A Proposal for
ICE NINE
ICE NINE now intends to commercialise a compact, fully automated countertop machine that produces, stores and dispenses ICE NINEs directly in-venue.
Introduction
ICE NINE Drinks Ltd has developed a genuinely novel drinks format: a flavoured ice shell that encapsulates a liquid spirit centre and bursts open after roughly nine seconds in the mouth, releasing the centre in a flavour explosion. The business has grown organically through events, supplied from in-house production machines, with finished ICE NINEs stored and transported to venues under cold chain.
ICE NINE now intends to commercialise a compact, fully automated countertop machine that produces, stores and dispenses ICE NINEs directly in-venue. This removes the cold-chain logistics that currently constrain the business and is the key enabler for a scalable commercial model. Following strong interest at Bar Convent London and a growing pipeline of enquiries from pubs, hospitality groups and large international brands, including requests for higher-output machines, ICE NINE is seeking an experienced product development and manufacturing partner to take the concept from its current proof-of-concept stage through to a robust, certified, mass-produced product.
Following an on-site visit to ICE NINE's Park Royal studio on 16 June 2026, Shield Works has prepared this Development Program Proposal. It sets out our understanding of the product, our assessment of its current maturity, the structured program we propose, the commercial model under which Shield Works would deliver it, and the recommended first step.
The program is delivered on a monthly engagement basis, with each month tied to defined, agreed deliverables. Physical and third-party costs, prototypes and engineering samples, tooling, certification, testing, freight and sub-contractor purchases, sit outside the monthly fee and are quoted and approved openly before they are incurred. The commercial model is set out in full in Section 8.
Project Brief and Current Status
2.1 The Product
The ICE NINE machine encapsulates a liquid spirit centre inside a frozen flavoured shell and reliably ejects it from a mould. The validated production principle is:
- The mould is cooled, then the cavity is filled with shell liquid.
- Shell liquid freezes against the cavity walls; the unfrozen remainder is pumped out, leaving a hollow shell.
- Pre-cooled centre liquid (the spirit) is injected into the hollow sphere.
- The injection needle lifts and a small amount of shell liquid seals the remaining hole, which freezes to complete the ICE NINE.
- Ejection pins open the mould and push the finished ICE NINE out to fall free into storage.
Key build elements demonstrated to date include peristaltic pumps for dosing shell and centre liquids, a stainless-steel injection needle on a stepper-driven linear actuator, a two-part stainless mould with ejection pins, a non-captive linear stepper to open and close the mould, a servo-driven sprue-removal mechanism, a 600 W mini liquid-chiller module, Peltier-cooled ingredient tanks, and an integrated storage hopper and dispensing mechanism.
2.2 Current Status
ICE NINE operates from three small units at Park Royal: an office and storage unit, a production unit where the current larger machine produces roughly 100 ICE NINEs per day, and an R&D unit where the new all-in-one integrated machine is being developed. Current production is a manual, step-by-step process taking approximately 4 to 5 minutes per unit in a temperature-controlled room, with finished units stored and then moved to venues in transport fridges, a workflow that is acknowledged to be inefficient and non-scalable.
The R&D unit brings production, storage and dispensing into a single self-contained machine, including on-site preparation of the flavoured shell liquid. Recent improvements include a silicone gasket added to the mould to largely eliminate flashing. The control system performs well and the core process is demonstrably sound.
In Shield Works' assessment, ICE NINE has a strong proof of concept but not yet an engineering sample. The product is technically complex, the integrated machine does not yet run consistently, internal packaging and cable management are functional but not production-ready, and the CAD is in a disorganised state. The team has limited mass-production process experience and no certification roadmap. Taking the proof of concept as the starting point, the product needs to be engineered for manufacture essentially from scratch.
