EASY-FIT wins
Easy-Fit, the new technology for Scotsman ice machines from Hubbard Ice Systems, has won a major 'Product of the Year' award. The annual award, by UK refrigeration industry magazine AC&R News, credits the industry's leading product innovation each year across the board, from all kinds of refrigeration - ice, freezer, chiller or space air conditioning.
Hubbard Ice System's Easy-Fit technology, which is installed in its integral 'gourmet supercube' Scotsman ice machines, was chosen by the judges for an extremely simply concept that has made a huge difference to the way ice machines are installed in bars and tight spaces. Until Easy-Fit, ice machines had to be located higher than the drain and close to them, so that the water from the flush cycle of the icemaking process could drain away naturally. This severely curtailed the layout of bars with ice machines.
"The 'Product of the Year' award is one of the hardest to win, and one of the most heavily entered", said the magazine's editor Neil Everitt. "It's hard to compare, say, a cabinet to an air conditioner. Nevertheless, we look for the product or a technology that's had the biggest impact on the market in the last year. And the judges decided that the new Hubbard/Scotsman concept was the best of the last year. It's a simple idea, well executed, and clearly needed."
The essential element of Easy-Fit is the 'PWD' integral wastewater pump. This automatically pumps the drain water up to a height of 1.5 meters from the base of the machine, or, alternatively, over a distance of up to 20 meters. (The greater the distance the less high you can pump; for instance, a 10 meter run will reduce the 'pump' height to approx 0.5 of a meter).
Since the machine can be lower than the drains, it no longer needs legs and so not only can it be fitted almost anywhere, but it is more compact as well. The effect is that a Scotsman Easy-Fit Icemaker can be fitted almost anywhere behind a bar, liberating extra space for the bar designer.
The prototype of the Easy-Fit caused a major stir when it was previewed in 2002. Now the machines are in full production and Hubbard Ice Systems has launched a full range of Scotsman EasyFit machines, all available through the company's approved network of dealers.
EasyFit machines produce the famous Scotsman Supercubes: clear, long-lasting cubes of ice that enhance the appearance of drinks and chill more efficiently, because of their purity. All models have integral storage bins, the latest electronic controls for maximum efficiency and reliability, are manufactured in 304 grade stainless steel and come in a choice of air or water-cooled versions.
The Scotsman Easy-Fit range is priced slightly above the conventional ACM range, to reflect the PWD system. However, as Chris Davis points out, the actual cost of installing the machine will be lower, since there is no need for external condensate pumps, dedicated stands or expensive drain alterations. "When the benefits are factored in, the potential savings are very significant," he says.
The Easy-Fit range runs from the EC45 (the equivalent of the original ACM45), producing up to 24kg of Scotsman Supercubes daily) to the EC175, with a production of up to 92kg daily. All models produce Scotsman's now-traditional and familiar gourmet Supercubes.
