Refrigeration Magazine - December 2022

Vintage outside ice storage freezer located on the right (north side) of the Karrick Building (1924), Eau Gallie, Florida. The Karrick Building was used as Karrick’s Grocery from 1924 to 1963.

EDITORIAL STAFF

Editor/Publisher Mary Y. Cronley refrigerationmag@gmail.com (404) 819-5446

Senior Staff Writer Joe Cronley cronley.joe@gmail.com (404) 295-5712 Art Direction Markurious Marketing hello@markurious.com (678) 439-6534

Warm Thoughts on a Cold Winter’s Night

HHappy Holidays everyone,

This year has been one very different than in the past... storms, more storms, changing economy, political unrest, and basically just another day...

There are beginning to be more and more retirements in our industry. The long time leaders are finally taking their retirement and enjoying themselves. We wish them all well and mention a few inside this issue. Please keep them in your prayers as they venture out of our fold.

My boys were born while I was in the thick of work. I just experienced the first Cronley boy (out of 4) wedding.

It was a fabulous time for Joe, myself and our boys and their significant others. No matter what happens in our industry, in my business, or on this planet, nothing is so great and rewarding as seeing my children thriving and happy.

The ice industry helped support them. I can never express my gratitude for that.

Happy New Year.

Mary Cronley EDITOR/PUBLISHER REFRIGERATION MAGAZINE

“This year has been one very different than in the past... storms, more storms, changing economy, political unrest, and basically just another day...”

KEITH Launches Updated Website

The new website design emphasizes KEITH’s role as a value provider to its customers.

KEITH Manufacturing Co., the maker of WALKING FLOOR® material handling technology, recently launched its updated website. The new site focuses on what sets the company apart--its manufacturing expertise and customer-driven innovations.

Manufacturing nearly all the components that go into making a WALKING FLOOR® system provides KEITH with quality control measures that ensure the superior performance of its equipment. “Our engineering and production teams manage the manufacturing process from initial design to final assembly,” says Lindsay Foster-Drago, president of KEITH Manufacturing Co.

KEITH Manufacturing Co. has worked to adapt its proven WALKING FLOOR® technology to the needs of customers. Systems were originally used to unload bulk materials in semi-trailers, and quickly expanded to other industries including the packaged ice market.

KEITH ice storage and conveying bins automate the ice delivery to packaging equipment.

“KEITH equipment is meant to make the customer more efficient and profitable,” adds Foster-Drago. “That has remained our goal since the beginning.”

KEITH Manufacturing Co. is located in Madras, OR where it produces the WALKING FLOOR® brand of unloading systems. The company designs, machines, fabricates and assembles nearly 100 percent of the components used in its WALKING FLOOR® systems at its facility in central Oregon. KEITH has sold more than 60,000 units around the globe and holds over 270 patents.

For more information on KEITH® WALKING FLOOR® systems, visit the new website at keithwalkingfloor.com.

RouteMan Announces RouteIce Merchandiser Monitoring

In a press release from Darrell Mount, Keet Consulting and RouteMan, he said, “We are pleased to announce a new product line coming to the RouteMan family suite of products. RouteIce by RouteMan will handle monitoring your ice merchandisers with ‘NO UPFRONT COST’ and ‘LOW MONTHLY FEES’. We have attached a pdf with the logo and a little bit more information on the product. You will be hearing more about RouteIce in the coming weeks and months. We only ask one thing of you, before you buy, talk to us!”

For more information, contact Darrell at dmount@kcsgis.com. RM

Long-Time Modern Ice Team Member Prepares for Retirement

After 45 years in the Packaged Ice industry, Allen Butcher is stepping back to a parttime role as he transitions into retirement.

We congratulate Allen on this exciting step and are grateful for the 23+ years he has represented Modern Ice to our clients and vendors, and been a friend to each of us.

