PPE vending machines – how they can improve efficiency and cut costs in your plants

PPE vending machines dispense Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). They are designed to dispense equipment including gloves, safety vests, safety glasses, first aid and ear plugs. The usage of these machines has doubled over the few years, especially in manufacturing plants. We know the advantages of distributing items like soda, candies and chips using this mechanism. But are these really beneficial for distributing safety kits? The answer is a big yes, according to the establishments that use them.

ppe vending

Cost Savings with PPE Vending

When you think of automated systems, cost savings is the first benefit that springs to the mind. PPE vending machines are no different. Since the delivery of PPE is totally controlled, workers using the machine for their kits are likely to be more careful. They will also make lesser mistakes about their choices. Their tendency to claim new gear will go down with the controls in place. All these factors improve the reuse of the equipment and reduce their wastage. The efficiency of the workers also goes up. The vending mechanism reduces incidences of theft. These machines are easy to install and incur only a low cost in maintenance too. The establishments can lease them for long durations or choose to pay a monthly rental fee. All these translate as cost savings for the establishment on the long run.

Better management of Inventory

Vending equipment is typically set up to use with employee ID cards or any such access card that can identify the employee. The distribution strategy could be devised to control the vending through the access cards thus ensuring access of employees to specific kits appropriate to their requirements. This will ensure better inventory management by reducing wastage. Additionally tracking reports can be generated using the system. Such reports give better visibility on important factors like equipment usage which can be utilized to design effective stock management strategies for the future.

Improved efficiency in restocking

Reorder levels of the safety gear need not be monitored diligently when these vending machines are used. These machines can be connected to the internet directly. When critical equipment are running out of stock and reach their reorder level, the machine can be configured to send out email communications either to the corresponding external supplier directly or internally to the appropriate authority who can then take necessary action. This will ensure that PPE is always available for employees.

Better regulatory compliance

Businesses can track both the gear and their employees with the vending machines in place. They can identify usage trends and patterns using historic data through reports. Such product usage reports can be used for regulatory purposes also. Since they are automated, their accuracy is far higher than the reports that are generated manually. So they can be relied upon to make important decisions without the fear of those decisions going wrong due to bad reporting. The misuse of official safety gear is greatly reduced resulting in better compliance.

With these vending machines in place, establishments are beginning to realize great rewards in terms of efficient inventory management, effective regulatory compliance, better monitoring processes and improved employee productivity. With such all-round benefits, it is safe to say that PPE vending machines are here to stay. If you are looking for reliable vending solutions visit this site.

Sources

http://www.superiorglove.com/pages/blog/top-5-benefits-of-a-ppe-vending-program/
http://www.ivm-vending.eu
http://www.magidblog.com/the-benefits-of-ppe-vending/