Fastcorps Renown Robotic Retailing Concept Is Getting A Whole Lot Better Says New Owner Brian Weinstein

Brian Weinsteinis president of Chapco Inc. (Chester, CT), the new owner of Fastcorp. Chapco is a metal fabrication specialist and systems integrator. His father, Robert Weinstein, acquired Chapco in the mid-1980s; Brian was hired as plant manager in 2000 and was promoted to president in 2010. Prior to Chapco, he was vice-president of Standard Metals Inc. (Hartford).

Although the 25-year-old robotic retailing concept continues to lead the ice cream category, big changes are on the way for the machine and the company. Chapco president Brian Weinstein predicts that Fastcorp will play an instrumental role in a new vending era, while continuing to serve its frozen food constituency with design improvements and new functionality.

This year, Fastcorp will roll out about a half-dozen versions of its vending machine. It's also updating its robotic vacuum-powered vending technology.

Two distinct 46" touchscreen models are under development. One will use a standard touch-enabled LCD, and the other will feature an integrated transparent screen. The latter will allow patrons not only to look through the screen, but also to view the mechanism in operation. A third model is equipped with a 10" screen on the machine's control panel; the device can run on a network or function locally. This is a good solution for providing nutritional information or promotional messaging, among other content.

A replacement for the Evolution, which has been Fastcorp's platform for the past eight years, will hit the market in the second quarter. The yet-to-be-named model, which will become the new Fastcorp standard, has the same large window in the door, but will use a digital product display. The screen can be digitally "partitioned" to present selections in an attractive manner, making the machine's menu easily customizable. The older POS display was subdivided to hold 12 cards, so if there were fewer selections, a frame had to be blanked out. Evolution is currently being phased out.

MEN AT WORK:At left, Fastcorp legacies John Stolz (l.) and Dan Hitt continue to handle customer and technical support at manufacturer's new office in Chester, CT. In center photo, Brian Weinstein and Jay Rabe (r.) show off a prototype of a digital product signage LCD, which will replace the current backlit product and price cardholder. At right, Brian Weinstein puts the Trueform Motor-less Treadmill through its paces. The self-powered treadmill is among many innovations developed and assembled by Chapco Inc., Fastcorp's new parent.

For Chuck E. Cheese's, a family entertainment chain catering to kids, Fastcorp has designed a three-window machine, which allows users to look through from most angles. The Fastcorp dispensing system has always had theatrical appeal, and this panoramic model is expected to be in high demand at recreational accounts. Frozen novelties will be on the automated menu at Chuck E. Cheese's.

Fastcorp is the preferred vending machine from dozens of ice cream brands, including Mini Melts frozen desserts. Mini Melts are manufactured cryogenically using liquid nitrogen, which is inactive and tasteless, to instantaneously freeze the product to less than -187 °C (-304 °F.). This is close to the coldest temperature that is achievable on earth, and the rapid freezing process enables the flavors to be locked in. To preserve flavor quality, special storage freezers (-40°F.) are recommended at the point of sale. Fastcorp holds the distinction of making the only vending machine that can properly handle Mini Melts according to the manufacturer's specifications.

WE CAN VEND THAT:Lauren and Brian Weinstein showcase a sampling of products that can be dispensed by Fastcorp's vacuum-powered vending system. Fastcorp is intent on creating a larger market for ambient-temperature products sold through its vending machines. GE Appliances is among the company's new brand accounts, and will be retailing some 20 water filter products through custom Fastcorp machines.

Some of these innovations will be shown this month. At the National Automatic Merchandising Association's OneShow in Las Vegas, Fastcorp will showcase its panoramic three-window Mini Melts machine, a 46" integrated touchscreen model for frozen foods and an ambient configuration with the new digital product card option. The latter will be themed for the company's new #DreamItVendIt! social media campaign, which is spreading the word on how Fastcorp vends frozen, refrigerated and ambient merchandise of any size or weight. "All sorts of cool stuff," Weinstein said.

Robotics For Vending

The term "robotic retailing" has sometimes been used to define vending or vending machines. But for the new Fastcorp, robotic retailing is a mantra recited fervently. Under Chapco's ownership, Fastcorp has reengineered its robotic system to be even more reliable than its predecessor, Weinstein said. Created in-house at Fastcorp's new factory, the vending mechanism consists of a vacuum pump motor and hose, and a robotic arm with three motors (elbow, shoulder and pickup). It vends items weighing as much as 2 lbs. in standard configuration, and can lift up to 4 lbs. with a special picker tip. Selections are programmed by positioning the arm manually and saving the coordinates of each product.

"It's a simple design that uses higher-quality motors, and it will prove to be even more reliable than earlier Fastcorp technology," Weinstein said. "And robotic simplicity allows for a minimal number of parts and motors."

