Accelerated Retail Technologies (ART), the new company formed by John Murn from bankrupt AVT, Inc., is planning on pushing the execution of creative vending machines further and leveraging existing patents.
Murn, the current president of RSA Management Group, acquired AVT earlier this year, one month after the company filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He renamed the company Accelerated Retail Technologies, or ART. "[The previous owner] had a great group of people and his intellectual property, as far as patents, was second to none," said Murn. With the purchase, Murn acquired the rights to several AVT brand names, including AR Systems, and hired much of AVT’s staff.
Since the acquisition, Murn has looked towards the type of company he wants to mold.
"I want to build a machine that will be more cost effective for the vendors in the marketplace, especially blind vendors," Murn told VendingMarketWatch.com. He sees the machine dispensing a diverse product mix, from 1 liter bottles to computer accessories. It's scheduled to be in testing the first quarter of 2017. Murn is also going to leverage patent monetization for the technology patents, especially wireless vending machine monitoring, that he purchased when he bought AVT. "I want to work with the industry, but I also want to use the patents to create revenue for ART," explained Murn.
Look Ahead
Next up for ART is to develop a machine very similar to Alexa, where an operator can speak to it, and it replies. Murn believes this will be especially beneficial for the blind vendors he works with. "You could ask it 'What is the meter reading?' or 'What is in Column A1?' And the vending machine would answer. It would just make it easier for my vendors," said Murn. This smart vending machine would be fully connected to the internet, and be supported with a strong vending management system from ART as well.
In addition to new equipment development, ART is also fulfilling existing contracts for automatic merchandising for a variety of product retailers. Murn mentioned self-serve technology for renting Rug Doctor commercial carpet cleaners and purchasing AmeriGas propane tanks.
Mission
ART's mission, says Murn, is to be an innovative company that will design anything an operator wants in a vending machine concept. “With our elite team of engineers, software developers, and new leadership this will be more successful than ever,” said Murn. "I've been in vending my whole life, which makes the design process easier. Sometimes, some ideas make sense, and others sound good, but ultimately aren't practical for the vending industry. I can help with that," said Murn.
While he plans to lead ART, Murn will continue to dedicate most of his time to the RSA Management Group. Visit the new ART website at http://www.acceleratedretailtechnologies.com/
