Automatic Tubig Machine targets mainstream market

Filipino invented Automated Tubig Machine (ATM) is now hitting the mainstream market with its cheaper filtered water available via self-service vending.

ATM Water Ventures Corporation, the marketing company arm of inventor Ted Bergado, was able to develop the automated filtered water vending, which provides affordable drinking water to the ordinary market segment.

Introduced by the ATM Water Ventures last year, the company reported a total of 260 ATM facilities spread all over Visayas and Mindanao, with its franchise offer.

According to ATM Water Ventures Corporation vice president and marketing director Anthony O. Leuterio this first-of-kind product is not only providing affordable drinking water to the lower income bracket market, but also allowing providing business opportunity to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Filtered water product, which is processed via reverse osmosis, is available in a peso cost, with all-automated system.

"This concept has excite the market, especially those in highly public areas like schools, big communities, because people can not only get the one-shot drinking water in a peso cost, they can also refill their five-gallon container at the station," Leuterio said.

The company has four kinds of units available for franchisees, providing the same product. The mother machine which would costs a franchisee a one-time fee of P250,000, with fixed P1,000 monthly royalty fee, regardless of sales performance.

The nine-container capacity portable ATM costs P200,000 for franchisee, as well as the wall-type machine.

The newest entry, being introduced by the company is the mini-machine which only costs P65,000, this is projected to hit the canteens, carenderias, special events, among others.

According to Leuterio, the company is now experiencing an average of 15 units demand in a month. In the next few months, the company is aiming to go nationwide.

The advantage of the mother unit machine, is it can operate in a 24-hour cycle, and that people can avail of filtered drinking water anytime.

In Cebu, there are a total of 12 ATM mother units, which will also provide the filtered water requirement of the other smaller machine, such as the portable, and mini-machine.

ATM Water Ventures Corporation is a Cebu-based company, which was able to make a deal with the Luzon-based inventor Bergado.

Leuterio claimed that the entry of the ATM water vending concept has led to the lowering of filtered water cost in Cebu, which original costs about P50 per five-gallon container before, now it went down to as low as P25 per five-gallon container.