March 2024

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – December 2021

January 2022 Jack Stensland

Europe 2022 – the place to be! It’s with great respect that I choose to comment on the difficulties that the Covid-19 has meant for the European Ice businesses. Only the icemen themselves know how hard these past 18 months have been. Since March 2020 Europe basically shut down. The horeca is a big market so losing it was tough. [read more]

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – Get Ready to Party after the Epic Lockdown of the World

July 2021 Stan Williams

I recently saw a reposting from one of our members, Polly Marr of The Ice Company, and thought it interesting. Here is the URL: https://www.theiceco.co.uk/2014/11/know-your-cocktail-dash-fromyour-splash-cocktail-measurements-made-easywith-the-ice-co%CB%9A/. One of the many uses of packaged ice is to chill and keep drinks cold. After reading the article, a thought came to mind—Why not do something like this for the EPIA convention in Malta? [read more]

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – September 2020

October 2020 Stan Williams

More Prophylactic Actions Due to COVID-19 Pandemic We packaged ice industry leaders need to support one another through this world socio-economic confusion. By working together to help each other through this, we each have a better chance than other non-EPIA packaged ice producers who have no support structure on which to rely. Our EPIA has supported all our members with [read more]

EPIA | Chairman’s Report – April 2020

April 2020 Jack Stensland

Dear fellow icemen, icewomen and all EPIA members, Our packaged ice association, the EPIA, is not merely a social club, but is the extended family made up of responsible packaged ice producers, distributors, and all member companies providing the items that make ice production possible. Your elected Board of Directors has the responsibility to guide the EPIA actions to help [read more]

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – April 2020

April 2020 Stan Williams

Coronavirus Wreaks Havoc for the European Packaged Ice Association Today the package ice industry in Europe is being severely challenged by this COVID-19 pandemic. Not just our industry, but virtually all industries are about to be stressed to extreme limits. The ice sales season is concentrated in a short period of months during the summer. Sure there are other times [read more]

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – December 2019

January 2020 Stan Williams

MALTA One seemingly beautiful day we were sailing our restored barca-longa from Athens to Palermo when the watchkeeper spied a squall on the distant western horizon. Being competent sailors we dutifully prepared for stormy weather. What we encountered was much worse than we anticipated. We were comfortable sailing with a gentle beam reach when the wind freshened quickly we reefed [read more]

EPIA | Managing Director’s Report – October 2019

October 2019 Stan Williams

Bilbao, Spain October 2019 As the official association for packaged ice in Europe, the EPIA has now been serving ice producers, ice manufacturing equipment producers, and packaged ice supplies producers for over ten years. Our mission has not waivered since those early days but has been crystallized and focused to provide the most positive face for the ice industry in [read more]

The EPIA Must “Own” the Packaged Ice Industry in Europe

October 2019 Stan Williams

The concept of “ownership” began all the way back to the point when creatures from the sea began to inhabit the land. Most animals are inherently territorial. They will claim any desirable territory as their own and then defend and protect it when challenged. Long before there were towns, cities, and countries, there were groups of humans who banded together [read more]

Please Tell Me Why Is Ice Slippery?

July 2019 Stan Williams

We, as members of the EPIA, are all ice men and women in one way or another. Some of us administer the operation of the association, others build the machines and materials needed to produce packaged ice, while others perform the actual manufacturing and distribution of packaged ice. Therefore we should know a little or even a lot about the [read more]

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