The 25-Minute Wait That Changed Everything
What would you do if you were forced to wait 25 minutes for a simple takeaway coffee? For Melbourne's Bill Purton, a man with a proven track record of ingenious solutions, the answer was to invent a better way. Sitting in a South Australian café with just six customers ahead of him, Purton watched a novice barista struggle. His attempt to offer friendly advice was the final spark. He sat down, pulled out a napkin, and began to sketch what would become his latest global innovation.
From Plastic Moulding to Global Casino Tech
This was not Purton's first rodeo. His journey as a problem-solver began decades earlier. With a scientific background and work at the Royal Children’s Hospital, he took a risk on a modest plastic-moulding business in the 1980s. This venture grew from 11 to 125 employees by 2005 before he sold it to a US company.
His expertise in polymer technology, honed at RMIT, unexpectedly led him to the glitzy world of international casinos. He started by creating plastic racks for chips, even developing a distinctive ‘clay’ texture and sound for them. An early lesson was costly; he invested $38,000 into a tool only to find Melbourne's Crown Casino expected to pay just $5 per rack.
Yet, his ingenuity prevailed. He moved on to create secure, microchip-embedded gaming chips, solving complex technical issues like signal collision with advanced frequency-hopping technology. His innovations significantly enhanced casino security and game tracking worldwide.
The Deck Checker and a Promise to a Dealer
Purton's talent for invention often came from simple conversations. Chatting with a weary casino dealer who lamented the tedious task of counting 416 cards after a long shift, Purton was inspired. He promised to help.
Bringing in expertise from New Zealand to bypass CSIRO bureaucracy, he developed the 'Deck Checker'. This device used optical character recognition to scan and count casino cards in seconds, eliminating human error. Crown Casino funded the project with $100,000, and it became an international success, solidifying Purton's reputation.
Caffe Assist: Streamlining the Humble Flat White
Now, Purton has turned his attention back to his other passion: coffee. That napkin sketch in South Australia evolved into Caffe Assist, a machine designed to streamline milk heating in cafes.
The device ensures consistent milk quality, self-cleans, and reduces the barista's workload, allowing them to engage more with customers. In an industry facing 50 per cent staff turnover, this consistency is vital. Purton claims it can boost discretionary sales by 7 per cent through improved customer service and repeat business.
Adopted by major chains like Hungry Jacks, Krispy Kreme, and BP, the programmable machine is set for global rollout. With patents on milk detection and self-cleaning tech protecting his invention from Swiss and Italian competitors, Purton's small company is aiming for worldwide domination, proving that the best ideas often come from solving life's simplest problems.
