The Cannabis Equipment News team recently traveled to MJBizCon held in Las Vegas from November 28, 2023 through December 1, 2023. At the show, we interviewed equipment manufacturers, cultivators, operators and new product developers to learn more about what they bring to the cannabis industry.
Accelerant has a unique business model. The company deploys pre-roll automation equipment with no upfront cost other than delivery and training. In turn, cannabis operators pay a monthly fee which Accelerant receives on a per-unit basis.
Because the company only gets paid if the machine is running, Accelerant Co-Founder Grand Schuster says he is heavily invested into the revenue growth and profitability of his customers. Schuster, who has a background in lean manufacturing, safety, quality, delivery and cost, says operators can make a wide range of infused products on his company's full suite of equipment, including regular, infused, injected and coated pre-roll joints.
For example, kief- and diamond-coated infused pre-rolls have experienced a surge in consumer interest, and Accelerant demonstrated a new machine at MJBizCon that can make up to 3,000 of these specific products per hour.
The company is also moving into other services, including quality inspection with the ability to take a photo of every single unit.
According to Schuster, for any operator with more than four people doing a process by hand, the production as a service model is a trade-off that makes economic sense. The benefit is that it allows operators to focus on growth.
The company has 35 machines across 12 states and is now making 50 million pre-rolls each year.
Schuster was previously a guest on the Cannabis Equipment News podcast. Check out the episode to learn more about how production as a service can help companies get up and running without the crushing capital expense.
The next MJBizCon will be held in Las Vegas from December 3, 2024 through December 6, 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