Throughout his career, Allen has been a leader in every way. He has excelled at listening to clients to provide solutions for them, offering guidance to new regional sales managers, and providing insight and feedback to make Modern Ice more remarkable. Allen has been recognized many times as a leader in our business. He has earned multiple awards from Modern Ice and our strategic partners and is a Past Chairman of the Southwestern Ice Association.

“Allen Butcher has certainly earned the opportunity to take a step back after his illustrious career in the Packaged Ice industry and at Modern Ice. Modern Ice and I are indebted to Allen for the leadership and poise with which he did his job every day. He has taught me so many skills and improved my skills over the years. It has been a privilege to work alongside him. To have experienced him as a co-worker has been a true treat. His actions as a father and husband are truly remarkable. In other words, Allen has succeeded in all facets of his life. I have stated often that in the Webster dictionary a picture of Allen sits right next to the word ‘gentleman.’ He leads his life, business and personal, with this mentality every single day. I have been proud to work and be associated with Allen for the past 23 years. It would be selfish on our part to ask to get more from him as he has earned this time to give back to family and friends, but we will certainly miss him as his reduced role fades to full-time retirement in the coming years. The great part for us is that Allen will be associated with Modern Ice for the remainder of his life. He is truly the embodiment of our brand. He is the benchmark of our brand. We wish Allen, Diane, and their family the very best in this next stage of life. It is a well-earned opportunity to step back a bit. On behalf of all our team members, Allen – Thank You!”

Modern Ice understands that Allen’s retirement will impact the clients he has served so well over these many years. To mitigate as much of this impact as possible, Allen has been working with Chris Morse for the past year to transition knowledge of the ice business in the Southwest Region and how Modern Ice works with each of these clients. Allen will continue to support Chris as he takes ownership of this role and Ellie Palmer will continue to support Chris as the Customer Satisfaction Group Representative for these clients. Congratulations to Allen Butcher! Celebrate your successes, enjoy the freedom of retirement, and always remember what a positive impact you’ve made! RM

Gary Jerow sums up Allen’s illustrious career:

Storm debris (top) and biosolids (bottom)

FROM HOG MANURE...

TO BIOSOLIDS AND BEYOND

By: Nora Goldstein, BioCycle Magazine

ed and Terry Merrell were each given one female pig when they were young teenagers by their father to raise on their family’s farm in Kokomo, Indiana. “One pig turned into two, then 20, and by the time they graduated from high school, they had rented hog barns and feeder pig lots in four counties and were driving almost 100 miles every day to do chores,” according to the company history on the Merrell Bros.’ website. Dealing with hog manure was a continual challenge, especially when confinement of hogs in barns began.

The hog manure dropped into pits beneath the barn, which needed to be pumped out and the manure land applied. Given the number of farms and the volume of manure, the Merrell

Editor ' s Note

Merrell Bros. got its start in the organics recycling world pumping out manure pits. It moved on to biosolids, and most recently, materials transport in KEITH Walking Floor® trailers.

brothers invested in an Ag Chem high flotation Terra-Gator spreader to facilitate servicing the hog farms.

Their entrée into biosolids was in 1985, when they helped a local contractor pump out a lagoon at a wastewater treatment plant. The next year, the Merrells decided to bid on a biosolids management contract for the City of West Lafayette, Indiana and won the bid. “We’ve been the city’s service provider ever since,” notes Blake Merrell, Ted’s son. The brothers eventually sold their shares of the hog farm business to their other partner [their brother-inlaw], and moved fully into servicing the wastewater treatment sector.

“Our specialty was lagoon cleanouts, using mobile dewatering belt filter presses, and then hauling the biosolids to farms to be land applied,” he adds. “We were working on projects in multiple states, including Nevada and Texas. At this point, we have serviced wastewater treatment plants in 35 states, but during an average week, we are working in 9 to 10 states at any one time.”

MATERIALS TRANSPORT

When Merrell Bros. started providing biosolids dewatering and hauling in Florida in 2010, it saw an opportunity to expand its materials transport services, especially for the composting facilities where it was bringing the biosolids.

