Vending Machine Software & App Developer

We are a UK vending company importing a range of vending machines from a Chinese manufacturer and are looking for an experienced software/app developer to help us create our own branded software solution.

The machines currently operate using the manufacturer's existing app and cloud-based management platform. Rather than using this standard system, which is also available to other vending companies, we want to develop a unique, UK-branded solution that we can offer alongside our machines.

We initially have four vending machine model and ideally want one platform/app capable of working across all four.
The existing system allows operators to remotely manage vending machines and includes functionality such as:
* Remote machine management and monitoring
* Remote price changes
* Sales statistics and reporting
* Electronic reports
* Equipment/machine management
* Fault reporting and alerts
* Operational monitoring
* Accounting/data reporting
* Remote control and configuration

What we need
We are looking for someone who can review the existing Chinese machine hardware, software and technical documentation and develop or customise a UK-branded mobile app and management platform. The software must integrate the new software with all four machine models and we’d like a an operator/admin dashboard for remote management, reporting, sales data and machine status.

We are open to discussing whether the best solution is to develop a completely new platform or build a customised system around the manufacturer's existing machine interfaces.

Experience we're looking for
Ideally you will have experience in one or more of the following:
* Vending machine software/integration
* MDB or similar vending machine protocols
* IoT / connected hardware
* Remote device management
* Payment system integrations
* Mobile app development (iOS/Android or cross-platform)
* Cloud-based management dashboards
* API/SDK integration with Chinese-manufactured hardware

Previous vending industry experience would be a major advantage.
The Chinese supplier is available to provide technical information and we can obtain further documentation from them as required.

Budget: Approximately £XXX per hour initially, although we are happy to discuss this depending on experience and the scope required.

Timescale : We would like to have the app up and running within the next month

When applying, please tell us about any previous work involving vending machines, IoT hardware, MDB protocols, remote machine management or similar connected devices. Examples of relevant projects would be very useful.