What H+K International does

H+K International is a privately held, integrated equipment and service solutions company founded in 1971 and headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. It designs, engineers, and manufactures stainless steel kitchen equipment (work tables, warming equipment, refrigeration, ventilation hoods, sinks, wire products, custom fabrications) at five owned facilities in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Poland, and Indonesia, and operates 15 distribution centers and 23 sales/support offices across 24 countries serving customers in more than 90 countries. Its primary customer base consists of large quick-service restaurant chains, led by a 50+ year relationship with McDonald's (for which H+K is the sole Kitchen Equipment Supplier in Japan), plus Burger King, Subway, Arby's, and other QSR brands; it claims 25% global market share in food equipment solutions and serves 20,000+ restaurants whose combined annual customer base is reported at 10 billion.

H+K monetizes through multiple streams: direct equipment manufacturing and sales to enterprise restaurant customers, equipment consolidation and logistics management, a replacement equipment and resupply business (smallwares, spare parts), project management services for new builds and remodels, and subscription-style service management software. Its proprietary technology stack includes eTech (custom service management software handling 18,000+ monthly service requests across 2,750 restaurants, reporting a £6M P&L saving in UK/Ireland), IPM (Integrated Project Management tool for restaurant rollouts), HKI Online (an e-commerce platform launched 2009 for 24/7 spare parts ordering), and a mobile Resupply App. The company has expanded beyond core kitchen equipment into food locker systems (e.g., Be Well Box collaboration with OHgo) and represents hundreds of OEM partners to deliver consolidated kitchen packages.

The business is private following a 2002 management buyout led by then-CEO Brian Ranalow, with David Bobbett subsequently becoming majority shareholder and Guy Wade serving as CEO since 2019. Revenue is reported at approximately $500M and the company employs 2,000+ people. Recent strategic activity includes the 2023 acquisition of Polish fabricator TKMet International (new facility opened August 2024), expansion of distribution in Wroclaw and Dallas (2022), a Dubai 3rd-party logistics partnership (2022), a $1.6M eTech software overhaul (2023), and a Dublin headquarters relocation (October 2024). H+K has won 17 consecutive Deloitte Best Managed Companies awards, reflecting operational discipline rather than rapid scaling.

Name

H+K International

Legal name

H+K International

Website

https://hki.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

H+K International is a privately held, Dublin-headquartered integrated equipment and service solutions company that designs, manufactures, and distributes stainless steel kitchen equipment, logistics, and proprietary software to global quick-service restaurant chains, led by a 50+ year McDonald's relationship, across 90+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Kitchen Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (3334), Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590), Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

HVAC Equipment (Heating, Cooling & Air Handling) (IMAHAKAB), Ventilation, Ducting & Air Distribution Equipment (IMAHAKAG)

Keywords

• Commercial kitchen equipment
• Stainless steel fabrication
• Restaurant equipment supply
• Food service logistics
• Kitchen equipment distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Equipment Manufacturing & Sales: Design, engineer, and manufacture stainless steel kitchen equipment to international standards. Products include work tables, warming equipment, wire carts, cabinets, sinks, refrigeration, ventilation hoods, and custom fabrication. Equipment is sold directly to large restaurant chains globally.
2. Logistics and Distribution: Supply chain management including equipment consolidation, distribution, and warehousing services. Manages complete projects from manufacturing through delivery, providing supply chain management focused on best value.
3. Replacement Equipment, Repair Parts & Resupply: Stocks thousands of kitchen equipment repair parts, smallware, and kitchen equipment items ready for immediate delivery. Customers can order via HKI Online e-commerce platform 24/7.
4. Project Management Services: Integrated Project Management (IPM) model providing field data collection, architectural engineering drawings, site execution, and supplier schedule monitoring. Valued in mature markets with significant rebuilds and relocations.
5. eTech Service Software: Service management software that supports reactive and planned service repair events. Generates service requests and provides troubleshooting capabilities for restaurant equipment.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

H+K International designs, engineers, and manufactures stainless steel kitchen equipment (work tables, warming equipment, refrigeration, ventilation hoods, sinks, cabinets, wire products) at five wholly-owned facilities globally. The company provides complete kitchen packages to major restaurant chains along with integrated logistics, distribution, project management, and after-sales service support across 90+ countries. Supplementary software platforms (eTech, HKI Online, IPM) support service management, e-commerce resupply, and rollout project execution.