Fastcorp's robotic arm is based on a modular SCARA design. SCARA stands for Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm (or Selective Compliance Articulated Robot Arm). Its parallel-axis joint layout makes the arm precisely compliant in the X-Y direction, but rigid in the Z direction, hence the term "selective compliance." This is advantageous for assembly operations, and also in such confined spaces as a vending machine. Another attribute of the SCARA is the jointed two-link arm geometry, similar to human arms, hence the term "articulated." This feature allows the arm to extend into confined areas and then retract, or "fold up," out of the way. This is beneficial for transferring items and loading/unloading. SCARAs are generally faster and cleaner than other robotic systems.

Fastcorp introduced robotic assembly technology on its Evolution machines. The original system it replaced used overhead rails (a small gantry) to carry the vacuum arm, driven by computer-controlled X-Y positioning motors. When a selection was made on the original system, the vacuum pickup moved to the coordinates above the bin that contained the desired item, lowered a suction hose to seize the topmost package and raised it for transport to the product delivery area, where it was released into the delivery chute. In contrast, the new robotic arm moves directly to the selection to lift and drop it into the chute. The automatically opening and closing freezer chest, which contains the bins, in the base of the cabinet is a fundamental part of the design. After a vend is initiated, the lid of the chest opens for product retrieval, then closes immediately.

Chapco: No Newcomer

Chapco, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, is no stranger to precision manufacturing. Weinstein's father, Robert, acquired the company in 1986 when it was in Chapter 11. With only eight employees at the time, Chapco was primarily a sheet-metal shop, and remained so for another 20 years. But the younger Weinstein saw that capability as a catalyst for expansion into new fabricating and engineering services.

Robert retired in 2013, and Brian runs the company today. Like his father, he has an industrial engineering degree and an MBA. He's modest about his technical know-how, and says he prefers to surround himself with "much better" engineers than he. Whether or not that self appraisal is accurate, it does reflect the business acumen that is energizing growth at Chapco.

HEADQUARTERS:Fastcorp machines are assembled at a new facility located at 8 Inspiration Ln., Chester, CT 06412. The manufacturer's plant can expand to 30,000 square feet to make room for growth. Pictured above, from left, Fastcorp line pro Matt Schaniel works on cabinet insulation; signature freezer chests await installation; and new machines are lined up for final assembly and testing. Fastcorp is online at fastcorpvending.com.

Brian's wife, and Fastcorp marketing director Lauren Weinstein, attributes his business success to his ability to juggle many balls, his quirky sense of humor and turning what might be a mild case of ADD into an advantage.

Today, Chapco employs more than 80 people, and it's been in a steady hiring phase for a year. As drivers make their way along Connecticut's Middlesex Tpke., there hangs a sign "HELP WANTED CHAPCO 860-526-9535" at Denlar Rd., where Chapco is based. A forecast of increased demand for the new Fastcorp line is creating jobs.

The company oversees the development of dozens of products, from concept to prototype through production. Businesses and entrepreneurs seek out Chapco, not only for its fabrication capabilities but also for product integration and assembly solutions. In addition to metal work, it does mechanical and electrical assembly, plastics, programming, packaging and logistics.

Notable among Chapco's clients are Gerber Scientific, Hubbell Inc., Whelen Engineering and Wiremold. Its partners include Samsara Fitness, which markets non-motorized cardio exercise machinery. Mobilio is a Chapco partnership with a designer that manufactures and sells high-end furnishings, like shelves and tables, finished in custom anodized dyes and automotive paints. Rapidly earning a reputation as one of the best new products in the fire safety equipment category, Denlar range hoods are manufactured by Chapco.

Chapco builds all of these products. A walk through the factory will reveal dozens of unusual products and highly engineered components, manufactured by a skilled workforce using state-of-the-art tooling.

Fastcorp Foundation

But can Chapco build vending machines? The company has already built thousands of them. It's been manufacturing the Fastcorp vending machine line since 2007. Seven years later, Fastcorp's owner, the Van Tuyl Group, was intent on selling the company. Faced with the prospect of losing a major customer, his fourth largest, and a product he admired, Weinstein decided to purchase the vending machine company.

For those who have not been reading the financial pages, the Van Tuyl Group in March sold its 10-state, 81-unit car dealership chain, the fifth largest in the nation, to billionaire Warren Buffett. Weinstein believes he got the better deal and a superior asset.

Inventor Munroe Chirnamos founded the company, originally as Food Automation Systems and Technology Corp., in 1990 in Morris Township, NJ. His partners were David Cohen, John Devecka and Eric Berkowicz. They sold Fastcorp to VTG about nine years ago. The company moved to Danbury, CT, shortly thereafter.