“We figured out pretty quickly that the facilities needed reliable supplies of wood chips for composting,” says Merrell. “We owned KEITH Manufacturing WALKING FLOOR® trailers for hauling biosolids, and decided to bid on some more routine storm debris management contracts to move out the wood waste, either chipped or unchipped. We also could transport screened compost to end markets.”

Merrell Bros. has a fleet of KEITH Walking Floor® trailers that it uses to haul a wide range of materials, including storm debris and biosolids.

The company now has over 50 trailers with KEITH floors. Most have the KEITH® 2299 Impact flooring that is 48-feet long about 8.5-feet wide, and are equipped with the KEITH Running Floor® II DX drive with 3.5-inch cylinders for unloading larger payloads. “We’ve expanded into hauling recyclables such as cardboard and plastic, as well as MSW,” he adds. “The Walking Floors, especially the 48-foot long floors, are a perfect size for trash, compost and green waste. It’s like having a drill that you can use to mix a can of paint with a mixing paddle as well as drill a hole through steel. It’s the right tool for both jobs. The floors are easy to clean out when we switch from one type of material to another. And all have electric tarps, which is a big deal for retaining drivers. The operator just has to hit levers and buttons. We are hauling over 2 million tons/year of materials in the trailers.”

“THE WALKING FLOORS, ESPECIALLY THE 48-FOOT LONG FLOORS, ARE A PERFECT SIZE FOR TRASH, COMPOST AND GREEN WASTE. IT’S LIKE HAVING A DRILL THAT YOU CAN USE TO MIX A CAN OF PAINT WITH A MIXING PADDLE AS WELL AS DRILL A HOLE THROUGH STEEL.”

The plant began operating in Spring 2018. RM

Image courtesy PACCAR Inc.

The Pasco County (FL) biosolids recycling facility includes two solar greenhouses and a separate building for oven pasteurization of the dried solids. Photos courtesy of Merrell Bros.

Refrigeration Magazine Shares In Congratulating John Smibert, North Star Ice, On His Retirement

A message from the Smibert Family

North Star Ice Ltd, is excited to announce that an agreement has been reached to sell the business interests and assets of North Star Ice Limited (North Star Ice), a third generation business founded by Ross Smibert in 1954 and headquartered in London, Ontario to Arctic Glacier. The deal will close on April 29, 2022, pending final approval from all regulators and customary closing requirements.

North Star Ice and Arctic Glacier are both service driven, customer-forward businesses with similar values and commitments to providing quality packaged ice products. With more than a century of combined industry experience, both have worked hard to develop strong relationships and reputations in the communities where they operate.

LEER INC. NAMES BEN ALBREGTS

As North Star Ice transitions to the Arctic Glacier and as the Smibert family steps away from the industry, we must express how truly humbled we are by the loyalty our customers have shown. We are so very grateful for your 68 years of patronage. It has been our great privilege to serve you and be a part of your communities. RM

AS PRESIDENT

Leer Inc., manufacturer of temperature-controlled storage solutions, announced Ben Albregts as President.

Ben joined Leer in 2011, initially as a Regional Sales Manager, and has progressed since then to his most recent position of Vice President of Sales & Marketing and now President. Over the past 11 years,

Ben and his team have developed excellent relationships with a growing list of national and International customers which have helped fuel Leer’s growth.

MAY 2022 MAY 2022

Leer’s outgoing President, Mark Edmonds, has been named Chief Executive Officer of Employee Owned Brands– a 100% employee-owned company. Employee Owned Brands is the parent company for Leer Inc., Apache Stainless Equipment Corporation, Crystal Group, Dexter Laundry , and Dexter Sales & Services.

Headquartered in Fairfield, Iowa, with over 1200 employees, Employee Owned Brands has a rich heritage of delivering high-quality, innovative products and services to Leer’s customers and business partners.

Leer and Employee Owned Brands congratulate Ben Albregts and Mark Edmonds in their new roles. We look forward to continuing to ‘wow’ our customers under their leadership. RM

WWhat type of system makes sense for your facility; packaged or custom-engineered? This is a common question for customers that are planning to build a new or expand an existing ice plant.

