Author Archives: Alex Pollard

• Brink’s Advances ATM Managed Services Strategy through Partnership with Sainsbury’s

  The Brink’s Company (NYSE:BCO) today announced a long-term ATM managed services agreement with Sainsbury’s. Under the terms of the deal, NoteMachine, a Brink’s Company, will assume ownership and management of Sainsbury’s ATM business, which includes around 1,370 ATMs positioned in retail stores across the United Kingdom. The ATM network will be fully managed by NoteMachine, incorporating the full range of ATM managed services capabilities, including transaction processing, cash replenishment, maintenance, engineering, monitoring, parts supply and hardware refurbishment. The onboarding is expected to be completed by May 2025.

  Mark Eubanks, President and CEO of Brink’s, said:  

  “Our partnership with Sainsbury’s further validates our capabilities in ATM managed services. This agreement aligns perfectly with our mission to make banking easier, more convenient and accessible for all. We are excited to be working with Sainsbury’s and we look forward to building on the strengths of both companies as we continue to innovate and enhance the way customers access financial services.”

   

  Simon Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Sainsbury’s, added:  

  “We are really pleased that we can keep offering our customers free access to cash at all of our existing locations while also simplifying our banking business and reducing our costs. We’re confident that NoteMachine is the right partner for us and our customers.”

   

  About The Brink’s Company

  The Brink’s Company (NYSE:BCO), a leading global provider of cash and valuables management, digital retail solutions, and ATM managed services. Our customers include financial institutions, retailers, government agencies, mints, jewelers and other commercial operations. Our network of operations in 52 countries serves customers in more than 100 countries. For more information, please visit our website at www.brinks.com or call 804-289-9709.

  About Sainsbury’s  

  Offering delicious great quality food at competitive prices has been at the heart of what we do since John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened our first store in 1869. Today, inspiring and delighting our customers with tasty food remains our priority and our purpose is clear – we make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day.

  Our focus on great value food and convenient shopping, whether in-store or online is supported by our brands – Argos, Nectar, Tu Clothing, Habitat, Sainsbury’s Bank and Smart Charge. Sainsbury’s has almost 600 supermarkets and over 800 convenience stores. Argos is a leading digital retailer and is the third most visited retail website in the UK, with over 70 per cent of its sales starting online. Argos is conveniently available for customers to collect from hundreds of Sainsbury’s stores. Digital and technology enables us to adapt as customers shop differently and our profitable, fast-growing online channels offer customers quick and convenient delivery and collection capability.

  Sainsbury’s Bank 

  Sainsbury’s Bank plc. Registered Office, 33 Holborn, London EC1N 2HT (registered in England and Wales, no 3279730) is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (register no. 184514). Sainsbury’s Bank plc is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

• ATM Manager Pro (AMP), powered by Brink’s – a stress-free way to manage your cash

  What is ATM Manager Pro?

  ATM Manager Pro, powered by Brink’s, is an industry-leading ATM Portfolio management suite of tools, which increases the effectiveness of banks and financial institutions, ensuring complete control over ATM and cash operations.

  Let Brink’s do the heavy lifting for you

  ATM Manager Pro provides a focused set of tools for complete ATM fleet management. It offers sophisticated billing, comprehensive transaction categorization and aggregation, advanced forecasting, and cash load order generation. By utilizing these tools, you can create accurate patterns for better cash flow management, thereby enhancing your business operations.

  Features

  • Asset and site management: track a site’s transaction activity, cash usage, equipment, processor and partner/cash relationships
  • Financial analysis: produce complete P/L statements, provide reports for any partners and calculate and manage network, gateway, access, and other transaction processing fees
  • Cash management: track cash usage, forecast future cash needs and produce cash orders for armored car delivery
  • Event management: control work assignments and measure time to respond and time to fix
  • Flexible reporting: assemble ATM sites into chosen groups for better analysis and oversight
  • Site terms: customize billing, invoicing and reporting for each ATM site and partner

  Benefits

  • Proprietor and performance agnostic: you are not locked into a processor-specific management platform
  • Easy integration: integrates with all major ATM partners, for a hassle-free process
  • Seamless communication: event management enables you to monitor and resolve any ATM issues as they arise
  • Cloud hosting service: you don’t need IT resources to manage another tool
  • You’re in control: stay in control of all sites with balance limits and control alerts to minimize downtime and optimize cash utilization

  Still looking for a solution that could dramatically improve your ATM operations?

  With ATM Manager Pro integration, get first-hand insight into what your ATM is doing for you by understanding your total monthly revenue, obtain balances per ATM and identify any errors associated with specific ATMs.

  There are many different modules for you to choose from, including:

  • Asset and Site Management
  • Transaction Warehouse
  • Financial Analysis
  • Interchange Audit
  • User Transactions
  • Event Management
  • Cash Settlement
  • Advanced Forecasting
  • Cash Management

  To find out more about how better to manage your cash, contact your regional Brink’s team today.

• Cash Optimization with Brink’s ATM Management

  Optimizing Cash in Circulation with Brink’s ATM Management

  In the ATM industry, ensuring uptime is paramount. Cash optimization plays a crucial role in enabling financial institutions and ATM deployers to minimize cash in circulation without compromising service availability.

  As interest rates fluctuate and inflationary pressures mount, it becomes increasingly important to continually assess and balance the cost of cash against the expenses associated with transportation. Additionally, a rapidly evolving risk landscape introduces further complexity to ATM fleet and cash management strategies.

  Brink’s Global ATM Management Solutions (AMS) brings extensive expertise in navigating these challenges. Through a distinctive approach, Brink’s effectively reduces idle cash and enhances return on investment (ROI) by implementing robust cash management strategies tailored to the dynamic needs of the industry.

  Colm McKiernan, Vice President, Brink’s North America AMS Operations authored his thesis in 2016 on ‘ATM Services: Transforming the Customer Value Proposition’. We caught up with Colm to hear his views on how to optimize management of the cash ecosystem.

