North Star Ice Equipment

What North Star Ice Equipment does

North Star Ice Equipment, founded in 1950 and headquartered in Seattle, USA, designs and manufactures industrial and commercial ice-making capital equipment. The company's product portfolio centers on commercial and industrial flake ice machines (Cascade Series and heavy-duty variants), liquid slurry ice machines, modular ice storage systems (rectangular, triangular, containerized), and ice delivery systems including screw conveyors (up to 150 ft horizontal) and pneumatic systems (up to 500 ft standard, 1,200 ft maximum) with volumetric metering within 2% accuracy. Supporting subsystems include custom control panels integrated with Allen-Bradley PLCs (UL 508A listed), buffer tanks (up to 24 tons/hour), case ice dispensers (up to 7 tons/hour), ice slingers, stainless steel marine-grade variants, and an Automatic Salinity Control System for regulated seafood applications.

The business serves eight vertical end-markets — seafood and fisheries, meat and poultry, concrete cooling, packaged ice, bakery, produce, snowmaking, and chemical/dyestuff — with seafood as the primary segment. Notable installed base includes the world's largest onboard liquid ice system on Icelandic vessel F/V Faxi (200+ tons/day), Panama Canal expansion concrete cooling, multiple Puerto Montt salmon processors (Salmones Pacific Sur, Salmoamerica, AMRISA), Avícola La Guasima poultry in Venezuela, and Mann Packing in California (customer since 1979).

North Star operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales for large custom installations with regional exclusive distributors (e.g., Kaelitaekni for Iceland) and a worldwide installation footprint covering the USA, Chile, Iceland, Venezuela, South Africa, and Panama. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, with revenue generated through capital equipment sales plus an ongoing parts and service stream. The company is privately held with 11–50 employees and no disclosed funding, M&A, or leadership changes.

Name

North Star Ice Equipment

Legal name

North Star Ice Equipment

Website

https://northstarice.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

North Star Ice Equipment is a Seattle-based, privately held industrial machinery manufacturer founded in 1950 that designs and builds commercial and industrial flake ice machines, liquid slurry ice systems, ice storage, and ice delivery equipment for the seafood, meat and poultry, concrete cooling, produce, and packaged ice industries worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ice Making Equipment Sales: Sale of commercial and industrial ice machines including flake ice makers, liquid ice machines, and related equipment. Equipment ranges from commercial scale to large industrial installations
2. Ice Storage Systems: Modular storage systems, ice bins, rake systems, and containerized ice plants
3. Ice Delivery Systems: Screw conveyors, pneumatic delivery systems, and ice slingers for transporting ice to use points
4. Parts & Service: Replacement parts, maintenance services, and ongoing support for installed equipment

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

North Star Ice Equipment designs, manufactures, and installs commercial and industrial ice production, storage, and delivery systems. Core offerings include flake ice machines, liquid slurry ice machines, modular ice storage systems, and ice delivery systems (screw conveyors, pneumatic systems, and ice slingers) integrated with Allen-Bradley PLC control panels, serving seafood, meat & poultry, concrete cooling, produce, bakery, packaged ice, snowmaking, and chemical/dyestuff industries worldwide.

Product overview

North Star Ice Equipment offers a comprehensive portfolio of ice production, storage, and delivery systems for industrial and commercial applications. The core product line includes Commercial Flake Ice Machines (Cascade Series), Industrial Flake Ice Machines, and Liquid Ice Machines (Liquid Slurry Ice), complemented by Ice Storage Systems (including modular, rectangular, triangular, and containerized options) and Ice Delivery Systems (screw conveying and pneumatic systems). Supporting products include Control Panels with Allen-Bradley PLC integration, Buffer Tanks & Case Ice Dispensers for temporary storage, and Ice Slingers for high-velocity delivery. Specialty variants include Stainless Steel Flake Ice Machines for marine applications and the Automatic Salinity Control System. The systems work together as an integrated ice production and delivery solution, serving industries including seafood, meat & poultry, produce, concrete cooling, bakery, chemical & dyestuff, packaged ice, and snowmaking since 1950.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Flake Ice Machines (Cascade Series)

Quantifiable outcome

• Mann Packing uses 80-125 tons of flake ice daily and over 30,000 tons per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• KaelitaekniregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive distributor for North Star Ice Equipment in Iceland. Handles installation supervision and local support for Icelandic fishing vessels and operations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vogt Ice: Direct competitor in industrial tube and flake ice equipment, particularly for food processing, concrete cooling, and large-capacity installations. Closest peer given similar application focus, large-project execution, and ice-making technology overlap.
• Chester-Jensen: Manufacturer of industrial flake ice equipment and refrigeration systems for food processing. Closely comparable to North Star in target customers (seafood, meat, produce), technology (flake ice), and installation scale.
• Howe Corporation: Industrial refrigeration and ice-making equipment maker with similar focus on large-scale flake and tube ice plants for food and beverage customers. Comparable in custom engineering and project-based sales model.
• Geneglace: European manufacturer of industrial ice equipment including flake and slurry ice systems serving seafood, food processing, and concrete cooling—directly overlapping North Star's application portfolio and product mix.
• Skaginn 3X: Icelandic supplier of processing and cooling equipment for the seafood industry, including ice generation. Comparable in serving North Atlantic fishing/salmon markets with industrial-scale ice and refrigeration solutions.

Broad incumbents

• Hoshizaki America: Through the Scotsman brand, Hoshizaki is a major manufacturer of commercial and industrial ice machines. Overlaps with North Star in ice-making equipment but serves a much broader customer base and product portfolio across commercial foodservice and industrial.
• Manitowoc Ice (Ice-O-Matic / Manitowoc): Established ice machine manufacturer producing modular cube, flake, and nugget ice equipment. Competes with North Star in commercial/light industrial segments though with greater scale and broader product range.
• Cornelius (Middleby): Provider of beverage and ice dispensing equipment under Middleby Corporation. Overlaps with North Star in ice production for foodservice and retail though Cornelius is part of a much larger foodservice equipment portfolio.

Emerging players

• Optimar (Skaginn Group): Provider of ice and refrigeration solutions for the seafood and food processing sectors, with overlap in onboard vessel and processing plant cooling equipment relevant to North Star's seafood-heavy customer base.

Regional players

• EVAPCO: Global manufacturer of industrial refrigeration and heat transfer equipment. Adjacent to North Star in industrial cooling applications though focused on evaporative cooling and heat exchangers rather than direct ice-making.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/north-star-ice-equipment-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Star Ice Equipment