2.3 Why Shield Works
This program sits directly in Shield Works' capability: electromechanical product development, structured DFM and DFA, IP-protected supplier-controlled manufacturing in China, certification management, and commercial optimisation through competitive sourcing and validated test methods. Shield Works can take ICE NINE from a working bench concept to a production-ready, certified, scalable machine while protecting the client's intellectual property at every stage, a point of particular importance for a product this distinctive.
Visit Findings and Engineering Assessment
The following observations are drawn from the on-site visit on 16 June 2026 (attendees: Max Medhurst and Sourya Ghosh, with Luna, lab technician, and George, development lead).
3.1 Strengths Observed
- A differentiated, high-appeal product. Two flavours sampled (mojito and virgin pina colada) were excellent; the shell rolls in the mouth and melts and pops over 8 to 9 seconds.
- A sound, well-functioning control system.
- A genuinely validated production principle, with iterative process improvements already made, such as the mould gasket for improved sealing.
- Strong organic commercial pull, with significant interest from pubs and venues and notable interest from major international brands, including requests for larger-output machines.
3.2 Gaps and Development Needs
- Maturity: proof of concept rather than an engineering sample; the integrated machine does not yet run reliably or repeatably.
- Industrial design and CAD: ICE NINE wishes to update the industrial design, and the current CAD is in a poor, disorganised state requiring a full rework.
- Production knowledge: limited understanding of mass-production processes and no mass-produced machine architecture defined.
- Certification: no certification roadmap in place for the target UK and EU (and prospective international) markets.
- Cable management and internal packaging: functional but not production-ready.
3.3 Primary Engineering Concern: Cooling and Power
Freezing and condensation control is the single biggest technical challenge to overcome. The shell units currently rely on a Peltier cooling approach which was observed to draw over 30 A during operation, a level that is unworkable for a compact, mains-powered countertop appliance and which must be fundamentally re-engineered. The thermal strategy, covering mould cooling, ingredient cooling, hopper cooling and condensation management, will be the defining engineering workstream of this program and a key driver of cost, size, energy consumption and reliability. It is addressed as a priority in the first phase of work.
3.4 Positioning and IP
The visit opened with the full C2W and Shield Works presentation, with intellectual-property protection presented as a central value point. Given how distinctive and commercially attractive this product is, protecting ICE NINE's IP, the mechanism, the process know-how and the eventual industrial design, will remain central to how Shield Works structures supplier engagement, tooling ownership and documentation throughout. All IP developed or refined during the program remains the exclusive property of ICE NINE, and NDAs are signed with every supplier given access to the concept or its function.
Design Intent and Technical Targets
The target is a compact, fully automated countertop machine that produces, stores and dispenses ICE NINEs in-venue, with cartridge-based liquids, multi-flavour capability, automated cleaning and a scalable manufacturing route. The following targets, drawn from ICE NINE's draft machine requirements, will be confirmed, challenged and where necessary re-baselined during the early stages of the program.
| Parameter | Target / Requirement |
|---|---|
| Output quality | Consistent shell thickness, reliable fill and seal; at least 99% acceptable output with clean, non-messy failure modes that do not interrupt service. |
| Cycle time / throughput | Approximately 1 ICE NINE per minute average (potentially via batch or multi-cavity), smoothed by a storage hopper. Reduced from the current 4 to 5 minute manual cycle. |
| Ready-to-serve storage | Increase from roughly 5 to a target of 50 to 100 ICE NINEs held ready. |
| Multi-flavour | Capability for 3 flavours per machine. |
| Cooling | Fully integrated cooling (no external chillers); energy-efficient and suitable for indoor hospitality. Re-engineered away from the high-current Peltier approach. |
| Ingredient handling | Cartridge / liquid loading system with liquid identification, authentication and usage tracking. |
| Cleaning and hygiene | Mostly automated or guided cleaning; fast, simple, hard to skip; minimal dead volumes; UK food-contact compliant. |
| Footprint | Countertop format: width 220 mm or less; depth and height 400 mm or less; one-person install; hospitality-appropriate noise level. |
| Compliance | UK food-contact regulations, electrical safety, hospitality hygiene standards; certification roadmap defined for target markets. |
| Industrial design | Premium, attention-drawing in-venue presence; optional visual feedback at the moment of production. |
Note on the cost target. ICE NINE's draft requirements set an ambitious unit-cost target to support a free-on-loan deployment model. This feature set (integrated cooling, multi-flavour, cartridge handling, automated cleaning, premium industrial design) is demanding against that target. Shield Works treats cost as a managed, staged outcome of the engineering and quotation work, and will surface the cost-versus-specification trade-offs early rather than late, so that ICE NINE can make informed decisions on feature phasing before committing to tooling.
