Any differences between the AP UltraFlex and GPL Fusion?

[PinkJazzX]

Looking at the AP UltraFlex and GPL Fusion on Crane MS' website, they appear to be identical.  It looks like Crane MS is offering them as low-cost alternatives to the high-end National Merchant series.

So, are there ANY differences at all between the two?  Why would Crane MS sell the same exact machine under two brands?  Might as well drop the GPL brand and focus on the National, Dixie-Narco, and Automatic Products brands.

[AZVendor]

Crane owns National Vendors, AP, Dixie Narco and MEI.  National is a brand that has never been sold through distributors, but rather through direct sales or through traveling national sales reps.  About 20 years ago National also owned Glasco, which was a line they created of slightly lower priced machines that was sold through distributors.  These machines were virtual clones of National machines with minor differences, but with different machine fronts so they would look different from regular National machines.  National then purchased Polyvend which was another manufacturer that had itself purchased a smaller manufacturer called Lektrovend.  Polyvend made that purchase to obtain the rights to Lektrovend's cold food machine.  This is also the reason National purchased Polyvend. 

 

After the National acquisition, they renamed their distributed line of equipment GPL taking the first initial from the original companies that made up the GPL line.  GPL has continued to be sold strictly through a distributor network while National machines are strictly direct sale.  For this reason you will find identical machines in each line though the fronts will still remain different between the brands for product differention.  This is very much like the relationship of the GM lines Chevrolet, Buick, and Pontiac.

 

If you prefer dealing with a distributor, you can purchase GPL, DN or AP equipment that way.  If you prefer direct sales or wish to purchase the National branded equipment, then your will have to purchase through your regional national sales rep. from whom you can also get DN and AP machines.

[Maddog3632]

I am pretty sure Az vendor is a historian of the vending machine evolution!