ALFA, a new company formed by industry experts and young professionals driven by passion and enthusiasm, is launching on the market integrated solutions to optimize the production of paints with innovations and new generation dispensers. One of these solutions is the COLOR TESTER: the first vending machine able to produce infinite tints and deliver in less than one minute paint samples of 100cc starting from empty cans.

The COLOR TESTER is a unique marketing tool that brings advantages to the paint producer, the retailer and the consumer itself. In fact, the samples distributed, act as liquid color cards, allowing consumers to assess the paint in the environment where it will be used and showing not only the color, but also the quality of the product. When placed in high traffic locations, the COLOR TESTER acts as a sales promoter, directing new customers to the existing stores and increasing the visibility of the brand. Moreover, the retailer offers a better service, a unique experience, through a user-friendly DIY tool that occupies less than 1 square meter.

In order to achieve this, ALFA has designed and patented a pump that can dispense micro drops of 0,0077cc (1/3840 fl oz), one-tenth of the current standard, with absolute precision and repeatability. This pump is the first real dispensing technology that does not require repeated calibrations over time, but only a single initial set-up that ensures the repeatability of color formulation over time.

The integrated Linux PC allow a bi-directional communication in real time and the possibility to manage and maintain the dispenser from remote: collect sales statistics, check reserve level of all components and upload formulas. The most dramatic change ALFA is introducing, is the use of web platforms to realize the front end of all the applications. This leads to have a native client-server connection and with it the opportunity to hold real-time big databases for analysis of processes and device behavior.

To further improve the service, the COLOR TESTER can be combined with the MINI MIXER, an epicyclical motion mixer able to mix simultaneously up to three color samples in 30 seconds. ”The COLOR TESTER is the first self-service dispenser for the DIY that brings the consumer closer to the colored product”. Marco Rossetti, CEO of ALFA.