Blue Air Brings Back to Basics Approach to Ice Making & Refrigeration

Blue Air Freezer Ice Maker Machine
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The heart and soul of the nation’s culinary operations lie in the ability to execute consistently and safely. Sure, there’s plenty of on-going conversation about labor and supply chain. But the bottom line is 24/7-365 consistency. The selection of the right icemaking and refrigeration vendor can go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.

With that vision in mind, it’s easy for restaurant and food service professionals to shop Trade shows, websites, and listen to the advice of their local equipment and supply resources. Hyper low costs or flashy lights of the latest bells and whistles can often cloud making the right value proposition. The decision of balancing just the right amount of technology with real “under the hood” and after the sale reliability can make a difference on a busy Friday night when your restaurant is full, and you can’t afford a mistake.

Blue Air and its US national sales is led by National Sales Directors George Lively & David Bishop, and they ‘get it’. Since 2003 the company has quickly gained a reputation for its reliable and efficient machinery, and word of mouth began to spread. Blue Air expanded its product line to include a variety of commercial refrigeration and ice-making equipment. The company has developed a loyal following of customers who trust the quality and durability of Blue Air products. 

“Blue Air has been bending metal since 1981,” Bishop explained. “It all began with making refrigerators and components for Samsung. We still do to this very day. Samsung really aided us with their high standards of quality. We are on call 24 hours a day seven days a week. That relationship really taught us how to build great equipment.”

“Our relationship with Samsung has enabled BLUEAIR to develop its own expertise in the design and manufacturing of not just the box but critical components that anchor innovation,” Bishop added.

Blue Air began very quietly in 2003 with a small offering of under-counter units, with most sales concentrated around NYC and L.A. Markets. When the Turbo Air relationship ended in 2008, a trio of visionaries, James Pak, William So and Mike Lee teamed with the factory overseas to write the next chapter. Fast forward to 2018, the Blue Air client base continued its growth with an under the radar approach that was built on a high-quality product matched with aggressive service and support.  Word of mouth is a powerful thing. In October of 2018 Daeyeong purchased Blue Air from the “Trio”. A serious investment in product expansion and Distribution began. The new corporate vision of quality, strong customer relations, and support laid the groundwork for the now heavily backed BlueAir company to flourish. Since acquiring Blue Air, the overseas headquarters formerly known as Daeyeong (DAY-Young) officially changed the company name to BLUENIX (2022) to bring parity to all of their wholly owned overseas and domestic business concerns. 

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“Our team has built this company with the traditional approach of service, quality, pricing and support, that works through distributors, dealers and service agencies to reach operators in local communities across the country,” Bishop continued. “To date, you won’t find us on any major e-commerce platforms, we have become a dependable choice for the nation’s E&S community. “Our products are very attractive in the sense that our distributors and other supporters have appropriately positioned us as the brand with the highest quality at the best possible price.  We are very fortunate that our distributors and a number of large dealers across the country are just as passionate about our products as we are.  They continue to be our main source of positive advertising and market penetration. Our goal is to take that reputation and build on an aggressive National scale.”

As with many manufacturers, Blue Air has been challenged by keeping costs competitive. “We had the opportunity to take our largest supporters to our factory in S. Korea,” Bishop noted. “It dawned on us during the trip you could see just how closely aligned our two Countries are. We spent one day in the factory from sunup to sundown discussing the nuts and bolts of the business and how we can get better on every level. The balance of the week was spent building an understanding of how South Korean culture ticks. I’m convinced that it has enabled us to get on the same page when it comes to building great products to serve the American market. There is an argument to be made that since the relationship between our two Governments is so strong, regardless of changing administrations, products coming from S. Korea “sail through customs without any delays or hefty tariff burdens.”

Blue Air has also been careful to focus on just the right amount of technology. “When we conduct product training, we highlight the features of our controller. Everyone loves the latest and most cost-efficient products until they break. For us the true test of any company is what happens when the product is not working. Our Nationwide service network, immediate parts availability and support is critical to the success of Blue Air. When a busy operator is told that there are no parts or service availability for extended periods of time, it adversely affects their business. Let’s face it, the business of America IS business. The basic principles of ice production and refrigeration has not changed in decades. Our products are very mechanical in nature. Things break, it is what happens after a unit of ours goes down that we believe continues to set us apart from all of the new names in the industry.

“There is a temptation in our industry to over-engineer products. In the case of Ice making and refrigeration products we must test new innovations first. Blue Air is ever evolving, and we continue to enhance our line-up with technologies that assist our product’s traditional mechanical function and longevity.”

Basically, the fundamental belief that servicing our products better will lead Blue Air to be considered at or near the top of any list of in our field of expertise. In many cases our customers find that service is not necessary at all. 

Blue Air has in fact introduced a simple controller that is advanced enough to diagnose everything a qualified service technician or operator needs to know about their machine. “Service techs appreciate how simple it is to use our controllers. In most cases they will be able to understand what is wrong before having to physically “dive” into the system. With the touch of a button, they can test every electric component without having to open the machine. At the very least, it tells you what isn’t wrong,” Bishop concluded.

Blue Air has a commitment to high quality products at great pricing, coupled with the simple art of swift and efficient service after the sale. Distributors, Dealers, and Service agencies alike can offer a great product along with simple tools through just the right amount of technology. At this point, Blue Air has created an industry leading recipe for success.


To learn more, visit their website.

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