CANTON, Ohio - Diebold Corp., one of the biggest makers of automated teller machines, has put six ticket-dispensing machines at Universal Studios, the giant Hollywood theme park near Los Angeles.
Universal said it came to Diebold because of the overwhelming problems it was having with long lines of people waiting to get in. The ticket machines, installed last month, are at the park's entrance. They do not dispense cash and take only credit cards. The machines can be used in English or Spanish and could be upgraded to include other languages.
Ticket dispensing is a new market for Diebold, which has recently been expanding beyond its core ATM business. It recently agreed to buy a company that builds electronic voting machines, and it is also building a secure facility in Washington for the originals of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights.
Rebekah Falconer, director of professional services for Diebold, said plenty of opportunities remain in the ATM market but that the contract with Universal Studios "proves that we can make that transition when our customers need us to."
