The History

1900

AMF starts in manufacturing

AMF began as American Machine & Foundry, a manufacturer of industrial equipment.

1938

An idea takes hold

AMF teams up with the inventor Fred Schmidt, after tinkering in his garage, to perfect his idea of the automated pinspotter.

1946

Pinspotters help bowling boom

Bowling is revolutionized by the introduction of the world’s first automatic pinspotter. AMF then puts the pinspotter into full production in 1952, and becomes a dominant force in the bowling industry

1965

The AMF Bowling World Cup is born

AMF sponsors the first annual AMF Bowling World Cup Tournament in Dublin, Ireland. At the time the tournament was called the international Masters.

1976

Keeping score becomes a snap

AMF again changes the face of bowling with the introduction of the world’s first automatic scoring unit allowing bowlers the concentrate on having fun, rather than keeping score.

1977

New pins add bounce

AMF invents the world first Surlyn coated bowling pin. The AMFlite II pin becomes the most respected product in bowling because they are highly reactive and help increase scores.

1981

A revolution in ball design

The first reactive urethane bowling ball is introduced by AMF. It gives bowlers new power and performance right in their hands.

1987

High Performance Lanes set the standard

AMF HPL (High Performance Lanes) set the standard in high-scoring, easy-to-maintain surfaces. The special surface treatment helps reduce oil carry down, making play more consistent for bowlers at very skill level.

1988

Headquarters are moved

AMF relocates its facilities from Shelby, OH and Long Island, NY and establishes its Headquarters and manufacturing facility in Mechanicsville, VA, where we are still located today.

1989

Mechanical bumpers score with bowlers

AMF introduces the first mechanical bumpers system, the Gen II.

1993

AMF pins and lanes set record

The Team Event record was set at the ABC Tournament in Tulsa, OK on AMF HPL Lanes and with AMFlite II pins. The record number of pins is still standing at 3,537.

Three friends, one single idea

Understanding that bowling was entertainment as well as a sport, Roberto Vaioli, Luca Drusiani and Emanuele Govoni form Qubica to bring amusement innovations to bowlers and center proprietors worldwide.

1994

Qubica starts rolling

Guido Sorba, an Italian bowling distributor, sells over 400 lanes of Qubica scoring (10 times more than 1993) in Europe and the USA. In 1995, Guido, will become the fourth partner of Qubica Italy.

1995

Talking poker cards add a new dimension

Qubicard, a software-driven, animated poker game featuring talking cards, capture league bowlers’ imaginations. The game has proven so successful, it’s included in all the next generations of system.

1996

AMF and lanes set more records

The record number of 299 (24) and 298 (14) games was set in Salt Lake City using AMF HPL Lanes and AMFlite II pins.

Qubica goes global

Manu, Luca & Roberto grant distribution and the Qubica name to their US partners, giving rise to Qubica USA. This exciting partnership introduces Pat Ciniello and Rich Albright into the group. The next year, the three Italians, form another partnership with Frank Mascadri to form Qubica Asia and Qubica Australia.

1997

AMF goes Xtreme™

Xtreme Glow-in-the-Dark bowling helps attract a whole new generation of bowlers with lights, music and fun for families, college students and casual bowlers.

Automatic bumpers expand bowlers’ fun

Qubica introduces automatic lane bumpers interfaced with the scoring system so that the bumpers will go up and down, accommodating both children and adults on the same lane.

Bowland is introduced

Proprietors can update existing scoring systems and offer their customers the entertainment power of Bowland—Tic Tac Toe, Qubes, Slot, and Pogo Pin, visual Lottery games—with sound & industry-first true 3D character animations.

1999

AMF lanes begin to glow

AMF is the first company to offer a glow pattern in their synthetic lanes in 1999, with HPL Glow Track Lanes.

The innovation continues

Qubica starts the development of the first Bowler Entertainment System (BES), the future of automatic scoring systems. It’s developed to grow over the years, in the order to meet the challenges of the future. In addition, Conqueror, the most advanced Windows-based total center control system, now operating in thousands of centers worldwide, is introduced in 1999.

2002

64 perfect games come with tournament

In Billings, Montana, ABC Tournament records were again set by AMF HPL Lanes and AMFlite II pins. This time 64 games scoring a perfect 300 were bowled and ten 800 series were bowled.

Qubica grows with acquisitions

Enticed by the similarities of the amusement and bowling industries, and excited to become a new center package supplier, Qubica acquires FENIX/MENDES Corporation. The company then focuses on its exciting range of traditional & miniature bowling products and how they can help bowling center proprietors increase revenues. After only 9 years, Qubica has become one of the few full line bowling suppliers in the world,

2003

Program X brings new products

Qubica introduces its new product line, including the Bowler Entertainment System (BES), under the creative brand Program X. The suite of business solutions and products provides market segment-based bowling experiences for all customer types.

2004

The Bowling World Cup turns 40!

AMF hosts the 40th annual Bowling World Cup in Singapore with a total of 95 countries entering/participating & 8 perfect games bowled!

Merger talk begins

Very discretely the merger with AMF is studied by the management team and the excitement keeps building.

2005

Legendary Dick Weber passes away

Dick Weber, AMF spokesman for almost 50 years, leaves a legacy to the sport of bowling. He had 26 PBA tour wins, was elected to the American Bowling Congress Hall of Fame, and was selected for the PBA Hall of Fame in 1975.

QubicaAMF Worldwide is born

On June 14, 2005 industry leaders AMF Bowling Products and Italian-based Qubica Worldwide announce that they will join forces. The result of this strategic alliance, QubicaAMF Worldwide, is one of the largest manufacturers of bowling and amusement products in the world.

