Half a Century of Vending

History of the Automatic Distribution from 1963 to 2013

Abstract

Mezzo secolo di vending (Half a century of vending) was written to guide the reader in his discovery of an extraordinary microcosm: the world of vending, the term used to identify channels of automatic distribution, a field in which Italy excels. Italy is a global leader in this market thanks to top manufacturers of vending machines and payment systems, to prestigious brand names and service management companies with business models that are considered the most advanced in the world. A world built by an extraordinary generation of Italian entrepreneurs, like Ernesto Valente, better known as “Signor Faema, one of those men who capture the public’s imagination with the pure simplicity of their genius. Because the way and sequence of their successes can be explained with down-to-earth expressions, because what they did could, indeed, have been done by anyone, provided they had talent, plenty of drive and, of course, a pinch of good luck.