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September 5, Thermoplan, Manufacturer of the IPM Supra, Opens New Factory!!
Thermoplan Plant II
In a Gala celebration which spanned 3 days, Thermoplan, AG owners Domenic
and Esther Steiner, and the Thermoplan Staff treated their worldwide
distributors to an unforgettable event. Distributors from 60 countries
gathered in Weggis, Switzerland to celebrate this incredible
accomplishment. Weggis, Switzerland, on the shores of Lake Luzern and at the foot of Mt. Rigi, is a beautiful village. The surrounding Alps, some of them snow covered, are an incredible back drop to the scenic town. Weggis is a resort town with a great history, and Thermoplan, AG is the only major industry, other than tourism and farming. It is fitting that the Thermoplan plants I and II add to the beauty of the village.
Beautiful Weggis Grand Opening Day Domenic Steiner and the whole Thermoplan Staff greeted the distributors outside the factories, with coffee being served from the innovative "Smart Cart"- a small car outfitted with a model CT MF5 UC undercounter espresso machine.
Mr. Domenic Steiner addresses the Crowd "Smart Cart" Distributors were given a tour of the Plants, where the importance of quality control and efficiency was stressed. Components of the Thermoplan machines are assembled and tested in Plant I, and then transferred via an underground tunnel to Plant II where the final assembly and testing is done. The machines are then shipped out of Plant II to their final destinations. Capacity of the plants is now 10,000 machines per year!
Assembly of components Assembly of machines (Yes, the factory is always that clean!!) The afternoon was spent on Lake Luzern, as all Thermoplan guests were treated to a private lunch aboard a steam driven paddle boat. For 2 hours the boat paddled around the lake, showing the incredible beauty of this area of Switzerland.
Lunch On the Lake
Gala Dinner The day ended with a Gala event. Dinner under a great tent at the Park Hotel was complimented by Georgy's Big Band Music, a demonstration of Swiss flag twirling and cow bell ringing.
The Mayor of Weggis presented Mr. and Mrs. Steiner a plaque commemorating the great accomplishments of Thermoplan and its contributions to the town of Weggis. The highlight of the evening was a fireworks demonstration that rivaled the Macy's 4th of July celebration, culminating in a flaming coffee cup floating in the Lake. In the end, the event was a spectacular celebration of the latest accomplishments of Thermoplan, AG, and gave the hundreds of Thermoplan distributors the chance to meet and discuss the very bright future of Thermoplan and all the Thermoplan products.
November 9, 1999: IPM Visit to Thermoplan.
This week Adrian and Greg visited Thermoplan AG, manufacturer of the IPM Supra located in Weggis, Switzerland. Thermoplan is in the midst of a great expansion following the agreement with Starbucks (see Sept 30 news). In addition to Starbucks, many distributors throughout Europe, England, Korea, China, Japan, and, of course IPM in America sell thousands of machine per year, making Thermoplan the second largest producer of super automatic espresso/cappuccino machines in the world.
Thermoplan owner Mr. Domenic Steiner (left), IPM founder Adrian Strysky (front) and two Thermoplan technicians inspect the Easyline- a new espresso/cappuccino machine model from Thermoplan.
After meeting with the technical and administrative staff of Thermoplan, it is easy to see why the products built by Thermoplan are extremely innovative and of the highest quality. All new models are produced with the following objectives: excellent quality and craftsmanship, simplicity of design, reliability, performance and reduction of cost. We thank Mr. Steiner and his wife Esther for their kind hospitality during our visit. Vielen Dank! Sept 30, 1999:Exciting News!! We are proud to represent such a fine company as Thermoplan, Ag- the Swiss manufacturer of our IPM Supra. Nearly five years ago we realized what a unique and innovative machine the Supra was. We were also aware that Thermoplan was no ordinary company. It is rare to find a company with such dedication to its product line and its distributors. Never before has a superautomatic espresso/ cappuccino machine been so uniquely suited to America's high volume espresso and cappuccino needs. So it comes as no surprise that, as of June, 1999, Thermoplan AG will be providing Starbucks Coffee with their Black & White line of superautomatic espresso/ cappuccino machines for Starbucks' retail and wholesale divisions. Everyone at IPM congratulates both Thermoplan, AG and Starbucks on reaching an agreement on this venture. This Is Thermoplan's Press Release: Future oriented partnership for a
worldwide co-operation
June 1999 will ever be a special mark in the history of Thermoplan and Starbucks. The reason is the official signing of a purchase and development agreement with the well-know US trendsetter Starbucks Coffee Company from Seattle, leaded by Howard Schultz, Chairman of the Board and CEO. Thermoplan-Weggis became supplier of fully automatic coffee machines for the Starbucks stores as well as for the Starbucks customers worldwide. The 10 months evaluation, made by the responsible Starbucks specialists, resulted in the decision to co-operate with Thermoplan-Weggis. From the beginning the goal was to reach an agreement for equal partners to be the basis for a successful long-term partnership. It was a pleasure for all people involved in this project to recognize, that despite of the different company sizes, one was talking the same language for the same visions. The whole Thermoplan team is very glad about this big success and the challenge of this project.
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