  Brink’s cash ecosystem management for ATMs

  Modern cash management strategies for ATM networks require comprehensive design and planning that encompass the entire cash supply chain. By integrating cash supply, branch inventory forecasting, order optimization and cash monitoring, Brink’s can help reduce total cash demand for an ATM portfolio by 30-40%.

  Brink’s unique cash acquisition strategy

  Brink’s approaches cash acquisition differently from other ATM Managed Services (AMS) providers. Leveraging our advanced technology, we can identify inventory owners within a specific geographic area who generate a net surplus of cash flow. Our strategic position as a cash vault service provider allows us to precisely determine how much cash is needed to meet demand, versus the average surplus at the end of each day. By evaluating optimal stock days to ensure supply resilience, we can pinpoint net excess inventory and align it with ATM dispense demand in the market.

  Brink’s partners with financial institutions to facilitate denomination transfers, ensuring a steady cash supply while reducing costs associated with Fed shipping. This collaboration minimizes the need for higher inventory buffers by creating in-branch outlets for transfers, avoiding long lead times for cash acquisition and shipment. By optimizing order lead times, Brink’s reduces average cash in circulation, enhances ATM forecasting accuracy and enables a faster response to low or out-of-cash events.

  Inventory forecasting and management  

  Cash moves through a closed-loop supply chain, making accurate forecasting essential for managing inventories. Brink’s offers comprehensive, tech-enabled inventory forecasting and planning services that project cash positions and identify when specific denominations should be shipped in or out. Our cash ecosystem management is further optimized by forecasting the exact amount of cash required to meet the needs of individual markets.

  Brink’s conducts an analysis of future ATM cash requirements 7-10 days in advance. This proactive approach allows inventory management analysts to anticipate potential spikes or dips in demand, ensuring that inventory owners can achieve target stock days. The goal of cash cycle management is to minimize the time cash remains idle and not in use within ATMs. By planning inventory in advance, we can submit orders for branch fulfillment at the last possible moment, reducing cash cycle time. Unlike other managed service providers who must place orders four days in advance, Brink’s proactive inventory management minimizes cash cycle times and enhances service efficiency.

  Traditional ATM cash forecasting

  The primary goal of ATM forecasting is to determine when an ATM should be serviced and how much cash it requires to maximize availability for consumers. Effective cash management strategies must balance this objective with the need to minimize cash in circulation. Historically, financial institutions have struggled to balance the fluctuating costs of cash and transportation. Increasing transportation frequency can reduce total cash in circulation, but without visibility into the impact of these changes, they can disrupt servicing and ultimately reduce ATM uptime.

  Brink’s is uniquely positioned to optimize ATM cash management by carefully considering branch capacity, route density and drive times. Our cash management analysts work closely with regional and branch leaders to ensure service excellence. Brink’s focuses on the key metric of average cash in circulation per ATM, striving to maintain the lowest necessary cash levels while balancing transportation costs.

  Using various cash optimization models, Brink’s determines the optimal cash load and replenishment frequency for each ATM. Key inputs include terminal type, capacity, risk level, average dispense rate and associated costs. Our cash analysts continuously adjust their planning as variables change, ensuring that our strategies remain economically viable and effective.

  Cash monitoring

  Brink’s advanced technology platform enables real-time monitoring of ATM cash levels, allowing for proactive replenishment. With a focus on minimal order lead times, our cash supply strategies improve the accuracy of run-out date forecasting and ideal cash amounts.  Our functionally integrated teams of cash analysts and route planners ensure that plans remain flexible, maintaining ATM cash levels even during unforeseen cash usage spikes.

  On the day of ATM replenishment, our monitoring tools closely examine route activity, considering factors such as traffic delays or store closures. This allows us to make immediate decisions on priority loading. For example, if a cash-in-transit vehicle departs late from the depot, Brink’s monitoring tools can identify which ATMs require immediate attention, with the rest serviced the following day. This ability to make informed decisions on the fly is a testament to Brink’s commitment to continuous improvement. Our ongoing root cause analysis of service issues or missed targets ensures that we regularly adapt our service frequencies, days of service and cash forecasting configurations.

  Partnering with Brink’s for cash management excellence

  Brink’s advanced cash management expertise can significantly improve ATM availability and transform cost structures. By partnering with Brink’s on an integrated and comprehensive approach to cash management, financial institutions can gain greater visibility into their cash ecosystem and free up capital for business investment.

  Reach out today to assess the opportunity cost in your cash ecosystem.

  For more information, visit Cash Management. To optimize your cash management now, contact your local Brink’s team. 

  FAQs

  What is proactive ATM cash forecasting?

  A predictive approach to continuously assess the optimal time to service an ATM, with focus on making the final decision at the closest time to the service event – to ensure ATM remains available to the public – with consideration for cost efficiencies. This involves advanced analytics, historical data and real-time inputs to predict future needs.

  Can ATM cash management result in cost savings?

  Total cash demand for an ATM portfolio can be reduced by 30-40% with cohesive planning of cash supply, branch inventory forecasting, order optimization and cash monitoring. Brink’s Global AMS has vast experience and a unique approach for minimizing idle cash and maximizing ROI through effective cash management strategies.

  How do financial organizations benefit from effective cash monitoring of their ATM estate?

  Brink’s Global AMS provides a single point of accountability for your forecasting and replenishment activities, allowing you to concentrate on your core business. Typical benefits include:

  • Maximize cash availability at the ATM, with consideration for denomination demand of the consumer base
  • Reducing average cash assets outstanding to maintain service, with sourcing strategies that follow key cash recycling principles
  • Rely on a company that is managing risk since 1859, to determine stock levels which account for threats for specific targets and areas with high ATM crime rates
  • Reduce manual dependencies of bulk cash ordering, ATM cash fill requests, low cash tracking and reconciliation.

• Data-Driven ATM Management: Harnessing Insights for Better Decision-Making with Brink’s

  Brink’s Insight Center uses data-driven analysis to optimize ATM management and improve performance uptime for your ATM estate. Our cloud-based ATM management solution empowers banks and financial institutions to make more informed decisions by providing in-depth data analytics and real-time performance insights, all from a single portal.

