The machines and products of the Azkoyen Group have brought numerous innovative solutions to the market since its foundation in 1945 in Peralta (Navarra) led by Martín Luis Troyas Osés, who created Talleres Azkoyen. More than 75 years of history, product launches and solutions that have shaped its journey and left their mark on the sector, decade after decade.
Throughout its history, the Azkoyen Group has continued to grow and has become a leading Spanish technology multinational, offering automated products and services designed to bring unique experiences to people in their daily lives.
The company started out manufacturing agricultural machinery (asparagus and potato peelers), and soon moved on to produce vending machines for confectionery, devices which dispensed petrol for filling cigarette lighters and mechanical coin selectors, among other innovations.
Over time, they registered a number of patents: a washing machine, a wicker peeler, a cradle with a motor for rocking, and even a small device that emitted heartbeat-like sounds to be used for babies.
As early as the 1960s, it launched on the Spanish market its first mechanical cigarette vending machine, Polimatic, and the legendary Bubble gum ball vending machine, Baby.
In the 1970s Azkoyen became a public limited company, the electronic brain for the machines was developed and the first hot drinks vending machine, Cafemat, was manufactured; but it was in the 1980s that two of the major milestones for the Navarra company occurred: it was listed on the Madrid Stock Exchange and it patented the electronic coin selector.
The 1990s were characterised by a major international expansion, while the 21st century saw the Azkoyen Group diversify its business by adding several companies and consolidating the three large divisions that exist today.
Juan José Suárez, chairman of the Azkoyen Group proudly said: “Our company celebrated its 75th birthday last year, a date marred by the pandemic that prevented us from celebrating this major milestone. It has been many years since 1945, when the first Spanish vending machines were created. And since then, the company has grown into a large business group comprising more than 800 people and with a presence in more than 95 countries.”
New image adapted to the new times
Taking advantage of this historic moment, the company wanted to give its image a new look and refresh the aesthetics of its logo to adapt to new branding styles. The new design is presented in a more vibrant and contemporary shade of red, and the traditional tower is simplified as much as possible and based on geometric proportions and shapes, in order to achieve a lighter image. A more modern, open and dynamic look that reinforces the technological character of the Azkoyen Group.
The Azkoyen Group has 8 companies with headquarters in EU countries (Netherlands, UK, France, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Germany and Italy) and 2 in the Americas (USA and Colombia). Today it has 6 production plants, 32 branches around the world and 8 R&D&I centres.
In terms of human capital, more than 130 people, 15% of the workforce, are dedicated to R&D, one of the group’s major commitments.
Seventy-five years have gone by, during which time great achievements have been made and many international design and innovation awards have been won; 75 years in which the Azkoyen Group has been able to overcome and emerge stronger from all the economic crises that have arisen, including the Great Recession of 2009 and the most recent Covid-19 crisis. All this has been possible because of its continuous pursuit of operational expertise and its daily efforts to enhance the satisfaction of its employees, customers and shareholders.