SPECIAL:
THE GROWTH EDITION
All things ice
With the ice machine market growing rapidly and manufacturers creating new and innovative ways to capitalize on that growth, ice-making technology is constantly evolving. Jim Banks considers how that development has been aff ected by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the long-term trend toward sustainability
Making ice is a fairly simple concept T
he commercial ice machine market is hot. Whether it is driven by growing demand for cold rather than hot
drinks, or by rising global temperatures, or a host of other factors is hard to say, but the need for ice in foodservice outlets is only going to increase. According to the latest report from
MarketWatch, the value of the commercial ice machine market in 2021 was $1,295.2m and is set to reach $1,896.9m by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 5.6%. That presents a huge market opportunity for leading manufacturers such as Hoshizaki, Manitowoc, Scotsman, and Ice-O-Matic. The ability to capitalize on that rising demand will, however, depend on how well those manufacturers can innovate to address the concerns of operators in two key areas: hygiene and sustainability.
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– freeze water – but behind that process there are a host of factors that operators must consider. From the customer perspective, the most important is the growing preference for diff erent kinds of ice, particularly in the gourmet market, where shaped or fl aked ice can be an important diff erentiator. From the operator’s perspective, however, cleanliness and energyeffi ciency are becoming the main priorities. “It might sound obvious but the number one thing operators want is a continual supply of ice without interruption,” says Scott Bingham, director of marketing (foodservice and workplace) at Follett Ice. “They want to never have to think about ice, knowing it will always be there. That is a foundational need. “Energy effi ciency has been driven
over the past few years by the US Department of Energy creating a new minimum Energy Star standard to sell a machine, so manufacturers are reacting to that,” he adds. “Then there are also refrigerant regulations – the UK and European Union are ahead of the US in terms of more stringent requirements. Sanitation and hygiene have also become more important, though not necessarily due to regulation.”
Covid drives cleanliness The focus on hygiene has come not through regulatory pressure but in response to the way the Covid-19 pandemic has changed customer expectations and increased awareness that cleanliness is a key factor in preventing the spread of infection.
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