  Brink’s has full visibility of your entire ATM estate

  You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Brink’s Insight Center gives unparallelled visibility and a holistic view into what’s happening at the ATM. Banks and financial institutions do not generally have the comprehensive granularity of software and infrastructure to achieve such detailed data insights into their ATM operations.

  Brink’s has full visibility into all areas of our customers’ ATM portfolio through the Brink’s Insight Center, enabling us to pull data insights about anything and everything happening at the individual terminals. This can include errors and status of the ATM as a whole, or individual components, such as the dispenser, card reader, PIN pad or screen.

  Brink’s vast experience with all major ATM manufacturers has given us the ability to cut through the noise and get to the signal. Brink’s Insight Center uses a technological tool set that will correlate events and status messages from the ATM to get to the root cause of what’s occurring. Instead of seeing seven or eight different issues, our technology will condense them into one actionable message and report that makes the issue(s) dispatchable and fixable. When an ‘incident’ occurs, it can be either managed remotely or dispatched to the appropriate maintenance responsibility in the field. Not only are problems resolved quickly and efficiently, it also reduces operational costs by streamlining fault resolution and therefore minimizing downtime.

  Actionable insights from data analytics

  By leveraging in-depth historical data and real-time insights, Brink’s Insight Center uses advanced analytics to predict and prevent ATM failures, ensuring optimal performance across your entire ATM network.

  Brink’s Insight Center’s visibility of ATM data enables trend analysis to identify what is really happening with your ATM estate, with failing equipment and fraud being common challenges. We use this information not just for spot fixes, but also to help with preventative maintenance by identifying patterns in component failure or setting optimized maintenance intervals.

  The reporting system can identify fraud at the ATM or detect a pattern in hardware faults that may be happening regularly. For example, the system can flag that there may have been a third card reader fault at a terminal in a month. Or, if several ATM dispensers in one location are having a similar issue, we can use these insights to detect if there are underlying second-line maintenance issues in that region.

  With the information available, Brink’s can also optimize ATM estates by identifying underperforming ATMs, whether that be due to their location, DCC (dynamic currency conversion) variables or surcharge rates, which can be evaluated with A-B testing.

  Data security is paramount

  Brink’s Insight Center follows strict practices for customer data that is managed and stored on the platform. Data is captured and kept only for IT operations management functions on devices/applications that Brink’s Insight Center monitors and manages in a network, ensuring the highest levels of security at all times.

  Maintaining SLAs

  The data that Brink’s acquires from our monitoring and reporting tool set will help to manage and maintain the Service Level Agreements in a customer’s contract. Proactive monitoring and reporting can address any issues before they breach performance targets.

  Brink’s can also evaluate the performance of customers’ third-party maintenance providers, beyond simply supplying details of any errors and when they were fixed. Brink’s technology can offer detailed error analysis and a full breakdown of the repair status, enabling continuous improvement of performance and uptime. If Brink’s is conducting second-line maintenance, we use this data to measure the effectiveness of our own performance to maintain high levels of customer service.

  Why Brink’s?

  Brink’s is already close to your cash. We provide outsourcing services for 300,000 ATMs around the world, while also operating more than 135,000 ATMs globally. We have significant expertise and scale undertaking 1+ billion ATM transactions a year.

  Brink’s analytical capabilities and strategic approach add value through informed decision-making. By taking the ATM data and turning it into actionable information, Brink’s improves efficiencies and performance uptime, resulting in greater customer satisfaction.

  For more information, get in touch with a local ATM Outsourcing expert in your region.

  FAQs

  Can banks and FIs manage their ATM data in-house?

  Financial institutions generally cannot manage their ATMs to the same extent as Brink’s, who have full visibility via Brink’s Insight Center for a more holistic view of their ATM operations.

  What can Brink’s see?

  Brink’s Insight Center has all the software and tools necessary to view many areas of the customers’ ATM business. We see all of our clients’ estates from one portal and have oversight of the clients’ ATM network as a whole. We can therefore take actionable insight from the data we have already from other areas of the ATM business, such as Cash in Transit, cash forecasting and monitoring.

  What can Brink’s do with ATM data?

  Brink’s AMS delivers unparalleled ATM management through Brink’s Insight Center. By harnessing real-time data and predictive analytics, we empower financial institutions to optimize ATM performance and cash utilization. By identifying and resolving issues proactively, you can maximize uptime ATM, placement, cash forecasting and service levels for enhanced customer satisfaction.

  How does Brink’s mitigate risk?

  We can proactively detect and prevent fraud, theft and vandalism through advanced monitoring and reporting technology.

• Brink’s Insight Center – the crucial component at the core of Brink’s ATM Managed Services 

  An integrated platform built on future-proofed technology

  Brink’s Insight Center is our comprehensive, cloud-based ATM management portal, providing advanced data analytics and real-time, end-to-end performance monitoring and management to optimize decision-making for banks and financial institutions.

  It enables remote management for secure updates and streamlined workflows, including incident management, asset management, cash management, field services and fault monitoring and resolution. The customer availability dashboard gives customers full visibility of their ATM estate at all times.

  Our platform differentiators

  Brink’s Insight Center is a multi-vendor, multi-tenant, multi-channel, real-time transaction profiling platform. It is designed to address scalability and seamlessly integrates with FI enterprise systems.

  The system gathers in-depth historical data alongside real-time information, empowering advanced analytics for proactive fault resolution. Brink’s Insight Center ensures smooth operations, regardless of the number of ATMs.

  Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM)

  Brink’s Insight Center monitors the ATM in detail, in real-time and by mining the historical big data repository. RMM allows Brink’s to automate large parts of the fault management process, response time and performance of the ATM is vastly improved.

  Security is paramount: Brink’s Insight Center is secure and compliant with innovations like reverse polarity (when there is no inbound connection on ATMs), and agent to server communication is secured by TLS 1.2, a mutually authenticated channel.