Program Aim
Including, but not limited to, the management of the following key activities:
- Design assistance and support (DFA and DFM)
- Thermal and cooling system re-engineering
- Electronics, firmware and software development, managed through Shield Works' specialist partner stack
- Component sourcing and quotation
- Prototyping and engineering samples
- Tooling program oversight and management
- ISO supplier audits and supplier meetings
- Price negotiation
- IPR protection
- Sub-contractor sample purchasing and order management
- Quality assurance and sample assembly
- Assembly line design
- Certification support and management
- Logistics support
Shield Works Program Framework
Shield Works proposes a structured, stage-gated program that takes ICE NINE from its current proof of concept to a production-ready, certified machine and into mass production. Each stage has defined outputs, so design decisions, cost targets and technical risks are resolved in the correct order before committing to tooling and mass production.
The framework below is deliberately adaptive. It sets out the full route from concept to production, but the path ahead is optimised as the engineering matures and as each stage informs the next. Because Shield Works earns its return through manufacturing the finished product rather than through prolonged development, our motivation is fully aligned with reaching a viable, production-ready machine by the shortest quality-safe route. We will do all we can to accelerate the program, within the boundaries of a quality, viable, certifiable product.
Stages 1 to 4 (shaded) form the committed first phase of the program, described and priced in Section 7. Stages 5 onward are described here in full so the whole route is visible; they are costed as the defined output of the first phase (Stage 4), then confirmed and agreed before work continues.
| # | Stage | Core Output |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | In-Depth Review and Understanding | Verified baseline of the current concept, mechanism and process know-how. |
| 2 | Improvement Points | Prioritised engineering issues list and improvement roadmap. |
| 3 | Bench Testing and Validation | Validated operating window for the core process (thermal, dosing, timing). |
| 4 | Costed Development Plan | A costed, stage-by-stage plan for the full program ahead, built on real engineering and real supplier pricing. |
| 5 | Industrial Design and Sign-Off | Premium ID concept routes, shortlisted to a client-signed-off direction. |
| 6 | Structural Design | Production-intent mechanical architecture and clean CAD. |
| 7 | Electronics, Firmware and Software | Control electronics, firmware and machine software, delivered through the managed partner stack. |
| 8 | DFM / DFA Tech Pack | Manufacture-ready engineering package and critical-to-quality definitions. |
| 9 | Quotation | Refined, high-accuracy cost baseline and cost-down roadmap. |
| 10 | Sampling | Validated sub-components and supplier samples. |
| 11 | Tooling | Production tooling, T0 to T1 parts. |
| 12 | Engineering Samples | Fully functional, production-intent machines for validation. |
| 13 | Pilot Run | Controlled pilot batch proving the manufacturing route. |
| 14 | Mass Production, Launch and Continuous Improvement | Controlled volume manufacture, shipment, deployment support and a lessons-learnt loop. |
Stage 1: In-Depth Review and Understanding
A controlled, structured study of the current proof-of-concept machine (mechanical, electrical, thermal and process) to establish a verified baseline, so the redesign proceeds with confidence rather than assumptions.
- Full review of the existing machine, prototypes and all documentation shared, plus capture of the process know-how held by George and Luna.
