Cantel Medical
Cantel Medical, founded in 1963 and now a subsidiary of STERIS plc, develops and sells infection prevention and sterilization equipment, chemistries, and contract sterilization services for hospitals, surgery centers, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and research laboratories across multiple modalities including steam, ethylene oxide, gamma, electron beam, X-ray, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1963
- HeadquartersLittle Falls, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Cantel Medical does
Cantel Medical is a US-incorporated infection prevention and sterilization company founded in 1963 and currently operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of STERIS plc following STERIS's 2021 acquisition of Cantel for approximately $1.85 billion. The legal entity is Cantel Medical Corp., historically headquartered in Little Falls, New Jersey, and now part of STERIS, whose corporate headquarters are at 5960 Heisley Road, Mentor, Ohio. The company sells automated sterilization systems, high-level disinfection solutions, endoscope reprocessing devices, surgical instrument cleaning chemistries, sterility assurance and monitoring products, and contract sterilization services across multiple modalities — steam, ethylene oxide, gamma irradiation, electron beam, X-ray irradiation, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide — alongside UV-C disinfection hardware and AI-driven monitoring systems.
Cantel's go-to-market is enterprise field sales targeting hospitals and surgery centers, medical device manufacturers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, and biotechnology and research laboratories, with regional coverage in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Revenue is generated through a mix of capital equipment sales, recurring consumable and chemistry replenishment, sterility assurance and monitoring products, and recurring contract sterilization services; an e-commerce storefront (shop.steris.com) handles service parts and consumables in the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. The company is positioned by industry sources as a leading player in both the US sterilization services market (projected to reach $3.25 billion by 2030) and the global surface disinfectant market (projected to reach $7.93 billion by 2034).
Cantel has historically been an active acquirer, with notable deals including MEDIVATORS (2001, $70 million), Crosstex International (2005), SPSmedical (2012), PuriCore International (2014, $26.9 million), Medical Innovations Group (2015, $79.5 million), Accutron (2016, $52.5 million), BHT Hygienetechnik (2017, $60.8 million), Omnia SpA (2018, $31.9 million), Vista Research Group (2019, $10.5 million), and Hu-Friedy Mfg. (2019, $725 million). Leadership includes Charles Michael Diker as Chairman, Peter Clifford as EVP and CFO, Michael Drexel as SVP and CTO, Seth Yellin as Chief Growth Officer, and Jean Casner as SVP and CHRO. Following the STERIS acquisition, Cantel no longer trades independently and its financials roll up into STERIS plc (NYSE: STE).
Cantel Medical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cantel Medical
- Legal name
- Cantel Medical Corp.
- Website
- https://cantelmedical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1963
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Cantel Medical, founded in 1963 and now a subsidiary of STERIS plc, develops and sells infection prevention and sterilization equipment, chemistries, and contract sterilization services for hospitals, surgery centers, medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, and research laboratories across multiple modalities including steam, ethylene oxide, gamma, electron beam, X-ray, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cantel Medical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Sterilization and Infection Prevention Equipment
- NAICS
- Irradiation Apparatus Manufacturing (334517), Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Soap and Cleaning Compound Manufacturing (32561), Medical and Diagnostic Laboratories (62151)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Specialty Cleaning, Polishing And Sanitation Preparations (2842)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sterilization Services & Contract Reprocessing (ETO/Gamma/E-beam providers) (HLAHANAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sterilization Equipment & Systems (Autoclaves, Low-Temp, ETO, H2O2, UV) (HLAHANAA), Reprocessing & Endoscope Infection Prevention (AERs, Drying/Storage, Leak Testing, Brushes) (HLAHANAJ), Sterilization Consumables & Packaging (Wraps, Pouches, Indicators, Trays/Containers) (HLAHANAC), Radiation Processing & Sterilization Services (Medical device sterilization, food irradiation, materials modification) (EUAKAIAG)
Keywords
Where Cantel Medical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Little Falls
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cantel Medical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Sterilization Services: Contract sterilization services including gamma irradiation, electron beam irradiation, X-ray irradiation, ethylene oxide sterilization, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide for medical devices and pharmaceutical products
- Surface Disinfectant Products: Sale of surface disinfectant products for healthcare, laboratories, and household settings
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Cantel Medical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cantel Medical manufactures and sells medical sterilization and infection prevention equipment, including sterilizers, glassware washers, high-level disinfection systems, surgical instrument cleaning chemistries, endoscope reprocessing devices, sterility assurance products, and surface disinfectants. It also provides contract sterilization services (gamma, electron beam, X-ray, ethylene oxide, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide) to medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology manufacturers, along with validation laboratory services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sterilization Solutions and Sterile Processing Equipment Capital sterilization and sterile processing equipment for hospitals and surgery centers, supporting instrument reprocessing workflows.
