Determining how much cash a financial institution should put load into its automated teller machines is a tricky business. Put in too little, and the machine will “run dry” and require an emergency cash run. Put in too much, and it’s an extra cost to the bank.

Efmark Premium Armored says it has designed a program that optimizes cash loads for ATMs, which can save banks and credit unions money by requiring fewer cash loads and less cash on hand. The company, which specializes in servicing automated teller machines, announced last week that it has opened a Des Moines branch as part of a national expansion. Based in Westmont, Ill., Efmark will have added 11 branches by the end of the year, giving it a total of 57 full-service branches serving 42 states.

The Des Moines office, which opened in June, currently operates two armored car routes that serve several hundred ATMs throughout Iowa. Previously, the company had a limited presence in the eastern half of the state, said Bill Collins, Efmark’s senior vice president for sales.

“We knew to do something in Iowa, we really needed to be in Des Moines, so we were excited about this opportunity,” he said.

Efmark, which claims to have the largest geographical presence of any independent ATM services company, currently provides service to more than 50,000 ATMs for approximately 1,600 clients. In addition to cash management services, the company also offers ATM equipment sales and maintenance.

“We’re really unique in the ATM industry,” Collins said. “Most of the functions are done by different companies. We can bring all those functions under one roof, which really simplifies the functions for financial institutions, rather than having to deal with four or five different companies. For banks with a multistate presence, they may have to otherwise deal with three or four different armored car companies.

The company’s entry into the Iowa market provides new competition for Lewis System of Iowa Inc., which has eight offices throughout the state. Efmark also competes with ATM manufacturers Diebold Inc. and NCR Corp., though it also serves as NCR’s largest authorized sales and service provider.

One of Efmark’s new Iowa clients is Ames-based Greater Iowa Credit Union, which operates more than 400 ATMS in Casey’s General Stores Inc. outlets throughout Iowa, Missouri, Illinois and Wisconsin.

“They offer the most complete solution available of any of the vendors I’ve talked to,” said David Blakely, the credit union’s chief financial officer, who said both ATM usage and number of locations continues to increase.

Using a team of cash analysts that review daily trend data for each ATM, Efmark was able to reduce the credit union’s number of cash loads by nearly 40 percent, while at the same time reducing the amount of cash by more than 30 percent.

Efmark’s Des Moines office, which Collins estimated will service approximately 70 percent of the state, employs a fleet of three armored vehicles.

“It’s very typical that we start a branch with one or two routes,” said Katherine Moberg, EFMARK’s Midwest division manager. “We’re hoping to at least triple the size of this branch within the next year. We have branches ranging from two routes to up to 20 routes. We always open our new branches with the vision of growth.”