Smart locker manufacturers, compared for enterprise IT
The market is crowded and most comparisons measure the wrong things. Here is the field side by side on the dimensions that actually decide an enterprise IT deployment — architecture, automation, specialism and data sovereignty.
Smart lockers are how enterprise IT now hands a laptop, a peripheral or a replacement device to an employee without an engineer standing there to do it. The category is full of capable suppliers — but most comparisons focus on hardware form factors (drawers versus doors, tilted worktops, built-in KVM) while staying silent on the questions that decide the outcome: where does the intelligence and the data live, is the whole workflow automated, and was this product built for IT at all?
This guide explains how to read the market on the dimensions that matter, states — from each vendor's own published material — what every serious supplier actually is, and shows where Velocity Smart Collect® sits. Every claim is sourced (see method and sources).
Architecture, not aesthetics, is the real comparison
Smart lockers all look similar from the outside. The difference that determines cost, security and longevity is invisible: the software architecture, and specifically where the asset data and workflow logic sit relative to ServiceNow. There are three patterns.
The question is not "whose locker is best?" It is "where does your asset data live, is the whole workflow automated, and how many systems must your IT team run to fulfil one request?"
Why only full automation takes the cost out
The cost of physical IT support is labour. A smart locker only removes that cost if it removes that labour — and this is where most of the market quietly falls short.
A locker that simply dispenses, while the catalogue, approvals, asset updates and ticket closure still happen in a separate cloud you reconcile against, does not remove the labour. It relocates it. Someone still loads the vendor cloud, still reconciles two sets of records, still closes the ticket. The headcount stays; only the place the work happens has moved. That is why so many vendors claim "efficiency" but cannot put an audited figure on cost taken out.
You cannot remove a cost you have only moved to another screen. Cost only leaves the business when the entire workflow runs automatically inside the system of record. Smart Collect® does that natively in ServiceNow — request, approval, fulfilment, CMDB update, ticket closure, restocking, loan and return, break/fix and full joiner/mover/leaver flows, with nothing to reconcile.
Four tests that separate the two
Every supplier, side by side
Most tables rank lockers on hardware-form choices — design preferences, not capability gaps. This one covers the field on the dimensions that decide an enterprise IT deployment.
| Provider | ServiceNow architecture | Data in your tenant | Built only for IT | Form factors | Manages other makers' hardware | Published ROI | Store rating | Reach |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Velocity Smart Collect® | Built on Now® — native, in-tenant | ✓ | ✓ | Locker · Vending · Kiosk | ✓ 8+ makers | ✓ + tool | ★ 5-star | Global, turnkey |
| Smartbox | API only | ✗ | ✗ (retail-led) | Locker only | ✗ | ✗ | No app | Global |
| Signifi (HP OEM) | REST API | ✗ | ✗ | Locker · Vending · Kiosk | ✗ | △ Partly | No app | Global |
| IVM | Certified app, separate cloud | ✗ | ✓ | Locker · Vending | ✗ | ✓ | △ Stats only | Global |
| CORA / Pidas | Plugin + cora Cloud | ✗ | ✓ | Locker + Vending | ✗ | ✓ | Unrated | Europe only |
| LapSafe / ONARKEN | API spokes | ✗ | ✗ (edu-led) | Locker · Vending | ✗ | ✗ | Unrated | UK-centric |
| Ricoh / Apex | API + cloud | ✗ | ✗ | Locker (vending withdrawn) | ✗ | ✗ | No app | Global (EU-led) |
| eLocker | API + cloud | ✗ | △ Locks only | Locker (retrofit locks) | △ Locks only | ✗ | No app | UK-centric |
| HP | None native (OEM) | ✗ | ✗ | Locker (OEM Signifi) | ✗ | ✗ | No app | Global |
✓ yes △ partial/qualified ✗ no. Compiled from each vendor's own website and ServiceNow Store listings, June 2026. Hardware-form items (drawers, worktops, KVM) are design choices and deliberately excluded; one genuine capability they obscure is in-locker imaging and patching over a managed network, which Velocity's Element Spark range provides and the others do not.