- Surgical Instrument Cleaning Chemistries Detergents and chemistries used in healthcare facilities to clean surgical instruments prior to sterilization.
- Sterility Assurance and Monitoring Products Consumables and monitoring products that verify and document sterilization effectiveness in healthcare and laboratory settings.
- Endoscope Reprocessing Solutions Automated endoscope reprocessing systems and consumables for hospitals and surgery centers to high-level disinfect flexible endoscopes.
- Endoscopy Devices and Equipment Endoscopy devices and capital equipment sold to healthcare facilities for diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopic procedures.
- Offsite Reprocessing Center Services Outsourced sterile processing and instrument reprocessing services performed at offsite facilities on behalf of hospitals and surgery centers.
- SecureCare Services Service program covering maintenance and support for sterilization and sterile processing equipment at healthcare facilities.
- Surgical Device Repair and Surgical Instrument Repair Services Repair and refurbishment services for surgical instruments and devices for hospitals and surgery centers.
- Gamma Irradiation Contract Sterilization Services Contract gamma irradiation sterilization of medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- Electron Beam Irradiation Contract Sterilization Services Contract electron beam (E-beam) sterilization for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- X-ray Irradiation Contract Sterilization Services Contract X-ray irradiation sterilization for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- Ethylene Oxide Contract Sterilization Services Contract ethylene oxide (EtO) sterilization for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide (VHP) Contract Sterilization Services Contract vaporized hydrogen peroxide sterilization for medical devices and pharmaceutical products.
- Medical Device and Pharmaceutical Laboratory Testing and Validation Services Laboratory testing and validation services supporting sterilization process validation and quality assurance for medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
- Washing, Sterilization, Decontamination and Water Purification Equipment Industrial washing, sterilization, decontamination, and water purification equipment for life sciences manufacturers.
- Process Cleaning Detergents Process and pharmaceutical-grade cleaning detergents used in manufacturing and laboratory cleaning applications.
- Surface Disinfectants, Sporicides, Cleaners and Alcohols Sporicidal disinfectants, surface cleaners, and alcohols used for infection control in healthcare, laboratory, life sciences, and household settings.
- Sterility Assurance and Barrier Products Sterility maintenance and barrier products used to preserve sterility of processed medical devices and laboratory items.
- Biodecontamination Services Contract biodecontamination services for life sciences manufacturing and laboratory facilities.
- Equipment Maintenance Services Maintenance and service programs for sterilization, washing, and decontamination equipment at customer sites.
Quantifiable outcome
- Market leader position in $7.93 billion surface disinfectant market projected by 2034
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Cantel Medical
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Cantel Medical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Cantel Medical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Fermilab ResearchersminorFermilab researchers introduced an advanced electron beam accelerator for medical equipment sterilization in March 2024 as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional methods. While not a formal partnership, this represents industry innovation development that could benefit sterilization service providers like Cantel Medical.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cantel Medical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Clorox Healthcare: Clorox Healthcare provides surface disinfectants, sanitizers and infection control products for healthcare facilities. Listed alongside Cantel as a leading surface disinfectant market participant, with overlap in healthcare-grade disinfectants and wipes.