- Mapping of the end-to-end production sequence: shell formation, centre injection, sealing, demoulding, storage and dispensing.
- Characterisation of the current thermal and cooling approach, including the high-current Peltier draw observed on-site.
- System-architecture overview of all sub-systems (mould, dosing, needle and actuator, cooling, hopper, dispensing, control electronics).
- Output: a verified baseline reference document and architecture map that anchors all subsequent stages.
Stage 2: Improvement Points
Conversion of the baseline review into a prioritised, actionable engineering improvement list, separating what is settled from what must change before a production design can begin.
- Thermal and cooling re-engineering: the priority workstream, moving away from the high-current Peltier approach to an efficient, integrated cooling strategy with condensation management.
- Reliability and repeatability: defining the operating window for the key parameters (mould and incoming-liquid temperatures, dosing volumes, cycle timing).
- Speed: path to approximately 1 ICE NINE per minute, including multi-cavity feasibility.
- Storage, multi-flavour, cartridge handling and cleaning: scoped against the target specification.
- Output: a prioritised improvement roadmap with engineering rationale, feeding directly into bench validation.
Stage 3: Bench Testing and Validation
Before committing to a production architecture, Shield Works bench-tests and validates the core process, and in particular the cooling strategy, so that performance and reliability are proven against real behaviour rather than theory.
- Instrumented bench testing of the freezing and forming cycle, dosing accuracy, sealing and ejection, with data capture across temperature, timing and yield.
- Validation of the cooling and condensation strategy, energy consumption and thermal stability over repeated cycles.
- Definition of the reliable operating window and acceptance criteria for at least 99% acceptable output.
- Output: a validated core process and a documented operating window that de-risks all downstream design work.
Stage 4: Costed Development Plan
The defining output of the first phase. With the process understood and the cooling strategy validated, Shield Works produces a costed, stage-by-stage plan for the full program ahead, built on real engineering findings and real supplier pricing rather than early estimates.
- A stage-by-stage program plan from industrial design through to mass production, with the engineering scope of each stage defined.
- Indicative stage costs and physical-cost estimates (tooling, electronics, certification, samples, testing) grounded in the validated design direction and first-round supplier engagement.
- A clear read of the unit-cost target against the specification, with feature-phasing options where the target and the specification are in tension.
- A recommended path and timeline to the summer 2027 objective.
- Output: a costed development plan that lets ICE NINE make fully informed decisions on the program ahead, and that can support investment and planning conversations.
Stage 5: Industrial Design and Sign-Off
Development of a premium, attention-drawing in-venue industrial design that elevates the machine into a venue-ready product while retaining the functional layout. The design is presented for a clear client decision and sign-off before engineering detail begins.
- Mood board and visual-language pack (materials, finishes, colourways, lighting and visual feedback at the moment of production).
- Multiple concept routes, shortlisted to 2 or 3 directions presented with front, side and back intent.
- 3D CAD concept visuals of the shortlisted routes, with screen, dispensing and cartridge interfaces integrated rather than added on.
- Output: a client-signed-off industrial-design direction. Sign-off is a formal gate before structural engineering.
Stage 6: Structural Design
Conversion of the signed-off design and validated process into a production-intent mechanical architecture, replacing the current disorganised CAD with a clean, controlled model set.
- Full mechanical architecture: mould assembly, actuation, cooling integration, ingredient and cartridge system, hopper, dispensing and enclosure.
- Modular sub-assembly strategy for manufacturability, serviceability and clean internal routing, addressing current cable-management issues.
- Clearance, airflow, condensation-management and service-access provisions designed in from the start.
- Output: a clean, controlled CAD model set ready for DFM, DFA and electronics integration.
Stage 7: Electronics, Firmware and Software
Development of the production control electronics, embedded firmware and machine software. Shield Works acts as prime contractor and manages this workstream through its curated specialist partner stack, with a clearly defined scope boundary.
