A single machine, two possibilities for the capsule choice. Uno Capsule System by Indesit Company overcomes one of the hindrances to the purchase of a coffee machine: the compulsory use of a single blend brand.
Silvia Fissore
Idea
The development of this coffee machine designed by Studio Marco Bonetto and developed by Indesit Company springs from the will of “controlling a segment, the portioned coffee one, which shows relevant growth rates not only in Italy – explains Dino Giubbilei Business Development Manager of Indesit Company- but also in several other markets. It is actually a segment where there are still few reference players that Indesit Company has decided to support to seize the potential of sales, offering an innovative system to consumers”.
The project has been enriched by the possibility for the company of working in partnership with two of the first three Italian roasters, Illy and Kimbo. They are two partners whose brand awareness goes far beyond the borders of the Italian market, thus offering “an important opportunity for the Hotpoint Ariston brand not only of gaining a leader position but also of offering a product able to maintain the force of the all-Italian idea of the espresso” explains Giubbilei.
Concept design
The concept design of the Uno Capsule System machine springs then from the collaboration of the Marche producer with Illy and Kimbo. “Exploiting their experience in coffee we have tried to bring a technology of portioned blend, already widely tested in the Horeca sector and revised and optimized for the Home channel, to final consumers’ houses” adds the manager.
In merely technical terms, Indesit Company has deployed its experience in the development and “optimization of a product and in the qualification process “to be able to grant a high quality level and an adequate “touch and feel” standard.
The fruit of these synergies has been the development of a specific patent “that today allows proposing the first semi-open system of coffee in pods” goes on Giubbilei. The Marche manufacturer’s target, in fact, was to propose a machine for coffee in pods that at the same time could be freed from the constraint of a single coffee brand. “Today – explains, in fact, Giubbilei – the proposal of proportioned coffee is such that, buying a machine, the consumer either anyway binds himself to a coffee brand or orients to open systems (E.S.E) which must however be considered outdated and less innovative from the technological point of view”.
Definitely, Uno Capsule System “is the first machine for portioned espresso that allows choosing two of the best Italian coffee brands and that is potentially opened to the entry of new players for the future”.
Speaking of concept design, the designer Marco Bonetto confirms: “I had never had to work at the creation of a product expected to match the needs and the history of three important and different brands, a difficult experience but at the same time an exciting challenge, whose result has led us to generate a modern and innovative design language, suitable for lasting in time, with a strong appeal on stores”.
Engineering
In terms of development, Indesit Company has worked to make the new espresso machine grant a pressure of 20 bars “for an almost perfect espresso, since not all the machines currently available on the market reach these performances. As a matter of fact, those that promise espresso and other hot beverages often impose some compromises that do not assure an adequate performance” explains Giubbilei.
Another characteristic of the machine is its small size: in the specific case, the appliance measures only 13 centimetres in width. “The dimension was deemed a distinguishing peculiarity to make the machine fully adaptable to consumers’ requirements. On the whole, in fact, the exclusive design devised for us by Studio Bonetto is mainly conceived for that purpose”. A work, then, the one on the external shell dedicated to make the new machine as compact and manageable as possible, since today consumers’ demand in terms of ergonomics and design is strongly oriented towards shapes easily introduced into one’s own living context.
“Illy and Kimbo have directly followed the whole phase of concept and development of Uno capsules until the production, reaping the fruits of their great experience in coffee – adds Giubbilei -. The design is based on an exclusive system patent at which Illy and Kimbo had already started working before the beginning of the partnership with Indesit Company. The development took few months since when we sat together and discussed the issue”.
Choice of materials
An exclusive characteristic of the Uno Capsule System machine is the body fully made of aluminium, material used also in the opening area of the tank. The aluminium grants unique lightness, and at the same time sturdiness, to the entire machine body. “No machine for portioned coffee in these price ranges (99 Euros the sale price on the market) can grant the same performance”. Besides, the remaining plastic parts conceived and manufactured with attentive methods and innovative materials grant the utmost proposal flexibility from the point of view of the colour range, which is another strong point of the line.
“The colours proposed to the public, pink, orange, black and crimson red have been tested on the final consumer, also in this case with very innovative and efficacious methods” explains Giubbilei. “The target was to satisfy the various typologies of users, with proposals featuring the classical and elegant “black” up to the flashy “orange”, shades that will give the possibility to highlight the machine and to make it attractive as an object to be shown and admired”.
Functioning and final result
The appliance functioning is simple, “characteristic shared by the full Indesit range, always thought for a consumer who likes a smart and user-friendly technology”. In just 50 seconds since the switching on, the appliance is ready for the first coffee. In this case it is sufficient to switch on the machine with the button ON and wait for the ignition of a led that signals the achievement of the right water temperature; then, you have just to press the coffee dispensing button that is equipped with automatic stop adjusted on an ideal espresso length. The user can naturally decide interrupting the beverage delivery in whatever moment, depending on whether you want a stronger or longer coffee. “The final result is an excellent espresso in cup also thanks to high-quality components inside the exclusive system Uno Capsule System, that’s to say the pressure pump and the thermo-block that grant the optimal pressure and temperature parameters of the water” explains Giubbilei. The water tank has a capacity of one litre while the drawer can house twelve capsules maximum, with the automatic ejection of the used ones.
The machine is available in the big specialized distribution as well as in supermarkets, thus facilitating families’ access and enjoyment thanks to the simplification of purchase modalities.
“Uno Capsule System was conceived to satisfy a wide array of users who want a functional small-size product to be placed both in domestic and in working spaces.
The design synthesis is given by clean and elegant design, with compact shapes, which expresses technology, and by a control zone positioned in the upper part, well visible and functional. The element that surrounds the machine passing through the upper part, where the lever is integrated, has been designed in aluminium to transmit the quality and the solidity of the product itself. The dispenser, mounted in the front part, has been designed like a coffee drop to symbolize the delivery point, a drop enclosed by a precious chromium-plated line that emphasizes the perception of elegance.
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