For SuperCups Vending in Ashford, Kent, success is built on more than machines and data. It’s built on people, clarity, and a culture that values progress. Managing Director Mark Simmonds captures it simply: “It’s ALL about One Team.”
That philosophy powers every part of the operation—from warehouse to field service, from finance to customer experience. And when the company decided to implement Vendmanager, they weren’t just adding software—they were reinforcing their way of working. The result? Better insights, better tools, and a more connected, agile team.
Built on loyalty and values
Mark Simmonds has worn just about every hat at SuperCups. He started as an operator over three decades ago and now leads a 48-person team. Walk into the Ashford HQ and you’ll find him top-left on a wall-mounted photo board of staff—arranged by seniority, not rank.
Family values run deep here. Mark’s mother still comes into the office at age 85. Their first customer, signed in 1976, is still a client. They’re proud of being independent—not just in ownership, but in the freedom to tailor service and systems to fit their vision.
That vision is built on reliability, adaptability, and constant forward motion. As Mark puts it: “If you run out of ideas and things to do, the business itself has run out of steam.”
Driving strategic change with Vendmanager
Commercial Director Neil Irons brought a fresh perspective when he joined SuperCups. With a background in finance and systems—not vending—he focused on unifying tools, aligning teams, and improving how data was used across the business.
He quickly saw that Vendmanager could offer more than just efficiency. It could serve as a platform to manage the company’s operations end to end.
“Does Vendmanager do what it says on the tin? Yes. And more. Will it do even more for us still in a year’s time? Yes it will.”
Neil worked closely with SBS to define implementation goals, challenge assumptions, and prioritise outcomes. “Why do we want/need this report? Really? Who is going to use it? When? We need clarity of purpose.” That focus on intent helped make the rollout more disciplined and successful.
He also became the go-between — translating SuperCups’ operational needs into system updates and aligning SBS timelines with internal expectations.
From data person to systems driver
Finance & Systems Administrator Asiya Khan has become the company’s go-to “super-user.” She joined SuperCups already familiar with Neil’s approach from previous roles—and now blends data management with systems thinking to help teams get more from Vendmanager.
She’s clear on what the platform offers:
Power (and speed): the system can do everything I have wanted (so far), and because it’s so responsive, there’s no barriers to trying things out.
Integration: Everything is in one place, including wholesale and history. Before, everything was ‘all bitsy’… Now it’s all together where it needs to be.
Visibility & efficiency: now that we can see so much more of what is going on, and our analysis is clearer we have opportunities right across the board to improve things.
Flexibility: there’s so much extra that we can do now, it becomes even more important to understand fully what we really want to do and why.
Asiya’s work helped clean up legacy data, automate processes, and replace paper-based tasks with mobile workflows — all backed by real-time insight.
On the road with the service team
SuperCups calls its operators “Service Partners” — a nod to their essential role as client-facing brand ambassadors. And Team Leaders support both technical performance and customer experience.
When the new system rolled out, these field teams were the first to put the Vendmanager Datakeys into action. These rugged tools plug into machines to instantly capture performance and inventory data — eliminating paperwork and error-prone manual input.
Their feedback was direct and unanimous:
“Datakey: it does what it is supposed to do.”
“And it is easy to work with.”
“It helps the team.”
Asked how they’d feel if the Datakeys were taken away, no one gave a verbal answer — but their facial expressions said everything. It’s become a tool they rely on daily, without complication or second thoughts.
The Datakey “game changer”
When SuperCups was evaluating platforms, Datakey stood out as a deciding factor. Neil’s internal report named it the “Game Changer.”
With previous systems, machine data was often delayed, inaccurate, or incomplete. Meter readings were missed. Route planning lacked precision. And managers had to make decisions without full confidence in the numbers.
Datakey solved that.
From day one, SuperCups committed fully — issuing Datakeys across the estate and building processes around their use. The result has been faster site visits, cleaner data, and smoother workflows from van stock to invoice.
And it’s not just technical accuracy. The psychological impact matters too. The Service Partners see that management is investing in tools that make their jobs easier, not harder. And that signals trust.
The warehouse, streamlined
Michael Truman, Warehouse Team Leader, describes his workspace as “the engine room.” Everything and everyone flows through it — and Vendmanager has made that engine run faster and cleaner.
“The best thing about Vendmanager? The whole thing. It’s all there on one system. Integrated and user-friendly.”
“Now, with Vendmanager, it just works. It’s successful – as long as we input the right data, and tick the right boxes, it does what we want. Simple.”
With the new system, stock is automatically issued to vans based on real demand. “Beforehand, people were spending a lot of time doing their own ordering. Now, the system gives them what they require.”
And that lets Michael’s team move faster. “They are just in and out as fast as they can be, which is how they like things – they want to get on with stuff.”
Customer experience that adapts fast
Customer Experience Manager Simon Finch and Co-Ordinator Jo Williams serve as the link between client needs and internal performance. Vendmanager has helped them keep pace with fast-changing conditions — especially during Covid.
Jo highlights how she’s moved from generic reports to custom-built ones. “Now I am tailoring and building my own reports as I want.” She adds, “Visit Viewer (in Vendmanager) always tells me exactly what I need to know.”
Simon — who previously served as a Team Leader — has a clear perspective on the impact: “Thank God we already had Vendmanager in place before the virus struck.”
Because of it, SuperCups could reroute staff, adapt schedules, and flex site support in near real time.
Integration, end to end
Perhaps the biggest shift Vendmanager enabled was true operational integration. Before, processes lived in silos — engineering, finance, warehousing, and service each ran their own systems or spreadsheets.
Now, Vendmanager pulls everything into a single, centralised workflow. Orders, stock, service calls, reporting, customer feedback — it’s all in one place. Data flows automatically from one part of the business to another, reducing lag, cutting errors, and improving decision-making.
And because the system is flexible, teams can continue to test and refine. Asiya says it best: “There’s so much extra that we can do now, it becomes even more important to understand fully what we really want to do and why.”
That discipline — of using integrated data to make intentional decisions — is what sets SuperCups apart.
Fast Facts:
- Vendmanager’s Datakey feature was the “game changer” that sealed the deal for SuperCups.
- Asiya Khan’s favourite benefit: “Power (and speed)… there’s no barriers to trying things out.”
- Warehouse operations now run smoother with automated stock issuing and faster turnaround.
- The system’s flexibility helped SuperCups quickly adapt routes and staffing during Covid.
One team, one platform, no looking back
SuperCups hasn’t just adopted a new system—they’ve aligned it with a deeply rooted company culture. “One Team” is more than a motto. It’s how they operate. And Vendmanager helps make that possible — supporting collaboration, visibility, and continuous progress.
For a company that’s held onto its very first customer for nearly 50 years, that kind of alignment matters. And if the team at SuperCups has anything to say about it, Vendmanager will be there helping them serve that customer — and the next generation of clients — for years to come.
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