XYNYTH’s Products, Service Take Care Of Ice Melt Needs With Environment In Mind

Kevin Wice

Securing an adequate supply of ice melter this summer and fall is highly recommended for distributors due to various challenges that could lead to future inventory shortages, according to XYNYTH Manufacturing Corp. President Kevin Wice.

“As each year comes and goes, different things affect the industry. We are making our customers aware of today’s market and telling people to be prepared early for ice melter. Start planning now,” Wice said. “XYNYTH conducts a large marketing campaign in the summer to help with the planning process.”

“It’s important distributors reserve space in their warehouses, make sure their sales reps are well trained, and that they are working with an ice melt vendor well before winter. It’s also critical to work with a reputable vendor due to possible inventory issues going forward. It’s essential to work with a vendor that can be counted on to come through with product.”

XYNYTH provides early buy programs for its ice melt customers, while company representatives are also willing to work with distributors regarding their own promotions to attract end-users.

He noted winter weather has become more erratic in recent years, with the season starting earlier and/or ending later in different geographical locations. In response, the best thing distributors can do is make sure they are prepared to maximize sales.

“At the end of the day, no matter what the calendar indicates, those distributors who don’t have product before the snow starts to fall, will lose out on sales,” Wice said. “At XYNYTH, we start producing product in the summer and are ready to take early buy orders.”

The XYNYTH ice melter portfolio includes:

• Mountain Organic Natural Icemelter™, the No. 1 selling item at XYNYTH. It’s specifically designed to melt ice and snow effectively, while posing no risk to users, pets, concrete, or the environment, when used as directed. It also does not track into buildings.

Fertilizer-based Mountain Organic Natural Icemelter™ works immediately after application and is effective to -23°C (-9°F). It also has an unlimited shelf life, and is completely safe to handle, according to Wice.

Due to its potassium content, he added, Mountain actually helps repair damage caused by long-term use of environmentally harmful deicers, such as rock salt.

“At XYNYTH, our focus has always been on the environment, and there remains a very strong following for Mountain — years after its introduction,” Wice said.

• Arctic ECO Green Icemelter™ has also been designed with the environment in mind, but at a lower price point. It’s layered with various ingredients that provide many benefits, such as an anti-corrosive feature.

“There are people in the marketplace who want to use environmentally friendly products, but they don’t want to spend extra money,” Wice said. “To answer that challenge, XYNYTH introduced Arctic ECO Green Icemelter™ several years ago, using a special encapsulation process. We take sodium chloride and encapsulate it with CMA (Calcium Magnesium Acetate), which helps eliminate the negative side effects of the sodium.”

“Then, we multi-encapsulate the granules with potassium acetate, so that every granule of sodium going into the ground is buffered by potassium, a major ingredient in fertilizer.”

By using sodium chloride, XYNYTH can bring the product’s cost down.

“It’s not as high-end a deicer as Mountain Organic Natural Icemelter™, but it’s neutral to the environment, and will not ruin surrounding soil structure,” Wice said. “Arctic ECO Green Icemelter™ is truly a manufactured item, one of the features that has made this product so popular. Every granule is multi-coated. It’s also dyed green for better application.”

• Winter Warrior Enviro LEADer Icemelter™, specifically designed for use around LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) buildings and properties. The product melts ice and snow in temperatures as low as -21°C (-6°F).

“There are certain specifications connected with LEED buildings. For example, all ice melter products used at those facilities must be free of chlorides,” Wice said. “Winter Warrior Enviro LEADer Icemelter™ has been formulated to be reasonably priced and still meet LEED certification. It features a combination of ingredients, including CMA, to pull down the product’s low temperature melting range.”

CMA is made of dolomite lime and acetic acid and is perfect where corrosion and/or environmental issues are a concern, Wice added.

Winter Warrior Enviro LEADer Icemelter™ is colored green to help prevent over-application, is safe on concrete, when used as directed, and is easy to apply.

“The product is satisfying an important niche in the marketplace,” Wice said. “As a company, XYNYTH’s mantra has been that of an eco-friendly ice melt provider. This deicer adds to our legacy.”

• Winter Warrior CMA Icemelter™ is the second XYNYTH deicer to be LEED compliant. The product is made from 100 percent CMA, and is biodegradable, noncorrosive, and safe on concrete, when used as directed. It performs to -12°C (10°F), is chloride/nitrogen-free and easy to apply.
• Winter Warrior Runway Control™ has provided the impetus for XYNYTH’s newly introduced products. The deicer was originally developed for airport runways and surrounding areas, and meets both LEED, FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and Transport Canada approval.

“Winter Warrior Runway Control™ and Mountain Organic Natural Icemelter™ are also approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) for use in food processing facilities,” Wice said. “They help end-users guard against corrosion in those plants, such as with expensive refrigeration units.”

He added that Winter Warrior Runway Control™ can also be used in parking garages, ship decks, transit platforms, metal fabrication facilities — anywhere there is exposed metal that needs corrosion protection.

• Arctic CLEAR Window & Mirror De-icer™, a liquid hand spray specifically designed to clear ice, frost and light snow from windshields, windows, mirrors, locks, headlights, doors, and other surfaces.

The product clears on contact, is streak/residue free, effective to -42°C (-44°F), prevents ice from forming/refreezing, contains biodegradable ingredients, and is safe on car finishes. Arctic CLEAR Window & Mirror De-icer™ was designed for retail markets, but has also done well within commercial applications.

He added XYNYTH creates value for its customer base by providing a wide variety of products.

“I feel our ice melter portfolio is quite vast and meets all needs, but we continue to look for ways to innovate and improve,” Wice said. “Also, our entire team of sales and operations representatives are well versed and trained, capable of helping distributors and end-users. That allows us to deliver value as well.”

XYNYTH continues to add ice melter educational materials to the company’s website, which includes an Ice Melt Resource Center specifically geared to answering technical questions. It’s a focus that proved very beneficial during the height of the pandemic, as more people worked from home. That focus continues.

“We also provide in-house and online training with distributors, often involving their salespeople. We even get involved, if needed, with end-user training and consulting, which helps them understand what type of ice melt product they should be using, depending on specific circumstances,” Wice said. “Not all ice melters are the same. It’s important to know their differences, and the best way to use each product. There is also a lot of ‘greenwashing’ and general misinformation with ice melters. XYNYTH was one of the first companies to invent an environmentally friendly ice melter. We can help people determine what can be considered ‘green,’ and thus friendlier to the environment.”

Wice added that even with customers who are very price conscientious, research has shown 20 percent or more of those people are still concerned about the environment and can add to a distributor’s sales volume if that distributor provides environmentally friendly products.

According to Wice, last winter was a good one for XYNYTH and its ice melters. It helped that more facilities were open due to the end of the pandemic, and thus needed protection from slip and fall accidents caused by snow and ice.

“Everything appears to be in full swing and pretty much back to normal, which is great news for our industry and all industries,” Wice said.

Contact: XYNYTH Manufacturing Corp., Unit 101,

5950 Imperial St., Burnaby, BC, V5J 4M2 Canada.

Phone: 1-800-635-8423.

Email: sales@xynyth.com.

Website: www.xynyth.com.