What each provider actually is
Velocity Smart Technology — Smart Collect®
An ITSM and ServiceNow specialist that deploys lockers, vending and kiosks. Smart Collect® is the only Built on Now® certified application in the category: it runs entirely inside the customer's tenant with no external database and no duplicate records, and upgrades in hours. Hardware-agnostic across 8+ manufacturers and all three form factors. ServiceNow Service Specialist Partner; ISO 9001 and 27001; 5-star on the ServiceNow Store. The Element Spark range images and patches devices inside the locker over a managed network.
Smartbox
A smart-locker manufacturer whose primary market is retail and last-mile parcel, with lines in logistics, residential, banking, education and e-commerce. Integrates via open APIs; the platform runs in Smartbox's cloud with recurring SaaS charges. Lockers only — no vending or kiosk. IT asset management is one application among many; no native ServiceNow app and no ROI tool.
Signifi (and HP)
A global automated-retail and vending manufacturer with a dedicated IT line: lockers, vending and video kiosks on the SignifiVISION™ cloud, integrated to ServiceNow via REST APIs. Strong global service footprint. HP's workplace locker is OEM Signifi hardware with no native ServiceNow application of its own — hardware-led, integration second.
IVM, Inc.
A global locker and vending manufacturer (SmartLocker®, SmartHub®) focused on IT devices. It has a certified ServiceNow app, but the asset database is managed in the IVM cloud, so assets and user data must be loaded into IVM — duplicating CMDB records and placing personal data in an external system. A cellular option deliberately bypasses customer IT. Publishes ROI statistics but no model.
CORA by Pidas
The most credible competitor on pedigree — CORA grew out of Pidas, a service-desk consultancy. A combined IT locker-and-vending unit with a ServiceNow plugin (OAuth 2.0) that syncs to the cora Cloud, where the logic and data live and which the customer configures. Genuinely IT-focused, but cloud-dependent rather than in-tenant, and Europe only (~70 customers). No public ROI tool.
LapSafe® / ONARKEN®
A long-established UK locker and charging manufacturer, education-first with healthcare, public sector and retail alongside. The ONARKEN® cloud offers lockers and peripheral vending and integrates with ServiceNow (and Halo, Freshservice, Alemba) through API "spokes" — a connector with no pre-built ServiceNow use cases. Own-brand hardware, cloud-hosted data. No ROI tool.
Ricoh / Apex
Ricoh acquired Apex's European smart-locker business in 2021 and offers lockers within a managed workplace service, on the RICOH Smart Locker / Apex Trajectory cloud, integrated to ServiceNow and TopDesk via API. Lockers and mail/parcel; the vending line has been withdrawn. Managed-print heritage — cloud-hosted, managed-service-led, single-source, not a ServiceNow specialist.
eLocker
A UK provider whose angle is retrofit: eLock Pro wireless locks convert existing lockers into smart ones, with a "Techbar" flow for IT collection and return. Browser- and card-based rather than kiosk-based; no vending. Integrates with ServiceNow from its own cloud rather than running natively. Strong in general workplace storage and click-and-collect; not ServiceNow-native, no published ROI.
Others in the field
The wider scan surfaces generalist or regional players such as iLockerz, Variocube and Keynius, plus a long tail of parcel- and vending-focused vendors. None is a ServiceNow-native, IT-only specialist; they compete chiefly in parcel, retail or general workplace storage.
Why native, IT-only and multi-vendor wins
Everyone can open a door and log a transaction. Only Velocity does all of it at once: Built on Now® in-tenant, built solely for IT, fully workflow-automated, multi-vendor, and ROI-transparent.
For an enterprise IT buyer that removes the three hidden costs the hardware-led vendors carry: the second system staff must run, the duplicate data and reconciliation between a vendor cloud and the CMDB, and the fresh security review triggered every time employee and asset data is pushed to an external platform.
