What is a Commercial Ice Machine?

So you have decided to purchase an ice machine, whether for your home, garage, or restaurant, it's important to understand the distinction between a residential and commercial ice machine.  Sure, 100lb of ice per day sounds like a lot, but understand that ice does not go very far and a commercial ice machine is the only way to reach requirements for filling coolers and drinks.

Convenience store owners plan for 1lb of ice per customer that purchase one of their drinks of at least 32oz.  Many times, around here there are even fountain drinks that are 64 oz, so that's a whopping 2lb of ice per serving.  How many drinks do you want or need to sell?

Small restaurants even plan for up to 1.5lb of ice per person.  So, if you are pushing at least 50 customers per hour through your restaurant, that's a need of 400lb of ice per day based on an 8 hour day.  A Commercial ice machine is the only way to reach these demands.

Looking to add an ice machine to your garage or home, a commercial ice machine may still be what you need.  Residential ice machines typically do not have as long a warranty period, produce less ice, and contain much less storage capacities.  A commercial ice machine will come with industry leading warranties, service support, and provide higher capacities for production and storage.

Residential Ice Machine Brands

• Whilrpool
• Sub Zero

Commercial Ice Machine Brands

• Manitowoc
• Scotsman
• Hoshizaki
• Ice-o-Matic
• Corneilius

Manitowoc NEO Undercounter Ice Maker

The major announcement from Manitowoc was their new line of undercounter ice machines.  Starting in April, the undercounter ice machine line up currently available, the Q130, Q170, Q210, and Q270 will be replaced with a new NEO line of undercounter ice makers.

Manitowoc NEO Undercounter Ice Maker

The new NEO series will include models produce 140lb, 190lb, 240lb, ad 310lb of ice in a 24 hour period.  These new makers will be more efficient, produce more ice, and provide some exciting new features of service technicians.  The most important being the ability to 'lift off' the ice maker cabinet.

An easily accessible undercounter ice maker means that the cost of service and even cleaning should be greatly reduced!  Below are some other highlights of standard features found on the NEO undercounter ice machines.

• Easy Access - Angled door provides a larger opening making ice more visible and easier to access.
• Intelligence - Provides feedback with full bin and service indicators.  Delay function allows you to pause your machine for slow periods or days when you are closed.
• Easy to Clean - Smooth sealed food-zone with removable water trough, distribution tube, and damper door for faster cleaning.  AlphaSan added to key internal components.
• Convenience - Forward-Sliding storage bin allows for easier, quicker access to refrigeration components without having to move the entire ice machine.
• In addition, these are the first undercounter ice machines that can be equipped with LuminIce Growth Inhibitor.

Find out more about the NEO Undercounter Ice Machine at ManitowocIce.com.

Scotsman Under New Ownership

It's official, Scotsman has been sold to the Ali Group for a whopping $575 million.  Ali Group, an Italian company, will be taking over the 800 Scotsman employees and adding to their portfolio of foodservice equipment.  This is in addition to Ali's already 7,000 employees based in 24 countries.

The Ali Group will be adding Scotsman ice machines to their already impressive model line up, which include brands like Beverage-Air, Amana, and Victory.  Their foodservice line covers equipment in cooking, bakery,  meal delivery, refrigeration, washing, ice cream, beverage, contracting, and distribution services.

For more information visit Ali Group website. http://www.aligroup.it/Default.aspx?alias=www.aligroup.it/eng

Ali Group Purchases Scotsman

The Big 3 Ice Machine Manufacturers

When it comes to commercial ice machines, the majority of the market share is split between 3 large manufacturers.  Manitowoc, Hoshizaki, and Scotsman lead  the way for providing quality and lasting commercial ice makers.  Yes, there are smaller providers, but in no way can they compete on the quality and reliability that these three produce.

Manitowoc has the largest market share, as of this posting, with over 40% of the US market in commercial ice maker sales.  It's obvious why, as they lead with the highest quality and longest lasting ice machine on the market.  Although typically priced slightly higher than Hoshizaki or Scotsman, the savings pays off over the life of the machine.  Manitowoc is easier to work on, costs less to maintain, and generally lasts longer than other ice maker manufacturers.

Commercial Ice Machines

Hoshizaki is the second largest provider of commercial ice machines in the US.  They are a Japanese based company, with 2 offices and manufacturing facilities in Georgia.  Hoshizaki ice machines are known for their stainless steel evaporators, which can be cleaned with almost any chemical and keep on working like brand new.  However, they are plagued by being inefficient and hard to clean.

Scotsman is the 3rd largest player in the commercial ice maker market.  They offer a quality machine at a discounted price, by providing machines on a slightly lower quality grade, with a lower price point.  Their latest series of ice maker, known as the Prodigy, aims to combat the perceived lower quality by using technology pioneered by Manitowoc.  Scotsman ice makers are also known to be much more energy efficient than their Hoshizaki competitor machines.

Overrall, going with any of he big 3 manufacturers of commercial ice makers will guarantee you have a good ice machine for your needs.  However, in terms of quality and reliability, Manitowoc has far and away passed the competitive field, so if you can spend a little more money, go with the Cadillac and buy Manitowoc.

Ice Maker Troubleshooting Help

Looking for help in troubleshooting your ice machine?  Ice Maker Parts Shop has just launched a new forum where anyone can register, ask questions, and provide feedback on anything ice machine related.

The ice maker help forums are designed for people to assist with people looking to self service their ice machines.  However, having 10+ years of experience in the industry, Ice Maker Parts Shop can help answer even the harder service side questions.  Keep in mind, this forum is not just for Manitowoc machines, but also for Scotsman, Ice-O-Matic, Hoshizaki, and other off brands.

Sign up is free, no purchase necessary to become a member today and start getting help on troubleshooting your ice machine.

Ice Machine Help Forum - http://icemakerpartsshop.com/help-forum/