1975 How it all began
As a child Ian Eason and his family moved to the sleepy seaside village of Chapel St Leonards, neighbouring the coastal resorts of Skegness and Ingoldmells.
About Us
Instance Automatics Ltd, operating since 1997
The One-Stop Arcade Shop...
We are worldwide specialists in coin operated amusement, vending, redemption and skill based prize machines. We design and manufacture the popular range of crane grabbers Maxx Grab and Prize Every Time vending cranes.
We keep vast range of prizes, plush, capsule stock for cranes, vending and redemption prizes throughout the year.
At Instance we repair and supply spares for all types of crane and skill based machines including crane machines from Elaut and Stacker type machines from LAI Games and spares for UNIS for who they are official UK and Ireland distributors.
If you are looking to update your current range of cranes, you want some new ideas for vending, or want to know how to get the best out of your existing machines, contact Instance Automatics first, we can make the difference to your business.
Ian Eason
Managing Director
HISTORY OF INSTANCE AUTOMATICS
1984-1992
‘I spent a lot of my youth in the arcades torturing the owners! Then I turned from poacher to gamekeeper!’ Started work for Brian Bell at Bell’s Amusements at Ingoldmells as a window cleaner and floorwalker... then worked way up to be an engineer. Started as an engineer with Rank Amusements at Skegness’ Butlins site. Worked for Stevenson family that owned the Golden Sands Estate and worked under Derek Stevenson.
1992
Set up as a freelance engineer and quickly built up a local customer base. I started working extremely long hours in the seasonal months
1993
Saw a gap in the market specialising in crane grabbers and manufacturing crane machines and equipment to enable cranes to operate profitably and reliably. Became an agent for "USS" Enterprises in-selling their crane add-on units.
1995
Went into business with Mark Green. Leased an amusement arcade under the Goldmine Amusements name. Now an arcade operator as well as repairing machines!
1996
Purchased an arcade in Chapel St Leonards. Bought the rights to manufacture the “USS” crane add on units as well as the USS crane. Purchased the "USS" Grab Control System and "USS" Sound System for Cranes. First showed the Enterprise Crane at the Blackpool Show. ’ It was there that I met Joyce Todd - she mothered us as we were clueless! Tina and I are still Joyce’s adopted kids and have been very close right from that first day’.
1997
‘Mark and I decided to go our separate ways as he liked the operating side and wanted to continue with it. I didn’t! I set up Instance Automatics that year, registered it for VAT and we got our heads down and started the process of building the business. The same year Tina and I got married and she became a really important part of the company dealing with all the finance side’. Designed the ultimate crane operating system, the “USS” CCS. Designed and unveiled the "ATEI 2000”. Unveiled a new processor for crane machines called the "SUPERGRAB".
2003
2003 Instance Automatics joined forces with OM Vending of Spain, and continued designing amusement machines for the European market. The company continued to grow.
2012
Became a UK distributor for Universal Space Video Game (now UNIS Technology), the largest manufacturers of amusement machines in the world.
2013
Premises were now too small and so relocated to Sutton on Sea, to an extensive site that meant increased volume of stock could be held. ‘We became very close with Steven Tan during the following years, UNIS`s Worldwide Sales Manager based in Toronto, Canada. We built up a really good reputation and working relationship with UNIS; we helped them develop, test and bring to the market all the best games available’. The new type of videmption (video / redemption machines) amusement machine became really popular throughout the UK.
2022
Became UNIS’s first Partner Company in Europe. ‘Instance Automatics are now part of the UNIS family - we are very proud of this and with our achievements working together.’
Current
With a team of ten, Instance Automatics Ltd has grown from its small beginnings in 1997, but has never lost sight of its customers’ needs.