  Other technical specifications include: 

  • Remote diagnostics, file explorer or advanced scripting
  • Single Agent with extensible plugin-based architecture to allow new features to be added via scripting and new plugins
  • Intelligent bandwidth throttling and shaping to ensure optimal use of the network connections
  • ATM PC hardware (CPU, disk, memory and network) inventory and software monitoring (applications and services)
  • Log monitoring with Regex Pattern Detection (for Electronic Journal, application logs and Windows event logs)

  Incident Management System (IMS)

  Brink’s Insight Center enables proactive incident response and live status tracking to swiftly address faults. Information is collected and presented to Brink’s agents for immediate incident reaction, while automated fault ticketing maximizes uptime. By simplifying and automating the Brink’s helpdesk functions, agents work on the highest priority escalations and abnormalities first to ensure swift resolution. At a glance, the Brink’s agent maintains complete view of the health of the ATM estate within a single pane.

  Brink’s supports the most complex incident workflows, and can change an incident category, link dependent tickets, automate actions and manage preventive maintenance. Incidents are enriched with telemetry from the ATM Agent (RMM), and automated or manual dispatching is delivered via SMS, email or API to the service provider.

  Asset Management 

  Brink’s Insight Center holds a hardware inventory with all known peripherals and software on the ATM for full visibility and constant tracking.

  Cash Management and Forecasting

  Outsourcing cash forecasting to Brink’s can save time and money, freeing up valuable resources to focus on your core services. Our cash forecasting services maximize cash availability while minimizing residual cash to free up capital for investment or other bank needs. Brink’s Insight Center’s AI-based automation delivers superior accuracy and machine stability, and eliminates cash-outs for a better customer experience. It also increases visibility on exact cash positions and will adjust load values to avoid unnecessary risk of higher stock levels, as well as adjusting replenishment frequencies to ensure cash availability​ and minimize downtime.

  First-line and Second-line Maintenance

  Brink’s provides remote resolution commands for many first-line maintenance issues, saving costly visits to ATMs. If an incident cannot be resolved remotely, Brink’s sends a ‘Straight-thru-Dispatch’ to clear a bill jam, for example. If a field visit is required, our in-house engineers aim for high first-time fix rates to improve ATM uptime and reduce customer callbacks. 

  Brink’s also offers second-line maintenance services, again, with monitoring and reporting via Brink’s Insight Center. Our highly skilled technicians use effective diagnostic techniques to precisely identify ATM faults and errors and engineers hold an extensive parts inventory on their vans. Brink’s conducts monthly service reviews for continuous improvement, discussing call types and exploring ways to reduce fault types.

  Why Brink’s AMS? 

  Brink’s has over 30 years of successful software deployments at leading financial institutions, service providers and retailers worldwide. We manage more than 135,000 ATMs and other self-service devices in 25 countries, deploying multi-device and multi-vendor projects.

  Customers of all sizes find that our comprehensive, secure and scalable monitoring and management tool reduces overheads and removes the headache of self-management. Brink’s Insight Center securely conforms to industry standards, and state-of-the-art access controls – both at the ATM and internally – protecting against unauthorized access and attack.

  Brink’s AMS provides in-depth technical expertise through Brink’s Insight Center, which is at the core of our ATM Managed Services. You can rest assured that your ATM network is being managed and monitored by a safe pair of hands. 

  To find out how Brink’s AMS can help your organisation get in touch. 

   

• Brink’s Dutch engineers successfully take over full maintenance of 1,700 ATMs for Geldmaat

  THE CLIENT

  Geldmaat, a joint venture between the three major Dutch banks, ABN AMRO, ING and Rabobank, manages 85% of all ATMs and self-service cash devices in the Netherlands, and is recognizable by the distinctive yellow color and smiley face logo. Geldmaat ATMs can be found throughout the Netherlands, from major cities to rural areas, shopping centers, outside-in facades, and inside supermarkets and bookshops.

  THE SITUATION

  Since 2014, the Brink’s Dutch team has been responsible for first and second-line maintenance on two thirds of the Geldmaat fleet. Brink’s previously outsourced most of the second-line maintenance activities to the incumbent suppliers (OEMs), although Brink’s engineers have also been performing second-line maintenance on approximately 600 cash-out lobby devices since 2016.

  THE SOLUTION

  Brink’s Netherlands started providing Geldmaat with full first and second-line maintenance in-house, with Brink’s engineers working on all 1,700 devices from January 2024.

  The Brink’s and TestLink teams worked together to achieve a seamless implementation within a challenging timeframe. Typical implementation timelines are between three and six months, but thanks to the collaborative and efficient work of everyone involved, this implementation was achieved in just six weeks, during the already busy festive season.

  TestLink’s support comprised of four main elements, all developed to fuel the improvement of ATM network uptime:

  • Inventory of Quality Spare Parts – TestLink designed a full ‘seed stock’ of 549 modules specifically for Geldmaat’s ATM estate, optimized to achieve the ideal balance between minimizing the quantity of parts required, and therefore reducing costs, whilst maximizing the availability of spare parts. This initial inventory is sustained with a robust repair loop, with all parts undergoing an intensive remanufacturing process. In addition to repairing the failed component, TestLink performs preventative measures to extend the average lifespan of parts.
  • Field Engineer Van Kits – TestLink developed a kit, comprising of 26,149 components across a team of 40 Brink’s engineers. These kits equip the engineers with the tools and materials needed to increase the number of first-time fixes.
  • Comprehensive Training – A training course was designed and delivered, using the train-the-trainer format to maximize its long-term impact. TestLink’s training methodology went beyond outlining ATM functionality, diagnosing common faults and replacing modules, with trainees learning how to use their van kits to perform field fixes. The Brink’s team reported that the TestLink training was much more effective and useful than the training they received from the incumbent OEM.
  • Standard Operating Procedures – Created and implemented to support the effective ongoing handling and tracking of all inventory and materials, documented with the associated process diagrams.

  GREAT RESULTS

  During the first week of January, the Brink’s team, headed up by the Secure Engineering Manager, Richard van Eijndt, resolved over 150 second-line maintenance incidents within Geldmaat’s Service Level Agreements.  The number of incidents that were unresolved, due to a large backlog created by the OEM, dropped from 78 ATMs down to only 14, resulting in a 2% uptime improvement for the entire Geldmaat estate.

