International Slot Machine Sales' founder and managing director Sam Arnold is to open the company's latest distribution centre in the US next month - a 65,000sq.ft facility in Miami. "We don't do things by halves," he tells Simon Liddle
IN only few short years, International Slot Machine Sales has established itself as one of the industry’s leading suppliers of pre-owned and refurbished casino equipment.
Having taken its first steps into the business 12 years ago serving the New Zealand and Australian markets, Sam Arnold’s company now boasts offices, warehouses and workshop facilities across the world. In November, the latest addition to this impressive estate will be ISMS’ new US distribution centre in Miami, Florida. From here, the company is aiming to support its existing client base in the Caribbean and South America, as well as exploring new opportunities in North America. The 65,000sq.ft facility, says Arnold, is ideally located for this purpose.
“We have purchased a building in Miami that is very strategically positioned - a seven-minute drive from Miami International Airport, a seven-minute drive from downtown Miami, 10 minutes from South Beach and close to the I-95 freeway,” he explains. “It’s very close to the airport to allow our loyal clients from the Caribbean and South America to come from the airport and be at our facility in only a few minutes.”
The new building also includes 10,000sq.ft of showroom and office space that can double up as conferencing and bar facilities. There’s also a helipad on the roof should visitors prefer to take a more scenic route from the airport.
“I believe we will be the largest provider of pre-owned and refurbished casino equipment that operates a private helicopter sales service from the roof in the US,” Arnold says.
The company’s Miami base will house as many as 8,500 slot machines, as well as a paint booth, a technical production line and a parts department - all monitored by the company’s inventory and accounting systems. In all, it will employ 40 people.
“We don’t do things by halves in our company,” Arnold continues, “I prefer to do things all together. We have to be the biggest, we have to be the leader and we have to do everything to the best of our ability. This facility we’re building is going to be the largest refurbishment, production and warehousing facility in the US selling refurbished and pre-owned casino equipment.”
ISMS is in the process of applying for licences to supply equipment to operators in additional states in the US. When it opens in November, Arnold anticipates the Florida factory will quickly rank among the company’s most important distribution centres globally.
“We’re already doing a lot of business in the US but there are a number of new opportunities - there’s a niche to fill and an opportunity to provide services that are currently not being provided.”
This month’s G2E Las Vegas show is an important part of this strategy for ISMS, which has increased its presence at the event in each year it has exhibited. Once again, this year’s show will see the company take a larger booth space to enable it to showcase a wider selection of its new, high-end equipment from the industry’s leading manufacturers. Much of this new inventory was manufactured in 2011, meaning some machines are only a few months old.
“G2E is an opportunity to show clients our diverse product range, including the latest high-end models, as well as our range of our more cost-effective machines,” Arnold adds.
Visitors to the booth will also get to experience live performances from a variety of acts throughout the three-day show, including a mini Elvis Presley impersonator - all of which, Arnold says, is to reiterate the company’s philosophy of offering the highest quality products at the smallest possible prices. It’s a principle that has served the company well.
