Ohio Firms Team To Put PPE Into Vending Machines

To make personal protective equipment (PPE) available via vending machines, PPE and medical safety product distributor CLEANLIFE and vending industry supplier D&S Vending are joining forces. Vending operators will be able to buy six PPE kits at first to sell via their snack machines that are meant to work with current coils, according to an announcement.

Merchandise in the kits encompasses KN-95 masks, 3-ply surgical masks, anti-microbial hand wipes and hand sanitizer. The companies said all the kitting will be done in Cleveland. CLEANLIFE, for its part, has provided LED lighting kits as well as replacement LED tubes to the vending vertical.

However, amid the coronavirus pandemic, it has harnessed its international contacts to get PPE for the healthcare space. D&S, on the other hand, has offered equipment, service and parts for vending as of 1965. CLEANLIFE and D & S are both in Cleveland, Ohio.

CLEANLIFE CEO Justin Miller said in the announcement, “Vending operators have machines that are valuable assets in public, high traffic locations across the country.  Schools, airports, subways, and colleges are just a few of the thousands of locations that can offer these kits to help contribute to the fight against COVID-19.”

Miller also noted that the kits will also be on its new website rolling out in the next few weeks to come.

In separate news, Las Vegas has debuted a vending machine that distributes face masks well as other PPE. The machines have been put into the McCarran International Airport and are in Terminal 3’s TSA checkpoint and Terminal 1’s ticketing area. The airport’s Twitter account described the installation as a “new option to help protect yourself and others while traveling.”

A reusable cloth masks for kids and adults can be purchased for $14.50, while a KN95 mask is priced at $8.25. Disposable disinfecting wipes can be bought for $5.25, while hand sanitizer costs $4.25 to $6.50.