  In the Netherlands, Brink’s maintains five types of NCR machines. For ATM devices that have both a withdrawal and deposit function, the availability improved by almost 7%, an impressive result bearing in mind these ATMs are more challenging to fix and maintain. Brink’s engineers also resolved a backlog of 300 condition-based maintenance call outs within eight weeks, averaging 40 call outs per week. Condition-based maintenance work is performed when measured parameters of machine faults reach unacceptable levels.

  The CEO of Geldmaat, Peggy Corstens, said,

  “We’re delighted with the fast and efficient resolution of any ATM maintenance issues. The support provided by the Brink’s team has been great and the new maintenance services drive further performance improvements and optimizes our service to our customers.”

  Bas Rodenberg, Brink’s Managing Director for the Netherlands, added,

  “We ensure that all our Brink’s engineers are fully trained and are committed to continuous improvement, providing proactive maintenance support for Geldmaat’s ATMs.”

  FUTURE PLANS

  Such is their confidence in Brink’s services, Geldmaat will be adding a further 900 ATMs to Brink’s maintenance contract later this year. In total, 2,600 Geldmaat ATM devices, from one OEM, will be fully maintained by Brink’s engineers.

  Historically, Geldmaat had been monitoring their own devices. Later this year, Brink’s will also be taking over their monitoring services, reflecting Geldmaat’s peace of mind in the experience, expertise and outsourcing capabilities of Brink’s.

  Richard van Eijndt, Manager for Secure Engineering, Brink’s Solutions Netherlands, also commented,

  “Brink’s is all about operational performance. Combined with the skills and knowledge of our engineering team, partnering with TestLink, our objective is customer satisfaction. If we say we’ll fix a machine in four hours, we commit to it. We have a skilled and enthusiastic team, all working towards our common goal of keeping cash available, affordable and secure while making our customers and their customers happy.”

   

• Pinnacle Awards Global Finalists 2023

  Created in 2019, Brink’s Pinnacle Awards were set up to recognize the extraordinary work that takes place across the business. Brink’s Pinnacle Awards celebrate the employee or team of employees that best contributed to Brink’s success over the course of the year. This year’s 27 finalists were chosen from 190 nominations, signifying the amount of great work being achieved across the company.

  The categories were updated in 2023 to align with Brink’s strategic pillars, designed to fuel growth by providing a superior customer experience and driving continuous improvement. We added a new category to recognize efforts to strengthen our culture of ethics and compliance.

  The six award categories comprise:

  • Growth and Customer Loyalty
  • Innovation
  • Operational Excellence
  • Talent
  • Sustainability
  • Ethics and Compliance

  Brink’s ATM Managed Services were delighted to have two products recognized in the 2023 Innovation category. One was a cash solution for PAI (Payment Alliance International), a Brink’s Company, that provides businesses with a customizable suite of ATM portfolio management tools and services. Their mission is to make the management of ATMs easy and efficient, and by extension, the access to cash for consumers reliable and accessible. PAI delivers tools and services for ATM portfolio owners and operators-retailers, financial institutions and independent operators/ISOs.

  The other finalist was NoteMachine, which was acquired by Brink’s in 2022. NoteMachine manages more than 9,500 ATMs, processing more than 29 million transactions every month and £14 billion in cash each year. They submitted their unique modular banking hubs into the Innovation category. The pods offer a scalable branch solution which enables financial institutions to expand their presence, enhance customer experience and take the lead in environmental responsibility. Formerly known as ‘AXIS’ hubs, these banking pods are now called ‘B-POD’, to reflect their inclusion in the Brink’s AMS portfolio of ATM services.

  “People are Brink’s biggest asset. I’d like to acknowledge our dedicated teams, whose strong commitment to deliver on our strategic priorities made a real difference to our 2023 performance. Their creativity and dedication to developing innovative solutions, and their commitment to excellence, elevates Brink’s reputation and inspires others.”

  – Michelle Bell, VP of Human Resources for Brink’s AMS

• Maximize first-time fix rates with optimized van kits

  TestLink supports Brink’s ATM Services Engineers, providing ATM parts repair expertise around the globe. With over 30 years’ industry experience, TestLink’s repair and inventory services are specifically designed to improve ATM network performance, reduce operational costs and improve the customer experience.

  A van kit is the set of equipment that a Service Engineer carries, used for performing first-line, second-line and preventative maintenance tasks. Van kits typically consist of parts, modules, materials, components and tools, and are usually created with standard contents for a group of ATM make and models.

  Instead of using a standard kit, TestLink curates the contents and designs a kit that is specific to the ATM estate that the Brink’s engineer is supporting. The kit is optimized for the specific configurations and accounts for factors such as environment, transaction volumes and age of the machine. This tailored approach ensures that the Service Engineer always has the equipment needed to perform an efficient first-time fix.

  Enabling more field fixes

  In addition to the design of the overall van kit contents, TestLink has developed a number of ‘field fix kits’. These are a set of precise components compiled to resolve a particular common fault, enabling the Service Engineer to make a fast and effective repair in the field. They are designed with efficiency in mind, and using them to fix a fault is often faster than replacing the module, resulting in less ATM down time and better availability levels. In addition, avoiding multiple return visits also improves operational efficiencies and keeps costs down.

  The evolution of TestLink field-fix kits is supported by an ethos of continuous improvement. Within the TestLink repair centers, data on part failure rates and fault frequencies is captured continuously; if a fault frequency is high, it is identified for a continuous improvement project (CIP). Engineering, Quality Control and Production teams will collaborate to determine the processes, techniques, components and equipment required to perform a fix in the field. Not all fixes are suitable for the field so the CIP includes establishing if it would be time-efficient, cost-efficient and beneficial for the customer. TestLink then conduct controlled sampling deployments to test live usage, gain feedback and revise the design, if necessary, before the new kit is launched.

  Product research and development

  TestLink’s Engineering team further enhance the effectiveness of van kits through product development. Designing customized components using data insights and failure mode analysis to identify which components are prone to fail, the team creates alternative materials that can extend the life of an ATM and reduce engineer call outs. Some examples of TestLink’s customized parts are highlighted below.