- Control architecture for thermal control, dosing, actuation sequencing, sensing and fault handling.
- Embedded firmware for the production cycle, safety interlocks, error states and self-recovery.
- Machine interface (flavour selection, status, guided cleaning prompts) and optional local usage tracking, with connectivity optional.
- Liquid identification and authentication groundwork for the cartridge system.
- Scope boundary: the electronics, firmware and any machine software are delivered by specialist partners selected, contracted and managed by Shield Works on ICE NINE's behalf. Any ICE NINE-owned app or backend scope is confirmed and ring-fenced early.
Stage 8: DFM / DFA Tech Pack
A critical step converting the design into a robust production design, reducing manufacturing risk, improving assembly consistency and protecting unit cost before tooling release.
- DFM: confirm processes per component (injection moulding, sheet metal, CNC, stainless mould elements, bought-in modules); optimise geometry, materials and finishes; establish critical tolerances achievable at volume.
- DFA: reduce part count and assembly time; modular sub-assemblies; error-proofing; controlled harness routing; production test points and end-of-line checks.
- Food-contact material selection and hygiene-driven design (minimised dead volumes, accessible cleaning).
- Output: a manufacture-ready engineering package with critical-to-quality definitions and a supplier-ready pack.
Stage 9: Quotation
Conversion of the engineering definition into a refined, high-accuracy cost baseline, isolating the dominant cost drivers and surfacing commercial and supply-chain risks.
- Costed BOM (mechanical, cooling, electronics, harness, packaging), assembly and test cost, freight and logistics assumptions, warranty and yield allowances.
- RFQs to multiple qualified suppliers per category, aligned to identical technical assumptions for like-for-like pricing.
- Cost-down roadmap linked to specific design decisions, and an honest read of the unit-cost target against the specification.
- Output: a cost baseline ICE NINE can use for pricing strategy and investment decisions, plus a prioritised cost-down list.
Stage 10: Sampling
Procurement and validation of sub-components and supplier samples where the commercial model or performance depends on unknowns, de-risking before tooling commitment.
- Trial cooling modules, pumps, needles and actuators, mould samples, cartridge components and sensing.
- Sample-level validation against the operating window defined in Stage 3.
- Output: validated sub-components and supplier confidence ahead of tooling.
Stage 11: Tooling
Once the design is frozen and validated, Shield Works releases the final CAD and drawing pack and initiates tooling with selected vendors, under full program oversight. Tooling is not committed until the design is validated and the cost picture is confirmed.
- Injection moulds for housings and structural parts, plus dedicated tooling for cosmetic and functional elements as applicable.
- Tooling contractual management, on-site build and trial oversight.
- Output: approved tooling, with T0 parts inspected against drawing and critical interfaces and iterated to T1.
Stage 12: Engineering Samples
Build of fully functional, production-intent machines, the true engineering samples that ICE NINE does not yet have, assembled using the intended production sequence.
- Production-intent components and processes throughout (electronics, cooling, mould, dosing, dispensing, enclosure).
- Structured validation: mechanical function, thermal and cooling performance, electrical, control, hygiene and cleaning, and environmental robustness.
- Deviations captured in formal test logs and fed back into CAD, electronics, firmware and the design FMEA.
- Output: validated engineering samples and a closed design-feedback loop.
Stage 13: Pilot Run
A controlled pilot batch assembled at Shield Works to prove the manufacturing route before full mass production.
- Validate assembly time, refine work instructions and test procedures, confirm process capability on critical-to-quality features, finalise the control plan.
- Full QC inclusions trialled: IQC, DUPRO, IPQC, FQC, OQC, plus independent C2W pre-shipping inspection and container-loading check.
- Changes tracked through ECO and ECN so build, BOM and documentation remain aligned.
- Output: a proven, repeatable manufacturing route and finalised control plan.
