Crane Merchandising Systems is a designer and manufacturer of
vending machines
A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...
. Their manufacturing facility is located in
Williston, South Carolina
Williston is a town in Barnwell County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,139 at the 2010 census.
The town lies in the center of the Charleston-Hamburg railroad line, the line of the Best Friend locomotive. The train tracks we ...
, United States.
History
Establishment
Crane Merchandising Systems was founded in 1926 by B. E. Fry, a St. Louis businessman, as the "National Sales Machine Company." Fry invented a more foolproof vending machine that would only accept coins, unlike older machines, such as the "Smoketeria", a cigarette vending machine, which would accept things such as flat buttons and cardboard discs.
The Great Depression
By 1931, National Sales Machine Company was a well established business, manufacturing a variety of merchandisers for various food products. However,
The Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
proved too much for the company, and it went under in 1932. Soon thereafter, in the spring of 1933, Fry's son, B. W. Fry, reopened the company as National Vendors, Inc. In 1934, Al Diederich joined B. W. Fry in National Vendors, giving it the administrative strength it would need to grow during the tumultuous 30s and 40s.
World War II - 1960s
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, National Vendors took part in the war effort by producing mortar ammunitions casings. After the war, the company returned to the demand for convenient cigarette, candy and pastry vendors. In 1956, National Vendors was acquired by the
Universal Match Company, allowing National Vendors to introduce several new products. In 1967, National Vendors introduced its first full line of automatic merchandising equipment. CMS was acquired by Crane Corporation in 1985, and became Crane National Vendors.
Present Day
Today, Crane Merchandising Systems designs and manufactures a diverse, yet integrated portfolio of automatic merchandising equipment across multiple verticals, including hot and cold beverage, snack, and food. It also offers other vending solutions including Media touch screens, cashless processing, payment devices, vending management software, and wireless communication technology. The company is a segment of Crane Co., a diversified manufacturer of engineered industrial product. Crane Co. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:CR). Brad Tedder is the company's president.
In 2017, CMS retired its legacy National,
Dixie-Narco
Dixie-Narco was a former brand of soda vending machines located in Williston, South Carolina owned by Crane Merchandising Systems.
History and description
Founded in Ranson, West Virginia, the company's production facilities were relocated t ...
, GPL, and Automatic Products brands in favor of the single Crane Merchandising Systems brand for all its products.
References
External links
Official website
{{Crane Co.
Vending machine manufacturers
Manufacturing companies established in 1926
1926 establishments in Missouri