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Expansion Continues SINCE its formation in 1993, Bologna-based Qubicahas specialised in the development of automatedbowling scoring systems with excellent graphics,together with complete management systems formonitoring point-of-sale transactions, leaguestatistics, shoe rentals and more.“This totally integrated technology proved socomprehensive and user-friendly that bowling clientsoutfitted their centres with Qubica’s products,” said acompany spokesperson. “Over 45,000 lanes havebeen installed in more than 50 countries.”In 2001, Qubica acquired Canada’s Mendes, themaker of Bowlingo, the scaled-down, twin-lane alley.Highway 66 was then developed as an evolution ofBowlingo, which had been out since 1983.In June, 2005, Qubica entered a 50 per cent mergerwith AMF, the company that invented the automaticpin spotter in 1946 and the automatic scoring system30 years ago, plus many products since that can befound in over 10,000 bowling centres in 90 countries.This merger represented, on a large scale, bothcompanies’ core mission – to forge the best solutionsin bowling, whether in location renovation, Highway66 installation or game innovation, through the powerof partnership. Today, QubicaAMF employs 650 people worldwide.The main headquarters are the Italian facility with ateam of 120 people and 350 people are employed inthe North American facility. Many other offices allaround the world complete the QubicaAMF structure.Highway 66 is a miniature bowling game suitable forboth children and adults. The fact that is it scaled downto 66 per cent of the size of traditional bowling makes itideal for arcades, family entertainment centres,amusement parks, sports venues, clubs, hotels, cruiseliners, restaurants, bars, cinemas and shopping malls.Designed into every aspect of all QubicaAMFproducts are eye-catching and attractive elements.“The modern designs are made to attract, hold andcaptivate customers and give operators theopportunity to configure the equipment to suit thestyle of their locations,” the company says. “Asuccessful attribute of scaled-down bowling solutionsis the players’ interaction. This is why the popularity ofour bowling solutions spans generations and everyonefrom kids to adults of all ages loves it – just aboutanyone can play and have fun. “The quality of the engineered electronic andhardware systems delivers years of trouble-freeoperation and also features next to no maintenance.With basic general maintenance and cleaning, theequipment will be a pleasure to operate and profitfrom. Thanks to the ease of coin operation and theallure of bowling, operators can sit back and watch theprofits roll in.” Highway 66 offers players a selectable five or 10-frame game. It takes between five and six minutes toplay a 10-frame game and the price of a gameaverages around $2.70. This gives the potential for thegame to pay for itself in less than one year. It is themain attraction at the ESPN Entertainment Zones inAnaheim, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, NewYork, Las Vegas and Washington DC. These venues allaverage over eight hours of play every day.QubicaAMF says that food and beverage shouldalso be considered. On average, for every dollar spenton bowling, a customer will spend 62 cents on foodand beverage. “Consumers have been conditioned toeat and drink while they bowl. This makes theattraction an excellent birthday or corporate partyevent.” Other products from the company are Pin Bowl, abowling simulator with a small footprint, and the Skillershooting game. In Pin Bowl, the player throws the balldown a lane with sensors that detect its trajectory andcreate an image of the ball on a screen. The appeal liesin the combination of physical and virtual action. Skillerhas soft-air devices that hit targets in what appears tobe a real shooting range. “These games and others to follow are a naturalprogression from bowling and ideal to share floorspace with the traditional product,” Qubica says. “Minibowling has quickly penetrated FECs and arcades,showing that bowling and coin-op are allied closernow than ever before in the public eye. Our productssell because they are unique with a distinctive appealand they are innovative but based on the traditionalgame.” More new products will be introduced soon and thecompany will exhibit at 30 shows worldwide this year.The bowling market is still expanding globally, shiftinginto different territories, and QubicaAMF will be fuellingthat expansion with its unique and innovativeproducts. For More Information, www.qubicaamf.com and www.amusement.qubicaamf.com. For US Inquiries call call 888/495-2300, ext. 6507, for International Inquiries +39-051-4192611. Download pdf |