Stage 14: Mass Production, Launch and Continuous Improvement
Transition into controlled mass production with a locked design baseline, then build and pack of the initial production batches with deployment support and a formal continuous-improvement loop.
- Dedicated assembly workstations, calibrated tools and purpose-built jigs and fixtures for repeatable quality.
- 100% end-of-line functional testing per unit (power-up, control, cooling, dosing, cycle, dispensing, hygiene, cosmetics), with full traceability via serial and QR labelling.
- Packaging for safe transit and rapid deployment; documentation for installation, commissioning and aftersales.
- Early-life quality monitoring with a formal corrective-action loop, and a lessons-learnt review to improve subsequent runs.
Committed First Phase
Rather than ask ICE NINE to commit to and pay for a full program plan built on early estimates, Shield Works proposes a defined, committed first phase that does the engineering work needed to plan the rest of the program properly. This is Stages 1 to 4 of the framework in Section 6.
The first phase resolves the two questions that determine everything downstream: whether the cooling and freezing strategy can be made to work efficiently in a countertop machine, and what the full program to mass production realistically costs and involves. Its headline output is a costed development plan, produced from real engineering findings and real supplier pricing, that ICE NINE owns and can use for its own planning and investment conversations.
7.1 First Phase Deliverables
- Stage 1. Verified engineering baseline of the current machine, mechanism and process.
- Stage 2. Prioritised engineering improvement roadmap.
- Stage 3. Bench-validated core process and cooling strategy, with a documented operating window.
- Stage 4. A costed, stage-by-stage development plan for the full program to mass production.
7.2 First Phase Fee and Duration
The first phase is delivered on the monthly engagement model set out in Section 8, at US$7,500 per month, covering the Shield Works management and engineering overhead. The indicative duration of the first phase is 3 to 4 months, giving an indicative first-phase management fee of US$22,500 to US$30,000. Each month is billed against its agreed deliverables.
A limited amount of physical cost may be required during the first phase, principally for bench-validation components and trial cooling parts. These are quoted and approved before they are incurred, in line with Section 8. They are expected to be modest relative to the later tooling and certification stages.
The go-forward decision. At the end of the first phase, ICE NINE holds a validated process and a costed plan for the whole program. Continuation into Stage 5 and beyond is a fresh, informed decision taken on the basis of that plan, not a commitment made now. This protects ICE NINE from committing to a program before its cost and feasibility are properly understood.
Commercial Model
The program is delivered on a monthly engagement basis. The monthly fee covers the Shield Works management and engineering overhead: the people, project management, engineering, sourcing and quality work that drives the program forward each month. Physical and third-party costs sit outside the monthly fee and are quoted and approved openly before they are incurred.
8.1 What the Monthly Fee Covers
- Structural DFM and DFA engineering.
- Industrial design management and engineering support.
- Management of the electronics, firmware and software partners as prime contractor.
- Supplier sourcing, RFQ management, supplier meetings and price negotiation.
- Project management, coordination and reporting.
- QC development and quality-standard definition.
- IPR protection management and supplier NDA control.
- Engineering oversight of bench testing, prototyping, tooling and pilot activities.
8.2 What Sits Outside the Monthly Fee
The following are physical or third-party costs. They are quoted and approved by ICE NINE before they are incurred, and charged as they occur. Each is discussed openly and agreed in advance.
- Prototypes and engineering samples.
- Tooling and moulding.
- Electronics hardware and external firmware or software development charges.
- Certification and test-house fees.
- Testing, and any specialist test equipment, jigs or fixtures required.
- Sub-contractor sample purchasing and component purchases.
- Freight, prototype shipping and logistics.
8.3 How the Monthly Model Is Controlled
The monthly model is deliberately structured so it cannot drift into an open-ended development cycle:
8.4 General Commercial Conditions
- All IPR remains the exclusive property of ICE NINE Drinks Ltd.
