Does LuminIce Work?

Manitowoc LuminIce

Perhaps you have heard of the new technology called LuminIce, which can be purchased as an accessory for use in new Manitowoc Indigo ice machines.  This technology was designed to eliminate the use of the Guardian System, which helps inhibit bacteria growth inside the food zone of an ice maker.  Although the Guardian Sachets worked well, the LuminIce out performs the old system at almost every measurable interval.

For starters, the LuminIce bulb only needs to be replaced once every 12 months.  The Guardian sachets had to be replaced once per month to be effective.  A less frequent replacement period allows for greater effectiveness, without relying on human interaction, and saves money.

The LuminIce growth inhibitor system costs $624 list price from Manitowoc and a replacement bulb costs $82 each.  The cost is easily recouped as savings for not needing to call service companies to clean your ice maker.

We highly recommend purchasing a LuminIce accessory for a new Indigo ice maker, if your ice maker is exposed to yeast.  This would include ice machines located in bars, sandwich restaurants, or if the machine is located near stored bread.  Yes, the Lumin Ice works!

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.

News From Manitowoc At NAFEM

Promotional material has started coming out about a Manitowoc announcement at NAFEM.  Posters and advertisements are smartly referring to the announcement as 'raising the bar' and creating a 'splash'.  So what's the rumor or what are some theories about the upcoming announcement at the food show?

I'm guessing a new product line of undercounter ice makers developed for Bars.  Taking this a step further, I'm guessing it may be a new machine that makes the octagon cube found in the SM50 ice machine.  People love that larger cube for making mixed drinks, but the SM50A ice maker just does not produce nor hold enough ice to take care of larger bar applications.

Raising the bar refers to a bar application and making a big splash refers to the larger cube.  Already Manitowoc has started reintroducing the 'regular' sized cube to their modular ice maker lines.  However, as of this posting, the only size cubes available in their undercounter ice machine line, from 130 to 270lb production per day is a half dice or dice cube.  There is room for a different style cube in a larger production machine, yet maintaining undercounter characteristics.

Another thing I'm looking forward to from Manitowoc at NAFEM this year is the ability to track information on Indigo ice makers.  We've been promised since launch the ability to use software to help diagnose the Indigo series cubers and even remotely monitor performance and service issues.  So far Manitowoc has only responded that they are working on it and they are currently still field testing.

NAFEM 2013 should be full of announcements from all the ice maker manufacturers and you can guarantee I'll be there to report on the news.

Tis The Season For Price Increases

Like other industries, food service equipment manufacturers don't hesitate to take increases at the beginning of the year.  Manitowoc had an equipment price increase on December 1st, 2012 and will be having an ice maker parts price increase effective January 1st, 2013.

These Manitowoc price increases in the food service division are not a set percentage.  Instead, parts and equipment both vary on the increase amount, depending on the product.  It's important to stay up to date when quoting out long jobs and confirm with dealers how long their quotes are good for.

As for preparing for the upcoming parts price increase, it's recommended that you stock up on parts known to cause issue in the coming year.  For example, having a spare water inlet valve, dump valve, or ice thickness probe is good insurance for quick repairs.

For equipment preparation, I'm afraid that time has already passed, but there are still deals to be had.  Check with your vendor to see if they have any old inventory, to negotiate past the recent price increase.  Even a few percentage on a couple thousand dollar machine can mean big savings.

In closing, Merry Christmas from those of us at Commercial Ice Talk!  We look forward to working within the industry in the upcoming new year.

Free Manitowoc Ice Service Manuals

We created a post on how to purchase Manitowoc Service Manuals for as little as $10 each, which would get you a physical copy to keep in your tool box.  These manuals were the same books that professional services technicians and even the techs at the factory keep to help diagnose and repair Manitowoc ice makers.  But in this post, I'll show you how you can download the exact same book, updated, for free directly to your computer.

Step 1. Navigate your browser to http://manitowocice.com.

Step 2. Scroll down to the center Downloads section of the website, as illustrated below.

Step 3. Use the drop down arrow to select Service Manual under Document Type.

Step 4. After choosing Service Manual, then select the model number of the ice maker that you are looking for the service tech manual for.

Step 5. Select the document type, based on the language you want the tech manual translated to.

Step 6. Click on the Download button, which will state the manual size in parenthesis.  You can choose to open this within your browser or save it to your hard drive to open later with your PDF reader of choice.

You will need a PDF viewer like Adobe to view the downloaded service technician handbook.  Adobe PDF Viewer is available for free, via download here. http://get.adobe.com/reader/

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section.

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.