  Low note sensor:
  A low note sensor sits behind the ATM cassettes and detects when bills are running low and need replenishing. They were notoriously unreliable and generate many call outs. Due to the OEM design and layout of the wiring, the whole pick module would have to be replaced to rectify the fault. In an effort to reduce the time and disruption on site at the ATM, TestLink designed their own replacement low note sensor with a significant difference: it could be replaced in the field, saving time and reducing costs. Brink’s engineers are now equipped with the low note sensor field fix kit. However, they rarely need to use them because TestLink’s version of the low note sensor is so much more reliable than the OEM. These sensors are proven to last much longer in the field, taking the mean time between failure (MTBF) of a pick module from 232 days to a significantly increased 519 days.

  Suction cup:
  Many ATMs have a pivotal component that is essential to the currency dispensing process. An estimated 100,000 currency notes pass through what is known as a ‘suction cup’ every year. TestLink designed their own version of the blue suction cup, creating six different options and materials, before running ATMs continuously to stress test all the options. This rigorous analysis, involving over 700,000 picks per cup, ensured that the materials selected were operating within their prescribed stress and extension limits. Transactions were simulated over a number of transactions per second, to mimic 10 years’ worth of usage. Leveraging a deep understanding of material science, TestLink identified and incorporated specific additives to further augment the suction. Through meticulous research and development, TestLink engineered an enhanced suction cup, which was field-tested over a two-year period. In collaboration with a selection of customers, the TestLink suction cups were installed into thousands of live ATMs. Performance was monitored closely, and users reported a staggering reduction to one-third of the previous levels of usage, as well as increased reliability and 68% cost savings, testament to its superior performance.

  Find out more about Brink’s ATM maintenance services

• Brink’s Future Leaders Program

  As part of Brink’s strategy, specifically our strategic talent pillar, we aim to attract, develop and empower the best people by strengthening core competencies across the company and fostering an inclusive culture that inspires excellence. We are committed to providing high potential employees with education and leadership exposure to support their development and advancement within the organization.

  Identifying and accelerating our key talent

  The Future Leaders Program helps to expand and diversify the talent pipeline, retain top performers, increase internal promotions, create inclusive succession plans and standardize development opportunities.

  These types of program are vital for attracting new talent and retaining rising talent at Brink’s. In Q4 2023, the existing program kicked off in Europe and the rest of the world, as well as the same program being introduced in the Americas. Within Brink’s ATM Managed Services division, there are four participants on the current program: one from NoteMachine, one from TestLink, one from PAI and one from Global AMS.

  The Future Leaders Program is a rigorous 12-month program, with candidates expected to commit to at least six to eight hours per month throughout the year. They learn through a combination of one-to-one and team sessions, team projects, presentations, site visits, business coaching and workshops.

  Participant objectives and outcomes

  With exposure to key business areas such as finance, strategic planning and project management, our future leaders leave the program equipped for new challenges, consolidating their knowledge and becoming better leaders and experts.

  They will learn more about:

  1. Leading themselves: instilling trust, self-awareness and executive presence
  2. Leading the team – build organizational capacity, encourage excellence, communicate openly and effectively, build collaborative relationships and lead change
  3. Leading the business – Brink’s business acumen, strategic mindset, customer focus, financial acumen and delivering results

  At Brink’s we are committed to developing our leaders and future proofing the global talent and people strategy, laying the foundation for a collaborative learning journey of self-discovery.

  To find out more about Brink’s careers, visit our careers page.

• Brink’s Process Outsourcing (BPO): Transforming ATM management in France

  One of France’s leading banking institutions partnered with Brink’s to manage its ATM fleet and service infrastructure. 
  
  THE SITUATION

  A leading French banking group sought an efficient solution to optimize the management of its large ATM network. They wanted to improve the operations across their banking networks to ensure customer access to cash, create consistent customer experiences, combat the rising costs and compliance requirements of ATM channel management, and properly service their thousands of ATMs to maximize uptime and availability.

  The use of cash remains relevant worldwide, driving the need for consumer access to ATMs. In 2022, Banque de France reported that 50% of payments at points of sale (POS) were made in banknotes, accounting for 35% of spending at the POS. These figures reflect the continued importance of a robust strategy in ATM management for banks, retailers and independent ATM deployers.

  CHALLENGES FACED BY A LARGE NETWORK

  In 2015, the leadership of this banking organization noted that French consumers were transforming their payment practices, driving transformation needs across the financial institution sector.

  The bank’s networks independently handled cash and ATM operations, with an individualized management approach for numerous ATM suppliers and vendors.

  In 2017, the bank set out to implement a transformation roadmap, aiming to streamline and standardize ATM management across its large, decentralized organization. They recognized that vast improvements could be made in the management of their ATM ecosystem, with more efficient processes and automation.

  A CENTRALLY MANAGED ATM STRATEGY

  The organization conducted a two-year study to measure its current investment, both in terms of resources and tools, and the operation of its vast ATM network. After the study, it was determined they must unify their regional bank networks to meet their goals, setting out to:

  • Achieve and maintain high customer satisfaction through widespread ATM accessibility and stringent standards for availability rates.
  • Improve process efficiency and standardize service and IT architecture to support their existing fleet of more than 10,000 ATMs, by sharing ATM architecture, systems and expertise across their networks.
  • Centralize the ATM value chain management by connecting with one partner for all ATM-related domains, including sourcing, maintenance, software, transactions management, cash management, helpdesk and monitoring.
  • Establish a dynamic and scalable approach for ATM management.

  BRINK’S REDESIGN OF THE ATM SUPPLY CHAIN

  It became imperative to consolidate ATM operations and transactions through a single, unified partner and platform due to the sheer size of the networks. The network had to maintain cash accessibility for all customers and deliver a standard level of customer excellence, no matter the location, branch or machine.

  To address these challenges, the organization sought the expertise and partnership of Brink’s. Brink’s was selected to bolster the organization’s evolution, aligning with its strategic goal of becoming a comprehensive service integrator.