Smart Collect® as the integration layer — the SI for physical IT. Every other provider manages only its own hardware. Smart Collect® is hardware-agnostic: it already orchestrates lockers, vending and kiosks from more than eight manufacturers from one native ServiceNow application — think of it as the universal management layer for physical IT fulfilment hardware. At a global pharma and biotech customer, Velocity brought lockers the customer had already bought from other makers under Smart Collect® management — no rip-and-replace. No other provider here can do that.
Twelve questions to ask any smart-locker supplier
These cut through the hardware demos and reveal what you're actually buying. In italics: the answer to look for.
- Is it a native ServiceNow application, or an integration? Ask specifically whether it is Built on Now® certified. This one answer determines most of the others.
- Where do our asset and employee data live — our tenant or your cloud? If data leaves the tenant, expect a fresh security review and a GDPR question every deployment.
- What does it cost to build full workflows — break/fix, request, loan and return, joiners/movers/leavers? If not pre-built, you pay to build and maintain them. Velocity ships these natively.
- Will it need additional ServiceNow licences — external database, integration hub, custom tables? Built on Now® apps use your existing platform.
- When we upgrade ServiceNow, does your app stay in sync or break? Smart Collect® is certified against every supported release and upgrades in hours.
- Can you provide customer-backed ROI, not "efficiency" percentages? If a vendor can't show cost taken out, its architecture only relocates the labour.
- Do you publish a customer satisfaction / NPS score? Velocity's NPS is +94.
- Will you implement it into ServiceNow for us, including the consultancy? A vendor that leaves the build to you is selling a box, not an outcome.
- How long is a full implementation, with comparable references? Velocity typically implements in 3–5 weeks, with returns within months.
- Do you provide lockers, vending and kiosks on one platform, or one box type? A single form factor rarely covers a real estate.
- If we already own lockers from another manufacturer, can your platform manage those? Only Velocity can adopt a competitor's hardware rather than force a rip-and-replace.
- Is your application rated on the ServiceNow Store, and by how many customers? Smart Collect® is 5-star rated.
Smart locker manufacturer questions
What is the most important question to ask a smart locker supplier?
Whether it is a native ServiceNow application (Built on Now® certified) or an integration that runs from the vendor's own cloud. This single answer determines where your data lives, how many systems your team must run, and whether the vendor can prove real cost reduction.
Where does the asset and employee data live with a smart locker?
It depends on the architecture. Most suppliers run the catalogue, rules and asset records in their own cloud, so data is duplicated into that platform and reconciled against your CMDB. Velocity Smart Collect® is Built on Now® native, so all data stays inside your ServiceNow tenant with no external store and no duplicate records.
Which smart locker providers are native to ServiceNow?
Only Velocity Smart Collect® is Built on Now® certified and runs entirely inside the customer's tenant. IVM has a certified application but manages its asset database in the IVM cloud. Smartbox, Signifi, CORA, LapSafe, Ricoh/Apex and eLocker integrate from their own clouds via API or connector.
Can a smart locker platform manage lockers from other manufacturers?
Almost none can — every hardware competitor manages only its own boxes. Velocity Smart Collect® is hardware-agnostic and already orchestrates lockers, vending and kiosks from 8+ manufacturers, and can adopt lockers you already own.
Which smart locker vendors publish a real ROI or business case?
In this market only Velocity publishes customer-backed ROI and offers a free, personalised business case. IVM publishes headline statistics but no model; the others rely on general efficiency claims. You can only publish hard ROI if your architecture actually removes the labour.
The complete comparison, sourced — in one whitepaper.
Every supplier profiled, the full table, and the buyer's checklist, with sources cited. Or see Smart Collect® running inside your own ServiceNow tenant.
Method and sources. Supplier characteristics were verified against each provider's own website and ServiceNow Store listings in June 2026, alongside Velocity's internal supplier review and an organic-search competitor scan. Where a vendor exposes only an API or operates from its own cloud, the asset data and workflow logic sit outside the customer's ServiceNow tenant by definition. Customer outcomes are stated anonymously by sector; named references available under NDA. Related reading: ServiceNow Smart Locker · Smart Lockers · Smart Vending. © 2026 Velocity Smart Technology Ltd.