What does a virtual store solve?
A PPE vending machine does not cover every item or every point. Bulky items, safety shoes and workwear that require size selection, bulk distribution at the start of a shift, or small production areas without a vending machine are left to the storekeeper. These issues, handled with paper slips or Excel, have no entitlement check, stock is corrected by counting, and during an audit it cannot be proven who received what.
The virtual store moves the check the vending machine performs onto the storekeeper's screen. The storekeeper hands over the item manually, but the decision belongs to the system: nothing is issued without a card scan, no item is given without an entitlement, and every item issued is recorded.
How does issuing work?
- The card is scanned: the system identifies the employee; no transaction is possible with a blocked card
- The entitlement is checked: the remaining entitlement for the selected item in that period is calculated
- A decision is made: if there is an entitlement the issue is approved, otherwise it is rejected; more than the entitlement cannot be added to the basket
- A record is created: employee, item, quantity, point and time are recorded
- Stock is deducted: the issued quantity is automatically deducted from stock
An employee cannot take PPE that is not assigned to them, nor more than their entitlement. The rule is the same at the vending machine and in the virtual store, because both read from the same database.
One system with the vending machines
The virtual store is not a separate program; it uses the same employee, item, entitlement and stock tables as the safety vending machine software. When an employee takes gloves from the vending machine in the morning and a hard hat from the store at noon, both issues are written to the same entitlement account. An employee whose entitlement has run out at the vending machine cannot go to the store and take the same item again.
The management panel shows all points together: vending machines, virtual store points, employee entitlements, stock and consumption reports are on a single screen.
Who is it for?
Production facilities with shift work and high PPE consumption: tyre, automotive, metal, chemicals, food and logistics. In companies with more than one plant, each plant manages its own points and employees, while headquarters sees all plants from a single panel. For distribution rules see PPE entitlement and limit management, and for the stock side see PPE stock tracking software.
Technical architecture: data flow
When an employee scans a badge, the kiosk or store screen checks the entitlement in the shared database; the vending machine connects to the same database through its own API. Approval or refusal follows the same rules, every issue is logged and stock drops.
flowchart LR
K["Employee badge"] --> R["Card reader"]
R --> E["Kiosk / store screen"]
E -->|"entitlement check"| DB[("Shared MySQL: employees, products, entitlements, stock")]
O["PPE vending machine"] -->|"approval request"| API["Vending API"]
API --> DB
DB -->|"approve / refuse"| E
DB --> P["Admin panel: entitlements, stock, reports"]What I offer
Points without vending
Card-based issuing on the storekeeper's screen.
Same entitlement rule
One entitlement account for machine and store.
Recorded issuing
Employee, item, point, time.
Automatic stock
Stock is deducted on issue.
Rejection mechanism
No entitlement, no issue.
Multi-plant
Headquarters sees all plants.
Technologies I use
Example projects
A selection of live projects serving real users.
Vending Machine Software
Embedded control, touchscreen sales UI, payments and remote management.
ViewISG Virtual Warehouse Dispatch Assistant
Occupational safety ERP with REST API and BI dashboard.
ViewPDKS — Staff Attendance Tracking
Multi-tenant attendance SaaS in 4 languages.
ViewHow we work
Free intro call
We clarify needs, existing systems and goals together.
Quote & roadmap
Scope, technology, timeline and budget within 24 hours.
Staged development
Weekly demos and a live test environment.
Launch & support
Go-live, training and ongoing maintenance.
Free pre-analysisThe first meeting and roadmap are completely free, with no obligation.
Staged delivery and approvalYou review each module on a test environment before we move on.
Written scope and rightsScope, delivery and source code rights are defined in the contract.
Frequently asked questions
What is a PPE virtual store?
It is a system that handles PPE issuing at stores and distribution points without a vending machine using the same database and the same entitlement rules as the vending machines. The employee scans their card, the system checks the entitlement, the issue is recorded and stock is deducted.
Can a company without vending machines use it?
Yes. The virtual store works on its own as a store screen; when a vending machine is added later, it connects to the same entitlement and stock structure.
What happens if an employee takes items from both the vending machine and the store?
Both issues are written to the same entitlement account. An employee whose entitlement has run out at the vending machine cannot take the same item from the store.
What happens if there is no entitlement?
The issue is rejected. If needed, an authorised user defines a time-limited extra entitlement for the employee.
What if the card cannot be scanned?
The card number can be entered manually on the kiosk screen; the entitlement check and the record work the same way.
Where is this system used?
It is in use at Brisa's headquarters and Aksaray plant.