  Rather than perceiving the opportunity as an IT project or a takeover of ATM machines, Brink’s approached it as a comprehensive ‘services transformation’ initiative. This collaboration symbolized the convergence of two enterprises committed to spearheading a revolution in cash management.

  Brink’s presented an innovative data-driven platform, designed to meet the organization’s expectations in the areas of:

  • ATM network management – Brink’s would manage more than 40 vendors and suppliers such as manufacturers, maintenance, IT providers and cash-in-transit (CIT), as a unique end-to-end partner that would guarantee a standard quality of service.
  • Investment and cost optimization – Given uncertainties around consumer cash habits and the need for branch network optimization, Brink’s proposed reallocating the organization’s decentralized ATM investment to service fees. This shift aimed to drive economies of scale.
  • IT integration and evolution – Brink’s creation and management of an ATM service delivery platform with front and back-office functionality would empower the bank networks to offer a unique and consistent ATM experience to their millions of customers.

  BRINK’S PROCESS OUTSOURCING (BPO)

  When the banking group approached Brink’s to oversee its ATMs and create the necessary infrastructure and services for unifying the organization’s ATM management processes, Brink’s not only provided a product and service offering, but also introduced a dedicated subsidiary: Brink’s Process Outsourcing (BPO).

  A team of dedicated project experts from both organizations collaborated to craft a tailor-made plan, incorporating process monitoring, data analysis and platform architecture. This plan not only defined BPO’s success with the organization, but also shaped the range of services Brink’s can now offer to other customers.

  EXCEPTIONAL RESULTS

  The banking group, with the support of Brink’s ATM Managed Services, has now achieved their objectives:

  • Effective management of the entire ATM life cycle, spanning from purchase and installation to replacement.
  • Establishment of a network-wide standardization of ATM processes to optimize the cost and quality of transactions and operations.
  • Implementation of automated decision-making for field services and maintenance across the entire ATM fleet.
  • Accurate cash management forecasting and service orders dispatch for CIT companies, enabling precise ATM servicing based on dynamic and optimal replenishment decisions derived from data.

  “Thanks to their trust and transformational mindset, Brink’s has achieved a key milestone of its own transformational journey, by creating an agnostic services platform that enables automation of key ATM ecosystem interactions and related decision-making, together with redesign of key processes with dedicated experts. Brink’s is now ready to expand this platform to other organizations, leveraging our know-how and data-driven approach”.

   

  Michaël Gabay, President, Brink’s France

  WHY BRINK’S BPO?

  Now firmly established, BPO serves as Brink’s center of excellence for automated ATM outsourcing, leveraging its automated service platform to manage more than 12,000 ATMs.
  It offers ATM life cycle maintenance and management, software professional services, customer service, technical help desk assistance and cash management services for financial and retail customers. BPO excels in adapting, customizing and evolving its services to meet the unique needs of each customer.

  Through the work and partnership with the banking organization, a framework has been built for BPO to quickly understand how it can best serve a customer. Brink’s can gather information and provide a potential return on investment in a few workshops with an interested financial or retail customer.

  BPO IN NUMBERS*

  • 12,300 ATMs managed
  • 45,000 events managed daily
  • 22M transactions processed monthly
  • 43B Euros dispensed annually
  • 15B Euros deposited annually
  • 6,400 branches managed
  • 47 vendors managed
  • 90 dedicated experts

  * Brink’s internally sourced data

• TestLink can refurbish ATMs to a non-standard specification, based on customer needs 

  TestLink will refurbish your ATMs and supply a wide range of refurbished parts for most OEMs (original equipment manufacturer). They enable customers to reduce their capital expenditure and maximize return on investment by keeping existing ATM estates compliant and operational, well beyond manufacturer obsolescence.

  In-house engineering, product development and quality teams continually analyze usage and failure rate data, as well as material performance. This insight enhances TestLink’s refurbishment methods, for better reliability, increasing operational efficiency and extending hardware lifecycles.

  In addition to a professional ATM refurbishment service, TestLink can provide modules and kits to customize and upgrade functionality of your existing installed estate in place, without the need for removal. Here are some examples of previous upgrades and customization projects.

  Card readers

  Dip card readers involve the user physically inserting their card into a designated slot on the ATM. The card must be pushed all the way in and held there for a few seconds while the data is read. A motorized card reader has a mechanism that automatically guides the card into the reader and retrieves it once the data is read; users simply need to partially insert their card.

  There are pros and cons for both Dip and motorized card readers, with some being better suited, dependent on the location and other factors. Many financial institutions will opt for motorized for on premise ATMs and dip for off premise ATMs.

  TestLink can support your upgrade or conversion projects with high quality, great value refurbished card readers, as well as replacement cabling or new fascia pieces, if required. This is particularly useful when your requirements change, ATMs are redeployed to new locations, or you wish to standardize your ATM estate.

  TestLink can provide extra functionality to your ATM, with the addition of contactless card readers, enabling you to provide the latest technology to your customers without replacing your ATMs.

  Cameras and Security 

  ATMs can have built-in cameras in multiple positions, to record customer transactions. TestLink can customize ATMs with additional cameras, if required, and supply kits for field installations.

  TestLink supplies a range of OEM and aftermarket security devices and can even develop custom reinforcement to combat evolving physical fraud attack methods.

  FDKs

  TestLink can convert and upgrade FDKs (Function Display Key, the buttons on the side of the ATM) to touch screen functionality.

  Printers

  ATMs printers come in a range of types; thermal vs ink, one-side vs double side. The various types have varying operational cost, reliability and functionality. TestLink can supply larger quantities of replacement printers, as well as the components to maintain them.

  Encryption PIN pads

  TestLink  will support your EPP (encryption PIN pad) upgrade project with higher encryption EPPs and any required bracket conversions, ensuring you remain compliant with the latest PCI requirements. TestLink provides a secure service to shred the decommissioned EPP, completing a fully auditable and certified process.

  Upgrading the PC core 

  As technology advances, it’s important to ensure the PC core has the capability to support more complex software, better integrations, Windows 10 and enhanced security. TestLink can supply an upgraded PC core to suit your requirements.

