Panasonic Professional Kitchen continues to drive innovation in commercial cooking with the launch of the revolutionary NE-186N Intelligent Computerised Microwave (ICM), expanding its range of high-performance professional kitchen equipment.

The ICM is a smart solution designed to deliver speed, consistency, and convenience in self-service environments. Ideal for hospitals, staff kitchens, break rooms, cafeterias, and food service stations, the ICM combines cutting-edge automation with effortless operation, enabling hot meals to be served quickly and reliably, 24/7, without professional staff.

At the heart of the ICM is its innovative scan-to-heat system. A built-in scanner reads QR codes printed on meals, instantly triggering pre-set heating cycles. Heating starts either automatically upon door closure or through manual confirmation, ensuring that meals are always heated safely and consistently while reducing manual input and human error.

In addition to its automated scan-to-heat functionality, the ICM offers flexible operation to suit different service environments. Operators can choose to run it in fully automated, assisted, or manual control, allowing meals to be heated with or without QR codes as required.

What’s more, with Panasonic’s Inverter Technology, the ICM provides reduced energy consumption, helping to deliver long-term cost benefits for operators and a lower environmental impact.

Andrew Whyte, European Product and Planning Manager, Professional Kitchen at Panasonic, commented:

“We’re thrilled to be introducing the ICM to the Professional Kitchen portfolio – it truly is a game-changer. Combining advanced automation with intuitive operation, it delivers hot meals quickly, consistently, and reliably, 24/7 – without the need for professional staff. The ICM is not just a microwave – it’s a smarter way to serve, saving time, reducing waste, and ensuring every meal meets the highest standard, every single time.”

The ICM features a memory pad configuration with up to 100 programmable slots, allowing sites to store single or multi-stage heating profiles. This ensures fast, reliable reheating of a wide variety of meals with minimal effort. Designed for both convenience and longevity, the ICM can automatically adjust cooking times for multiple portions, while its self-diagnostics display error codes for easy troubleshooting. Additional features include programmable reminders for filter cleaning, customisable beep tones, cycle counters for maintenance tracking, and full control over the oven lamp, making it a smart, user-friendly solution for busy self-service environments.

The microwave is stackable, hygienic, and easy to clean, with a splatter shield and air filter to maintain optimal performance. Quick-access buttons allow short heating bursts, and the repeat function enables the last manual heating cycle to be run with a single touch, while a program lock mode secures manual controls for direct memory pad activation.

Launching December 2025, the Panasonic NE-186N Intelligent Computerised Microwave is the perfect solution for organisations looking to provide consistently hot, high-quality meals around the clock. By combining intelligent automation with user-friendly operation, it enables institutions to serve meals efficiently and safely, without the need for professional supervision.

Find out more about the new NE-186N Intelligent Computerised Microwave