- All development, prototyping, tooling, shipping and associated costs are charged as they occur, against prior written approval.
- Shield Works will not progress to the next phase, or make any payment to suppliers, without prior client approval.
- Non-Disclosure Agreements are signed with all suppliers given access to any information relating to the product concept or its function.
A note on structure. Shield Works recognises that this is a significant program for an early-stage business, and we are genuinely invested in seeing the product reach market. Where the program structure or its funding needs to be shaped to suit ICE NINE's position, we are open to discussing options that share the journey rather than requiring the full program to be funded in cash up front. These are best explored once the first phase is under way and the shape of the program is clear.
Program Challenges and Risk Register
The following challenges and risks are recognised up front, with mitigations built into the program.
| Ref | Risk | Impact / Likelihood | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| R1 | Cooling / condensation and high power draw | Very High / High | Treated as the priority workstream in Stages 2 to 3; move away from the high-current Peltier approach; bench-validate efficiency and condensation control before structural design. |
| R2 | Process reliability and repeatability | High / High | Define the operating window via instrumented bench testing; lock acceptance criteria before tooling. |
| R3 | Cost versus specification gap | High / Medium | Stage the specification; surface cost trade-offs early at DFM and quotation; phased feature roadmap. |
| R4 | Disorganised CAD / ID rework | Medium / High | Full clean CAD rebuild in Stage 6; ID sign-off gate in Stage 5 before structural work. |
| R5 | Speed target (multi-cavity) | High / Medium | Assess multi-cavity feasibility early; model thermal-load and cost implications. |
| R6 | Food-contact and hygiene compliance | High / Medium | Design hygiene-first; food-contact material selection; certification roadmap defined early. |
| R7 | Certification scope (UK / EU, prospective international) | High / Medium | Define the certification path early; lock electrical and enclosure architecture before tooling freeze. |
| R8 | IP exposure and protection | High / Medium | Keep IP central; client-owned IP; supplier NDAs; controlled tooling ownership and documentation. |
| R9 | Early-stage client maturity and inputs | Medium / Medium | Phased plan; regular check-ins; lock assumptions with sign-off before deep development. |
| R10 | Timeline versus summer 2027 target | Medium / Medium | Run electronics and certification in parallel where possible; freeze decisions early; plan around China holidays. |
| R11 | Supply-chain concentration on key modules | Medium / Medium | Qualify alternates for cooling, pumps and control electronics; keep interfaces standard for swap. |
Why C2W Group and Shield Works
10.1 Directly Delivered by Shield Works
Shield Works is a British-owned and managed, IP-protective, ISO-certified precision manufacturing and product-development facility in Zhuhai, China. The following are delivered directly by the Shield Works team:
10.2 Curated Partner Ecosystem
Specialist workstreams that Shield Works does not deliver in-house are routed through a curated partner stack, selected, contracted and managed by Shield Works as prime contractor. ICE NINE deals with one commercial counterparty and one point of accountability, with no direct dependency on any individual partner.
This structure is a deliberate strength. It gives ICE NINE the benefit of specialist capability in each area without locking the product into any single vendor, and keeps Shield Works accountable for the whole program.
Recommended Next Steps
ICE NINE has a genuinely differentiated product with strong, organic commercial pull. The founder is technically capable and well aligned with Shield Works, and the teams connected strongly at an engineering level during the visit.
The honest engineering position is that ICE NINE has an excellent proof of concept but not yet an engineering sample, and that the product needs to be engineered for manufacture essentially from scratch, with the cooling and condensation strategy as the defining challenge. The committed first phase is designed to resolve that challenge and to produce a costed, credible plan for everything that follows, before any larger commitment is made.
Shield Works looks forward to partnering with ICE NINE to bring this product to market.
Sourya Ghosh
Head of R&D / Design for Excellence (DFX), Shield Works
Approved by
Mark Jacobs
CEO, C2W Group / Shield Works
13 July 2026