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| QubicaAMF: A Remarkable Story  THERE is a remarkable story behind QubicaAMF.It began as an Italian-based company in 1993specialising in tenpin bowling. Qubica, as it wasthen, had gained ascendancy through thedevelopment of its own automatic scoringsystem and the high level of innovation andtechnology it introduced into itsgame. It was in the amusementmarket that it made its greatestimpact, specialising in bowling whichwas not destined for the traditionaltenpin bowling market. Instead itfound its path to success through theamusement business with coinoperatedproducts.At the same time, AMF has alwaysbeen a leader in the sport of tenpinbowling with a great tradition andglobal impact. It was in 2005 that thetwo companies merged to become theQubicaAMF of today with twin bases,Italy and Virginia, US. The Italian officespecialises in producing traditionalbowling and acting as the centre forthe amusement division and theVirginia complex taking the role of themajor production base andwarehouse. The unique tenpin bowling gamewith all of the attributes of the fullscalemodel, has a distinctly Americantheme and feel and has beenuniversally popular. The 14-year-old company built itsreputation on its faithful reproduction of the ‘realgame’ and its spectacular graphics which comewith management systems for monitoring POStransactions and a host of other attributes.It was fully understandable that at thecombined AMOA-Fun Expo show in Las Vegas atthe end of September, the company had itsdisplay at the ‘join’ between the coin-op showand the FEC event. The product fits neatly intoboth sectors of the industry, having versions ofthe bowling game which will fit into arcades andgames rooms and equally versions more suitedto the wider open spaces of a familyentertainment centre. Added to that, Qubica is widening its productbase, introducing other coin-op equipment to itsrange, so that it can capitalise on the customers ithas by offering them other machinescomplementary to their bowling devices. Skiller, alive ammo shooting game is totally unique in theindustry and Pin Bowl is a novelty bowling gameaimed at youngsters. Pin Bowl was making its debut in the US. It is acoin-op device in which the player bowls down ashort lane to watch the effect of his efforts on avideo monitor located in the back of the machine.It will particularly appeal to smaller children whomight find the full-scale Qubica bowling game toomuch for them, or for families waiting their turn atthe ‘senior’ game. Skiller has created a considerable stir in theamusement industry. It fires real pellets atphysical targets using air rifles. “Everyone else isusing laser guns,” said Qubica’s Gian Anestis.“This is real shooting, complete with recoil. It is aone-to-one scale just as it would be at a riflerange.” What security issues will there be with apotentially dangerous weapon? “The units arefitted with sensors. Players wear goggles and youcannot shoot outside of the angles which wouldgive you a clear shot at the target.”Skiller is a one-player game butis best used in multiple units. Withapproximately one metre per playerand a range of 8m or 10m, a Skillerwill fit into a larger arcade andcertainly within an FEC. The unit iscoin-operated and has automaticscoring through a monitor.It was not surprising that asubstantial stake in Qubica shouldhave been sought by one of theworld’s ‘big two’ full-scale tenpinbowling companies. Two years agoAMF took a 50 per cent share inQubica. AMF was the companywhich developed the automatic pinspotter 60 years ago and automaticscoring 30 years ago. It now hasbusiness in 10,000 bowling centresin 90 countries. For AMF the Qubicadeal gave it access to a peripheryattraction and for Qubica it broughtresources and expansion. QubicaAMF now has 650employees worldwide, with its mainHQ at Bologna, Italy where thereare 120 staff and Richmond,Virginia, where around three timesthat number work, whichdemonstrates the depth ofpenetration of the American marketmade by QubicaAMF. 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 |