  Dispensing and deposit modules

  In the safe of traditional deposit ATMs, one half is usually the ATM deposit module and the other half is the dispensing module. TestLink can convert these to meet customer requirements, so customers can choose, for example, two sets of dispensing modules, or two sets of deposit modules. The double dispense option is effective when you wish to reduce the frequency of cash refills.

  Design improvements

  ATM reliability is paramount because any parts failure results in the need for more frequent on-site interventions by field engineers and costly ATM downtime. TestLink conducts root cause analysis and mean time between failure analysis, to develop refurbishment processes and select materials that extend the lifetime of your equipment.

  Why Testlink? 

  TestLink has been supporting financial institutions and independent ATM deployers (IADs) globally for 35 years. They have 10,000 different part numbers held in their warehouses and 15,000+ parts are shipped monthly, enabling them to offer a wide variety of after-market adaptation services and customized parts on existing equipment. In addition, 3,500+ parts are repaired in-house by their technical engineering and quality teams every month, offering an attractive alternative to buying a new ATM.

  To find out more contact our global team.

• Global ATM Security Threats and Trends 

  ATM security is constantly evolving as criminals develop new tactics to steal consumers’ money and data. ATMs offer convenient access to cash, yet they can present vulnerabilities that criminals exploit. Here, Brink’s takes a deeper dive into ATM fraud, covering topics such as skimming and money laundering, and advises on how we can help prevent criminal activity.

  What is skimming?

  ‘Skimming’ is a form of fraud that involves stealing card data from unsuspecting ATM users. The sophisticated scale of criminals’ skimming ingenuity has kept pace with modern innovations. The entire process of skimming at an ATM is to capture card data – whether that’s the mag-strip or chip. This stolen information can be used to create counterfeit cards and drain customers’ bank accounts, and with 3D printing technology being so easily accessible, criminals can create a realistic fascia on the front of an ATM, which is often overlooked by the customer.

  Practices and procedures used to combat skimming

  Security protection is always a moving target, and Brink’s understands that ATM ‘anti-skimming’ technology – a combative term – is a crucial defense mechanism for banks and financial institutions to combat fraudulent attacks.

  There are many preventative methods available. On-site cameras can back up evidence retrospectively, and there are specially designed plates or overlays that make it difficult to attach skimming devices to the card reader or keypad. These plates create a physical obstruction that deters criminals and make it more obvious if a tampering attempt has been made. Anti-tamper seals or security labels can also be placed on the ATM; if the seal is broken, it becomes visually evident, alerting users and security personnel of a potential issue.

  If criminals spend on a stolen card, the monitoring platforms flag up an anomaly. Even if it seems like a legitimate transaction, systems and algorithms can alert Brink’s to take appropriate measures. It’s important to note that Brink’s are not the only ones monitoring transactions for potentially fraudulent activity; banks and financial institutions also monitor ATM transactions for suspicious activity, so there are multiple layers of transaction monitoring in place.

  In addition, data transmitted between the ATM and the bank’s network is encrypted, making it difficult for criminals to intercept. Full encryption is required by Brink’s for all ATM transactions: no transaction is allowed on the network without it. There is always the potential of an attempt to get in the middle of the transaction (such as Man in the Middle attacks), but encryption mitigates this risk. Additionally, an encrypted connection between the mainboard and the dispenser is internal to the ATM to prevent someone physically swapping out components within the shell of the ATM to ‘jackpot’ (dispense all the cash) the machine.

  Money laundering

  Money laundering is generally defined as engaging in unlawful acts that are designed to conceal or disguise the true origin of criminally derived proceeds, so that the unlawful proceeds appear to have been derived from legitimate sources or assets.

  Money laundering is tough to reconcile with reality because of the way in which an ATM operates. As the customer takes money out of the ATM, the machine dispenses the cash, but it is then replaced from the customer’s account, before being cycled back in to replace the money taken from the ATM’s cash vault. If a different flow is inserted into that cycle, money can be laundered quickly and easily.

  In most regions, the authorities scrutinize the originating source of the money very closely as it’s relatively easy to create a ‘loop’ that disguises that source.

  What Brink’s is doing to prevent fraud

  Brink’s has a fundamental policy on money laundering, conducting due diligence at all levels. To combat money laundering, terrorist financing and other illegal activity, Brink’s has implemented various controls, including:

  • Conducting due diligence to better understand the potential money laundering and terrorist financing risks presented by Brink’s customers and other counterparties globally, in accordance with AML (Anti-Money Laundering) Laws
  • Providing training to employees globally on the prevention and detection of money laundering and terrorist financing
  • Reporting unusual customer activity for additional review and investigation by qualified individuals in Brink’s Ethics & Compliance organization
  • Conducting internal testing and auditing of Brink’s AML policies and procedures.
  • Continuing to maintain and implement controls and safeguards to prevent the use of its operations for money laundering or any activity that facilitates money laundering or the funding of terrorist or criminal activities.

  Brink’s has robust monitoring capabilities for security alerts, working with multiple departments to scrutinize what is happening in real time and, in conjunction with third parties and internal teams, we also look at what could happen. Brink’s regularly inspects the ATM locations, so we are proactively analyzing activity at the ATM, not just simply replenishing money in the cash vaults.

  How customers can remain vigilant 

  While ATM providers implement various security measures, customers also play a role in protecting themselves from skimming and fraud. Always be aware of your surroundings and check the ATM for suspicious attachments or tampering before inserting your card. When entering your PIN, use your hand to create a barrier to prevent anyone from seeing the numbers on the keypad. If you notice anything unusual about the ATM, don’t use it and report it to the bank immediately.

  In summary

  While nefarious methods to commit fraud are becoming ever more sophisticated, Brink’s is continually monitoring ATM devices and implementing countermeasures to prevent fraudulent attacks. Anti-skimming procedures and strategies remains an essential tool to protect consumers and their data, while simultaneously preserving their trust in the bank.

  To find out more about how Brink’s ATM Managed Services can protect you and your customers, get in touch.