- 3M Health Care: 3M's Health Care division includes sterilization monitoring, cleaning chemistries and surface disinfectants used by hospitals and labs. Competes with Cantel in sterility assurance and surface disinfectant categories, though 3M is a far broader diversified industrial conglomerate.
- Ecolab Inc. Ecolab is a global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions, including surface disinfectants and cleaning chemistries used in healthcare. Named alongside Cantel as a leading surface disinfectant player and competes in healthcare hygiene categories.
Emerging players
- TSO3 Inc. TSO3 develops low-temperature sterilization technology (VHP-based) for terminal sterilization of medical devices. Listed as a competitor in the US sterilization services market and represents an emerging technology overlap with Cantel's VHP-based offerings.
Direct peers
- Getinge AB: Getinge is a Swedish global leader in sterilization, disinfection and surgical workflow solutions serving hospitals and life sciences customers. Directly competes with Cantel in sterilizers, washer-disinfectors and sterile processing consumables.
- STERIS plc: STERIS plc is the parent of Cantel Medical and itself a direct competitor in sterilization equipment, contract sterilization services and infection prevention. Highly comparable across product portfolio (sterilizers, VHP, contract sterilization) and customer base (hospitals, medical device and pharma manufacturers).
- Matachana Group: Matachana manufactures sterilization, disinfection and laboratory equipment for hospitals, pharmaceutical and life science customers. Listed alongside Cantel in the US sterilization market and competes in similar sterilization and infection prevention equipment categories.
- Sterigenics (Sotera Health): Sterigenics is a leading global provider of contract sterilization services using gamma, EtO and e-beam, alongside lab testing and advisory services. Directly comparable to Cantel's contract sterilization services business and named as a co-competitor in the US sterilization services market.
- Belimed (Metall Zug Group): Belimed supplies industrial and hospital sterilization, disinfection and cleaning equipment for sterile processing departments. Named alongside Cantel in the US sterilization services/equipment market and offers directly comparable sterile processing systems.
- Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP, Johnson & Johnson): ASP, part of J&J MedTech, provides sterilization and disinfection solutions including low-temperature sterilization systems used by hospitals and medical device manufacturers. Directly comparable in sterilization modalities and infection prevention portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cantel Medical social profiles
Digital presenceCantel Medical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cantel Medical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cantel Medical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cantel Medical M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A15 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cantel Medical
What does Cantel Medical do?
Cantel Medical manufactures and sells medical sterilization and infection prevention equipment, including sterilizers, glassware washers, high-level disinfection systems, surgical instrument cleaning chemistries, endoscope reprocessing devices, sterility assurance products, and surface disinfectants. It also provides contract sterilization services (gamma, electron beam, X-ray, ethylene oxide, and vaporized hydrogen peroxide) to medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology manufacturers, along with validation laboratory services.
Is Cantel Medical a public or private company?
Cantel Medical is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Cantel Medical founded?
Cantel Medical was founded in 1963. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cantel Medical based?
Cantel Medical is headquartered in Little Falls, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cantel Medical make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Sterilization Services are the primary driver. The others are surface Disinfectant Products.
Who are Cantel Medical's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Clorox Healthcare, 3M Health Care and Ecolab Inc.. TSO3 Inc. is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Getinge AB, STERIS plc, Matachana Group, Sterigenics (Sotera Health), Belimed (Metall Zug Group) and Advanced Sterilization Products (ASP, Johnson & Johnson).
Does Cantel Medical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cantel Medical.
What industry is Cantel Medical in?
Cantel Medical's product category is Medical Sterilization and Infection Prevention Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAHANAB, Sterilization Services & Contract Reprocessing (ETO/Gamma/E-beam providers), with a secondary code of HLAHANAA, Sterilization Equipment & Systems (Autoclaves, Low-Temp, ETO, H2O2, UV). Its NAICS code is 334517 and its SIC code is 3841.