Product overview

H+K International offers a portfolio of products and services for the restaurant and retail industry. The core offering consists of stainless steel kitchen equipment manufacturing (work tables, warming equipment, refrigeration, ventilation hoods, wire products) produced at facilities in the US, England, Mexico, and Indonesia. The company provides integrated logistics, distribution, and equipment consolidation services. Supporting the physical products are software platforms: HKI Online (e-commerce for spare parts and equipment), eTech (service management software for repair events), and IPM (Integrated Project Management tool). A mobile Resupply App enables ordering, and the company has expanded into food locker engineering. The portfolio represents a 'one-stop-shop' service model combining manufactured equipment with digital tools and logistics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stainless Steel Kitchen Equipment Manufacturing
• HKI Online
• eTech Service Management Software
• H+K Resupply App
• Integrated Project Management (IPM)
• Replacement Equipment, Repair Parts & Resupply Items
• Be Well Box Food Lockers
• Logistics and Distribution Services

Quantifiable outcome

• £6 million P&L saving in UK and Ireland markets alone from eTech built-in troubleshooting feature
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Hundreds of OEM PartnerscoreTechnology or IntegrationH+K represents hundreds of Original Equipment Manufacturers globally. These companies share H+K's commitment to serving restaurant customers. H+K consolidates equipment from multiple manufacturers into complete kitchen packages for customers.

Scale indicators18 records

Recent moves20 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Hatco Corporation: US manufacturer of warming, holding, toasting, and related stainless-steel foodservice equipment sold through foodservice distributors and used in QSR kitchens. Comparable to H+K as a complementary stainless-steel commercial kitchen equipment supplier, though Hatco is more component-focused rather than full-kitchen-package oriented.
• Hoshizaki Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of commercial ice machines, refrigeration, and beverage equipment widely used in QSR and food service. Comparable to H+K on QSR-grade refrigeration and stainless-steel equipment category, with growing global presence and overlap in the Asia Pacific QSR market.

Broad incumbents

• Middleby Corporation: Leading global manufacturer of commercial kitchen equipment, refrigeration, and food processing equipment serving QSR, casual dining, and food retail. Closest large-cap peer to H+K given overlapping QSR/fast-food customer base and similar equipment categories (cooking, refrigeration, ventilation), but operates at far greater scale as a public company.
• ITW Food Equipment: Division of Illinois Tool Works manufacturing commercial cooking, refrigeration, and warewashing equipment for QSR chains globally. Comparable to H+K as an integrated commercial-kitchen supplier with strong presence in major QSR accounts, though ITW operates as part of a much larger diversified industrial conglomerate.
• Welbilt (now part of Middleby): Pre-merger competitor focused on commercial kitchen cooking and refrigeration equipment (Cleveland, Frymaster, Lincoln, Merrychef brands). Direct overlap with H+K's stainless-steel cooking and refrigeration offerings for QSR and casual dining customers; now absorbed into Middleby but historically a benchmark competitor for chain restaurant equipment supply.
• Manitowoc Foodservice (now Welbilt): Legacy provider of foodservice equipment including cooking, refrigeration, and ice machines to QSR chains globally. Now part of Welbilt/Middleby; historically a direct competitor to H+K on integrated kitchen packages for major restaurant brands.

Direct peers

• Ali Group S.r.l. Italian-owned conglomerate and one of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial foodservice equipment, including cooking, refrigeration, warewashing, and stainless-steel fabrication. Highly comparable to H+K on integrated equipment supply to restaurant chains and global multi-brand manufacturing footprint, with direct overlap on stainless-steel kitchen packages.
• Standex International (Food Equipment Group): Manufacturer of commercial cooking and refrigeration equipment for restaurant and food service customers, including custom fabricated kitchen solutions. Comparable to H+K on commercial-kitchen equipment manufacturing for restaurant chains, although smaller and more US-focused.
• Duke Manufacturing Co. US-based manufacturer of stainless-steel food service equipment including custom fabricated kitchen systems, serving QSR and convenience-store chains. Comparable to H+K on stainless-steel fabrication and integrated kitchen package delivery, though Duke is more concentrated in the US market.

Regional players

• True Manufacturing Company: US manufacturer of commercial refrigeration equipment including reach-ins, walk-ins, and display cases used extensively in QSR back-of-house. Comparable to H+K on the refrigeration and stainless-steel equipment side, but concentrated primarily in North America versus H+K's global footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about H+K International