2007

In-center marketing programs drive business

QubicaAMF launches the industry’s first turnkey marketing and training programs for centers, allowing centers to differentiate themselves and drive business via Themed Birthday Party packages fully integrated with the Bowler Entertainment System (BES), a Web Reservation program that allows customers to book lanes on-line and a pointsbased Loyalty Rewards program—both fully integrated with Conqueror Pro.

2008

Never leaving a customer behind…

Now centers with older automatic scoring systems can get the power of the Conqueror Pro Center Management System through Conqueror Universal—without having to purchase all new scoring.

2009

Bowling becomes a redemption game

QubicaAMF introduces On-Lane Redemption to the bowling industry. Bowlers get tickets for strikes, spares, splits, high games—you name it! Tickets are dispensed on the lanes, and can be used in conjunction with a facility’s redemption program.

The Bowling World Cup goes Live!

The 45th Bowling World Cup in Melaka, Malaysia features live, online scoring. Via Conqueror Pro, fans from all over the world can view bowlers’ scores in real-time through the QubicaAMF web site.

2010

Bowlopolis® gets new life

QubicaAMF is the first to team with BPAA to incorporate its popular youth-oriented Bowlopolis® program into its Bowler Entertainment System (BES). With over 65 animations, now centers that use the Bowlopolis® program can bring it to life with the dedicated Bowlopolis® environment within Bowler Entertainment System (BES).

The Bowling Center Management School grows

As an extension of the Bowling Center Management School, QubicaAMF launches a dedicated Marketing Seminar and holds the first event in Kuala Lumpur.

New Technical Support Site

The Tech Support Customer Portal is created. A dedicated, self-help area of the QubicaAMF website, it provides customers online access to product related technical information such as Training Modules, Troubleshooting Guides, How-To Videos, Manuals and Parts Catalogs.

2011

Bowling U.S. Women’s Open

The 2011 Bowling U.S. Women’s Open will be held midfield Dallas Cowboys Stadium, marking the first time in the history of the sport that a women’s major professional bowling event will be held in a traditional sporting venue. The event will feature SPL Lanes.

2012

XLi EDGE Launch

After years of extensive research and development, QubicaAMF introduces the new XLi EDGE Pinspotter, designed to make business easier for proprietors, technicians and customers by solving the most pressing challenges centers face with pinspotters.

Bowltech partnership formed

In addition to representing the full line of QubicaAMF products in Denmark and Sweden, Bowltech becomes a full-line distributor for the Benelux Union— Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and begins serving as the Master Distributor for our aftermarket products throughout Europe.

2013

Launch of BES X

With the release of BES X—the world’s only Bowler Entertainment System, centers can grow their business by maximizing every aspect of what makes bowling appealing. BES X delivers more fun, more ways to socialize and more competitive excitement, while making bowling easier, more comfortable and relaxing for all customer segments.

MAX Training hits the market

To help operators take full advantage of the programs and features of BES X’s scoring and management systems, MAX Training is introduced. This innovative training approach provides enhanced operational efficiencies, streamlined processes, plus improved system and product utilization, empowering centers to maximize business results.

2014

Harmony furniture line introduced

The world’s only total front-end turnkey furniture solution designed with the bowling business in mind, Harmony features a reconfigurable design that gives operators complete freedom to build the exact settee arrangement they need. Furniture, masking and ball returns all coordinate to create a unique, custom look to match the vision of any center.

Virtual Marketing Manager launches

Designed to combine expert marketing consultation with ease and convenience of the web, Virtual Marketing Manager is received with great fanfare. It offers a simple yet highly effective approach to in-center marketing that helps a center execute marketing plans and achieve profitable results—time and time again.

The QubicaAMF Bowling World Cup turns 50!

QubicaAMF sponsors its 50th annual Bowling World Cup in Wroclaw, Poland at Sky Bowling Centre outfitted with our new Harmony furniture line, and driven by BES X scoring. Clara Juliana Guerroro of Colombia and Chris Barnes from U.S.A. win the championship.

New attractions unveiled at IAAPA Expo in Orlando

QubicaAMF introduces the new Highway66 Mini Bowling system, available in a variety of eight different themes, along with The Suite Spot which combines Highway66 MiniBowling, our Harmony furniture collection plus BES X scoring into a lounge concept targeting FECs.

QubicaAMF poised for growth after purchase by legacy partners

Qubica legacy partners Roberto Vaioli, Luca Drusiani, Emanuele Govoni, Guido Sorba, Pat Ciniello, Frank Mascadri and Rich Albright finalize an agreement with Bowlmor AMF to acquire ownership of the company. After nearly a decade since its creation, QubicaAMF will operate under a single private ownership.

2015

Shift to BES X begins

Over 350 centers worldwide now use BES X—the world’s only Bowler Entertainment System— to increase player engagement, drive repeat business and reach new demographics, while still appealing to their league business. These centers report seeing an average 20% increase in revenue the first year after installing the system.

Highway66 integrated into BES X

With countless games and themed mini-bowling environments, Highway 66 offers something for every customer segment and age group—a perfect fit for BES X, the world’s only Bowler Entertainment System. For this reason, QubicaAMF integrated this mini-bowling product into our acclaimed scoring system, enabling operators to grow and drive their birthday and corporate event business.

2016

BES X installed in 550 centers worldwide

QubicaAMF reaches new heights with BES X, changing the bowling experience for 550 centers in 438 cities across 62 countries and 9,800 lanes over the course of some 50 million games. Operators report significant revenue increases and business growth after installing the system.