Fastcorp's first model was the F631. The value of its ability to retrieve and dispense all sorts of items with vacuum suction was immediately recognized by operators. However, it became widely used as a frozen food vender, equipped with the base mounted temperature-controlled freezer chest. This was hailed as a breakthrough by vending operators.

The Great Swap

While Fastcorp had attempted to apply the same principle to machines vending a wide range of products -- refrigerated and ambient -- most machines now in the field, about 95% by Weinstein's estimate, are frozen designs. This success as a frozen food machine may have obscured its marketability in other product categories.

Within a decade, Fastcorp became the dominant ice cream vender, often vending premium brands. It's estimated that some 50,000 machines were built, and more than half that number are still in service. Its clever design fueled deployment during the '90s, with 5,000 machines rolling off the assembly line during the boom years. Dixie-Narco, a Maytag unit at the time, contract-manufactured the machines in South Carolina.

Experienced operators almost immediately welcomed the original F631. It had no moving parts in the freezer, which prevented frost buildup and damage to components in sub-zero temperatures. Operators loved the fact that the freezer chest, which maintains the storage temperature within very close tolerances, confined the melted product if the power failed.

But it was one ingenious attribute that accelerated placement: the F631 had exactly the same footprint as the Rowe 487. That Rowe machine was the most widely operated frozen vender at the time. Its three vertically moving belts held frozen novelties, including ice cream bars, sandwiches and popsicles, along with cones by use of adapters. It had a maximum capacity of 210 units when stocked for three selections of shallow items, or fewer when a cone selection was added, compared with the F631's 400 units -- double the capacity. Maintenance of the 487 was difficult, and meltdowns were a service nightmare. Operators could pull out the old Rowe machines from their banks, and neatly slide in Fastcorp's.

FABRICATION:Fastcorp's raw material handling, cabinet fabrication and electrical assembly, among other precision tasks, are conducted at Chapco's Chester, CT, headquarters. Pictured, from left, are Gerado Aristi, Chapco's product development vice-president; Colleen Morris, Fastcorp's longtime customer service manager; Eric Tisdale, operating a fiber laser; and designers Sean Hill (l.) and Steven Johnson. Chapco's offices are located at 10 Denlar Dr., about three miles from the new Fastcorp facility. The company is online at chapco.inc.

Throughout its history, Fastcorp's owners wanted to apply its vacuum-powered vending system to a much wider range of products. In fact, one of the company's first big orders in the early 1990s was for 160 machines configured to vend Paco Rabanne colognes in department stores. But it languished after that. The introduction of a snack/candy version was attempted in 2002. The idea behind the snack machine was that Fastcorp's vertical product bins offered a viable alternative to horizontal spiral shelves. And with the Evolution five years later, the new robotic vend system had a soft-drop option for fresh food, drink packages and other refrigerated items, and for delicate ambient goods. However, these new product applications, and the marketing efforts behind them, gained little traction.

But times are changing. More and more brands and promoters are seeking out vending solutions for different applications, from one-off promotions to 24/7 sales capabilities in public locations. And professional vending operators, who used to focus solely on the food and drink demands of their clients, are recognizing they can sell other things, too.

GE Appliances' water division is working with Fastcorp to develop a vending machine that will promote and sell water filtration replacement supplies. The GE machine will stock about 20 different water filters in various package sizes, the largest weighing 3 lbs., and will feature a custom POS interface.

Other nontraditional applications are in the works, Weinstein said. They include a "fitness" machine, which vends water bottles, energy bars and drinks, hair clips, OTC medications and earphones (anything used at a gym), and another that vends pet treats and toys.

Fastcorp marked its one-year anniversary under Chapco's proprietorship this past Feb. 14. Twenty-six tractor trailers and eight box trucks were loaded in Danbury last winter to haul Fastcorp assets 60 miles to Chester. Chapco leased a 10,000-sq.ft. building on Inspiration Lane near its 30,000-sq.ft. corporate headquarters and metal fabrication shop on Denlar Rd., exclusively for its new vending division. Right now, the Fastcorp plant maintains one assembly line, but it's ready to add a second. Space at the location can be doubled, when needed.

"After the first year of observing and analyzing the company and the vending industry, we are now focused on making Fastcorp technology more reliable and versatile than ever before," Weinstein said. "We have the most efficient robotic retail solution for brands seeking new and creative ways to merchandise their products. And we remain committed to vending operators, who demand improved serviceability."

HEAVY METAL:Fastcorp parent Chapco Inc. continually invests in tooling upgrades, from laser cutters and punch presses to CADD systems. At left is a new punch press, one of several acquisitions made during a recent $2 million investment. Chapco offers Fastcorp several advantages, including complete control of all manufacturing processes. Pictured, from left, is a pallet of raw steel for Fastcorp cabinets; a cabinet panel (held by Brian Weinstein); and a Chapco steelworker machining components. Chapco was founded in 1964.