For most Singaporeans who have served National Service, the eMart run is a familiar ritual. A toggle rope snaps mid-training. Boot laces give way. A towel is left behind. The solution, in theory, is straightforward: head to the eMart. In practice, it is rarely that simple.
Singapore’s network of army, air force, and navy eMarts serves the daily needs of servicemen across the island. But with operating hours largely confined to weekday mornings and afternoons, and physical outlets concentrated in select camps, access is far from universal. For the serviceman who needs a pair of ear plugs at 8pm or a spare field pack item on a weekend, the eMart might as well be on the other side of the island. Often, it is.
Huxter, the Singapore-based smart vending solutions company, has successfully closed that gap.
A Machine Built for the Field, Now Operational
Huxter recently deployed its first smart vending machine inside an SAF camp, marking a quiet but significant milestone for the company and for the servicemen it now serves. The machine is not a standard off-the-shelf unit. It was custom-built for the military context, stocked with army essentials such as t-shirts, towels, boot laces, gutters, and other items that servicemen regularly require during training and daily camp life.
What makes the deployment particularly notable is its integrated payment system. Rather than solely relying on conventional cashless methods, the machine facilitates transactions using NS eCredits, the digital credits allocated to full-time national servicemen for use on SAF-related purchases. Servicemen initiate payment by scanning their NRIC or 11B, which authenticates their identity and displays their available eMart credit balance. Should their eMart credits be insufficient for a full purchase, the system seamlessly allows for a split payment: the remaining balance can be settled using a cashless device, accepting options such as Visa, Mastercard, or PayNow. This ensures flexibility, enabling purchases even with limited eMart credits or entirely through cashless methods if no credits are available.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to convenience,” said Adrian Soh, founder of Huxter. “A serviceman should not have to plan his week around getting a pair of boot laces. We built this so that what he needs is simply there, when he needs it.”
The Access Gap Nobody Talks About, Now Being Bridged
The eMart network, operated by ST Logistics, currently spans nine army camp locations, several air force and naval bases, and a handful of commercial LifestyleMart outlets. Operating hours at army eMarts typically run Monday to Friday, from 0900hrs to 1600hrs. Some locations operate on reduced schedules. Weekend access is largely unavailable at in-camp outlets.
For servicemen posted to camps without an eMart, or those who need supplies outside operating hours, the options are limited. Travelling off-camp to a commercial outlet is not always feasible, particularly during training cycles or when confined to base. The result is a persistent, low-level inconvenience that servicemen have simply absorbed as part of NS life.
Huxter’s vending machine changes that calculus. Available around the clock, stocked with the items most commonly needed in the field, and accessible through a payment system servicemen already use, it removes the friction that has long made eMart access an afterthought rather than a given.
Beyond the immediate convenience, Huxter also possesses the capabilities to integrate seamlessly with the OneNS portal. The OneNS portal is a comprehensive digital platform in Singapore designed as a one-stop hub for National Servicemen, jointly managed by key organisations such as MINDEF, Singapore Armed Forces, Home TeamNS, and SAFRA. Huxter’s ability to customise and enhance the UI/UX elements required for this integration ensures a smooth and intuitive experience, further streamlining access to essential services and information for NSmen.
A Pilot With Broader Ambitions, Proving Its Worth
The current deployment was a pilot. Huxter has not disclosed which camp houses the machine, but the company’s ambition is clear: to bring the solution to every SAF camp that does not currently have an eMart presence.
The scale of that opportunity is not trivial. Singapore operates dozens of military installations across the island, from large training bases to smaller specialist camps. Many of these facilities have no in-camp retail access at all. For the servicemen stationed there, Huxter’s machine represents the first time essential field supplies have been available on demand, without leaving the base.
“This is just the beginning,” Adrian said. “If we can make sure every serviceman has access to what he needs, when he needs it, we’ve done something genuinely useful.”
More Than Convenience: A Strategic Partnership
Huxter’s entry into the SAF context is consistent with the company’s broader positioning as a solutions provider that builds for real-world utility rather than novelty. The company has previously deployed smart vending solutions for corporate clients, property developers, and community institutions, always with an emphasis on matching the machine’s design, product mix, and payment infrastructure to the specific environment it serves.
The SAF deployment extends that philosophy into one of Singapore’s most operationally demanding environments. It also signals Huxter’s growing capability to work within government and institutional frameworks, navigating the compliance, integration, and procurement requirements that such partnerships demand.
For Adrian Soh, the milestone was less about the machine itself and more about what it represents: a practical, scalable answer to a problem that has existed quietly for years. National Service is a shared experience for Singaporean men. The inconveniences that come with it are well-documented, if rarely addressed in any systematic way. Huxter’s pilot is a reminder that some of the most meaningful innovations are not the loudest ones. They are the ones that show up where they are needed, ready when everything else is not.
Huxter is a Singapore-based smart vending solutions company serving corporates, government agencies, and institutions. Learn more at huxter.sg.