There are many factors that influence this decision, and it can be overwhelming. Key factors that need to be considered are capital cost (upfront cost), operating cost (utilities), footprint (how much space is available), future expansion plans, operational control required, and schedule constraints.

First, we need to define packaged ice makers. A packaged ice maker, like a Vogt P18XT, P24A, and P34A are stand-alone ice making systems. They are built on a frame that contains the compressor, water-cooled condenser, refrigerant piping, receiver, ice freezer, wiring, and a control panel. They are essentially plug-and-play. Once onsite, water and electrical are connected to the package, and the cooling tower and water pump are installed and piped, the ice maker is ready to run.

PROS OF A PACKAGED ICE MAKER:

– Install costs are low – roughly 10-20% of an engineered system

– Small overall footprint

– All controls are done from the Vogt-supplied panel

– The entire install process can take place in less than a week’s time

CONS OF A PACKAGED ICE MAKER:

– Higher capital cost per ton of ice produced

–

Future expansion is limited

– Operating costs are roughly 5% higher due to the water-cooled condenser

– Ice production is slightly lower ~3% due to the water-cooled condenser

–

Lack of controls for sequencing and optimization

– When a compressor or cutter has an issue, the entire package is out of production

– Water-cooled condensers can become fouled from water hardness – difficult to clean and leads to higher head pressures/loss of efficiency

P34A Packaged Ice Maker

Ice Maker for engineered system

P18XT packaged ice system photo

Future expandability when using packaged ice makers is limited. Packaged ice makers are stand alone, meaning they can’t communicate with each other. When multiple packaged units are running simultaneously, their cycles will overlap. When they overlap, they will harvest at the same time and send ice to the screw conveyor all at once. Screw conveyors are only able to handle so much ice at the same time, and because of the lack of sequencing possible with multiple packed units, limits the number of machines able to be on any given system.

Maximum recommended number of packaged units on a common screw conveyor:

– 5 P18XT (50 tons of ice per day) – P24AL (75 tons of ice per day) – 2 P34AL (100 tons of ice per day)

An engineered ice making system is much different than a packaged system. An engineered system is comprised of multiple pieces of equipment, individually sourced from vendors, field installed and piped/wired onsite. All equipment is installed as part of a large system, whereas packaged units are all stand alone. The customization of an engineered system allows the owner to stage equipment installation over multiple seasons, allows for full control optimization, and provides redundancy as compressor, condensers, and ice makers can all be run individually or in any pairing.

PROS OF A PACKAGED ICE MAKER:

– Allows full expansion capabilities – Piping and vessels can be sized for future expansion at little added cost. When more ice production is needed, a single Vogt, single compressor or both can be added to spread the cost out over multiple seasons while still gaining production at each step

– Redundancy across compressors, ice makers and condenser

– No need to shut down when an issue arises or maintenance is required

– Text or Email messages alert when an issue arises

– Control system aids in troubleshooting

– Vogt low side ice freezers cost less than packaged units

Engineered Ice System Schematic

Engineered P34AXL ice production system

– Custom control system allows optimization of ice production, efficiency gains, and redundancy

– When an ice maker has an issue and goes down, compressor load is diverted to the other ice makers and the production loss is minimized

– Evaporative condensers have lower fan horsepower and run on VFDs which allows for a lower head pressure, resulting in higher efficiency and more ice production

CONS OF AN ENGINEERED SYSTEM:

– Install costs are higher – all equipment, piping, valves, and electrical connections must be installed onsite

– Large footprint – An engineered system required dedicated space for compressors, ice makers, vessels, and condensers

Maximum recommended number of Vogt ice makers on an engineered system:

– 10+ P18XT (100 tons of ice per day) – 8+ P24AL (200 tons of ice per day) – 6+ P34AL (300 tons of ice per day)

– 6 P34AXL (Total of 480 tons of ice per day) RM

Packaged ice maker system schematic

ICE FOR SALE