For Reliable Ice, Fullers choose Scotsman
Following an in-house audit of ice machine reliability, Fullers has selected Scotsman from Hubbard Ice Systems as the preferred machine brand for its pub estate. Fullers has also appointed Flowrite as service partner to maintain the machines.
"Our pubs tend to be traditional buildings with hundreds of years of history, and with all the character and quirkiness that implies," says Andy Hall, Food & Beverage Buyer for Fullers. Until now this variety of pubs was matched by the variety of ice machine brands. "We decided to go for a single supplier and ran the estate-wide survey to find out which machines were the most reliable.
"Scotsman won."
Reliability was vital but it wasn't the only factor in winning the contract. Hubbard and Flowrite bring an unrivalled level of expertise to the bar. The Fullers estate has 116 managed pubs and 123 tenanted. And alongside the traditional houses there are several in unusual but historic sites, such as banks and old office buildings. "With an estate like this we really need experts who can give us sound advice, for example on the best place to position the machines. Previously we had to tell contractors where to site them. Now Hubbard and Flowrite tell us, taking account of factors like staff traffic flow, hygiene, drainage and so on. It's a problem solved"
The variety of the Scotsman range is another bonus. "We have big pubs, small pubs, some who want a particular type of cube, some who use huge amounts of ice. The Scotsman range seems to have a model for every possible contingency. With Flowrite and Hubbard recommending machines to suit each site's specific requirements, we don't have to worry about making the wrong choice."
Flowrite will be providing installation, service and planned preventative maintenance not only for the ice machines but also for all types of refrigeration equipment within the Fullers estate. The company's Joint Managing Director Andy Moore feels that the three-way partnership has benefits for all concerned. "We're looking forward to building a strong and long working relationship with both Fullers and Hubbard," he says.
Meanwhile, Fullers are taking careful steps on quality control not only on their ice machines but also for their ice service. "Pubs have to get the right ratio of ice to drink, especially for soft drinks," says Andy Hall. "Over-icing too much ice and too little drink" is an industry-wide issue. We want customers to enjoy the drink, what we don't want is a situation where they feel ripped off. We're ensuring we get drinks service right, for example by talking to all our drinks suppliers about their recommended ice to drink ratio"
Chris Davis, Commercial Director of Hubbard Ice Systems, is understandably delighted with the win - especially as it was the result of the customer's own reliability research. "Not only is Fullers a very prestigious name, it's also a company with a fascinating history - they've owned some of their pubs for over 175 years," he says. "No ice machine is going to last that long (not even a Scotsman!) but between Flowrite and ourselves we can ensure every machine works reliably over the maximum number of years."
