Zerica, the iconic Sicilian brand, which celebrates its 90th birthday this year, triumphed at the prestigious Red Dot Awards 2021, winning the prize in both the general and Smart Product categories with its i-Wall dispensing system.
One of the most interesting innovations of the year in the field of technological kitchen accessories, winning over the jury at the Red Dot Awards, a historic international competition organised by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. Since 1955, it has been awarding prizes to the best design products with a winning combination of functionality, aesthetics and technological innovation.
The great novelty of i-Wall is in fact the possibility of internet connection. A solution that, in addition to ensuring maximum customization, choosing the level of carbonation, also offers the possibility to manage and monitor the system remotely. From the point of view of assistance, for example, a technician will be able to monitor the dispensing system in real time in order to identify possible anomalies or problems in the use of the product.
Article summary
- i-Wall, a home automation system
- Interview with Antonio Zerilli, Zerica sales marketing manager
- Gallery
i-Wall, a home automation system
i-Wall, a home automation system. The i-Wall guarantees pure, cool, sparkling water at room temperature. Both to drink and to use for the preparation of meals or drinks in total safety as it is an extremely simple and silent system.
Adaptable to any 60 cm kitchen module, thanks to its extreme functionality, it allows you to fill even large jugs and bottles. It features a filter and bottle that can be changed in total autonomy.
Aesthetic and elegant, i-Wall represents the fruit of Zerica ‘s continuous research. A family-run company which, since 1931, has been producing refrigerated systems for dispensing water and beverages, dispensers, coolers and water dispensers (cold and sparkling) appreciated all over the world.
Owner and creator of this Made in Italy excellence, the Zerilli family has a passion for technology that can be seen in every product offered by the Sicilian company. A peculiar aspect that, in the i-Wall solution, can be seen in the choice of inserting a latest-generation colour touch screen. This makes it possible to adjust the water temperature and fill glasses and carafes with great ease.
The internet connection not only ensures maximum customisation, by choosing the level of carbonation, but also offers the possibility of managing and monitoring the system remotely. From a service point of view, a technician can intervene in real time to identify any anomalies or problems in the use of the dispenser.
Available in three versions, Glass, Inox and Black, i-Wall is in line with the most contemporary design thanks to its stylish finish and attention to detail.
Interview with Antonio Zerilli, Zerica Sales marketing manager
The triumph at the Red Dot Awards 2021 confirms the fact that you are a company of absolute excellence and that you represent quality Made in Italy throughout the world. What is the secret of this success and how have you dealt with the pandemic?
The Red Dot Award is an absolutely prestigious prize, certainly the best reward we could get after the great teamwork we have done. We are a family business but with an incredible organisation.
From the very first years of business, we have made continuous innovation our primary goal. This has led to the creation of exclusive patents that make our products unique. These last few years in particular have been crucial for the reorganisation of the company. This is the only possible way to create an increasingly solid basis for our future. The pandemic has stopped or slowed down some markets but fortunately our range offers products for all sectors. Especially in this period we have continued to invest and improve our production and organisational processes, turning the crisis into an opportunity.
Sustainability and technology coexist perfectly in your products. How important are they to you and how do they fit together?
The issue of sustainability has always been of great interest in the design and production of our chillers. Entire ZERICA range uses environmentally friendly r600 gas and also guarantees considerable energy savings. Research and development department is always working to improve performance by also focusing on energy optimisation. In i-Wall for example, thanks to the Auxilia portal, it is possible to further reduce consumption by setting the period when the product is not used (for example during the night).
Water is one of the most precious commodities, especially in the south of Italy, where the company is based,
how did you come up with the idea for i-Wall?
The idea for i-Wall and our location are not particularly related, we are a young and dynamic company with 90 years of experience. We started manufacturing refrigeration systems in 1931 and in the 1960s we chose to concentrate on water dispensers.
The area in which we are located, rich in excellence in the food industry, has positively influenced our development. In fact, the lack of companies and specific industries related to our field has contributed to the creation of an increasingly complete and independent production process. Each ZERICA solution is therefore conceived, designed, manufactured and assembled entirely “in house”.
Technological sustainability but also design: How important is the aesthetics of your products and how does it fit in with the design? How important is the aesthetic aspect of your products and how does it fit in with the latest trends in kitchen furniture? for the kitchen?
Every sector has different requirements. We try to do our best to offer aesthetically pleasing products even in the professional field, where there are no particular demands. In the case of kitchens, the level of refinement achieved by manufacturers has prompted us to pay even more attention to every detail. Our team has worked on several fronts, carefully selecting valuable materials, aesthetically unexceptionable, giving an appearance as simple and less invasive as possible, also taking care of the aesthetics of the graphics of the touch screen interface. The result? i-Wall!
What are your plans for the future? Will you be in Milan for the Salone?
Each event has its own highly competent target audience. For this reason, wanting to align ourselves with the expectations of visitors, we will be present with our products at the stands of the most important players and distributors in the sector.
The combination of their know-how and the experience of our sales staff will certainly succeed in satisfying all the demands inherent in the world of water and refrigeration.
Gallery
