI are becoming a must-have for every company,” said Massimo Mauri, chief executive of SECO.
“Innovation, quality and sustainability have always been the core values of Rhea. We are very pleased to find these same values in SECO, a solid and dynamic company with whom, I am sure, we will share a future of mutual commitment and satisfaction. Implementing and using an IoT-Ai platform like CLEA means keeping in step with a rapidly evolving world, and being able to offer more and more innovative and customisable solutions that will further increase the level of service for our customers”, said Andrea Pozzolini, chief executive of Rhea Vendors Group.
