# The Use of the Internet of Things in the Distribution Logistics of Consumables
## 3 Results
### Design of a Machine for Dispensing Consumables with IoT Technology  
The second phase of the research was to use the method of technological innovation to find a suitable vending machine system using IoT technology that would be suitable for dispensing consumables in the company. We carried out this research in cooperation with the company DistriLog, which in the past dispensed consumables using string vending machines, which are used to dispense sweets or drinks (Figure 6). However, the currently used solution covered only part of the SkyBlue customer's requirements, and failed to meet the requirement of personalized records of the issue of consumables and control of the consumption of the issued material. At the same time, the solution was demanding for the support staff, as the customers refilled the vending machines themselves, which was very time consuming (the material needs to be specially packaged for the correct functionality of the machine). Together, we visited a vending machine manufacturer with a request for the production of an \"intelligent\" vending machine using IoT technology. The basis for fulfilling the requirement was the insertion of a computer unit that was used to process and store information in the vending machine, and communicate with other vending machines and with the administrative system. Since vending machines are usually located in production areas, they must be resistant to external influences (humidity, temperature, dust, and dirt). The most suitable solution was the choice of an industrial computer, as shown in Figure 7.  
Figure 6: Vending machines for drinks and sweets. Figure 7: Computer installed in vending machines. Another important task that had to be solved was the communication of this device with the external environment, as companies do not allow the addition of third-party devices to their network for security reasons. It was therefore necessary to use an external model (Figure 8), which was placed near the vending machine, and solved the online communication with the external environment. Among the other IoT technologies that needed to be implemented in the vending machine system was an RFID chip reader (Figure 9), which ensured the personalization of consumables per employee. Each employee was assigned a unique RFID chip, which was used to identify themselves upon arrival, departure from the workplace, or in the company's catering facilities [40]. All data are stored on a cloud server for data security, which is regularly backed up and protected by the latest protections. The vending machine supplier's programmers programmed the vending machine management software, and also the user software that sets the parameters of the vending machine and the dispensing from it. The result of the innovation process was a vending machine (Figure 10) with IoT technologies ready for demonstration testing at the customer's location. The vending machine was designed to collect data on the consumption of individual employees and manage the vending machine. The collected data form an important element in the further activities of the supplier of consumables, on the basis of which he is able to propose customized solutions to the customer. Table 3 shows an example of output data from the vending machine. The employee ID is recorded here, which is linked to the employee's name. The name of the employee cannot be displayed due to the Personal Data Protection Act. Together with the employee ID, the model of the consumables taken, the date of the issue, and the time of issue are recorded. An employee can choose only one piece of product per login; therefore, each selection is registered as a separate transaction. The material consumption report can be downloaded from the machine only by the system administrator based on personalized login data. After logging in, the administrator chooses the time period for which he wants to download the data. The resulting file is in xlsx format. Figure 8: 4G industrial modem for external communication. Figure 9: RFID reader used in vending machines.