Advanced Process Technologies

What Advanced Process Technologies does

Advanced Process Technologies, Inc. (APT) is a privately held, 100% employee-owned (ESOP since 2017) designer and manufacturer of stainless steel processing equipment for the food and dairy industries. Founded in 2000 in Winsted, Minnesota and headquartered in Cokato, MN, APT operates three manufacturing facilities spanning over 110,000 square feet across Minnesota, Idaho (Jerome, opened 2011), and California (Visalia, opened 2015), serving enterprise customers across the United States and Canada.

APT's core technology centers on its patented Advanced Cheese Vat (ACV) family — including the original ACV (2006, three US patents), Advanced Finishing Vat (AFV, 2014), Advanced Cheese Tower (ACT), and the 2025-launched Advanced Cottage Cheese Vat (ACCV) — supplemented by a broad product line of cheesemaking belts, dosing systems, skidded modules (blending, CIP, HTST pasteurizers), 3-A certified tanks and processors, custom fabrications, and catwalks/access systems. The company uses open-architecture automation built on Rockwell Automation platforms and has UL 508A, 3-A, ASME, and PMO certifications, allowing it to deliver equipment meeting FDA, USDA, and state dairy standards.

Revenue is generated primarily through custom equipment manufacturing (one-time project sales for vats, skids, tanks, and complete production lines), augmented by professional services (engineering, installation, consulting) and a small recurring service/repair stream. APT goes to market via enterprise direct field sales to large food and dairy processors (named accounts include Valley Queen Cheese, California Dairies Inc., empirical foods, and Michael Foods), supported by industry-event presence (CheeseExpo) and a 100% employee-ownership culture that aligns workforce incentives with project delivery. The 2010 merger with Advanced Automation brought controls engineering in-house, enabling vertically integrated project execution from process design through commissioning and ongoing service.

Name

Advanced Process Technologies

Legal name

Advanced Process Technologies, Inc.

Website

https://apt-inc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Advanced Process Technologies designs, fabricates, and installs patented stainless steel cheesemaking equipment and skidded process systems for enterprise dairy and food processors across the United States and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Processing Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241), Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Dairy processing equipment
• Cheesemaking equipment
• Stainless steel fabrication
• Food processing systems
• Skidded systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Cokato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Manufacturing: Design, fabrication, and sale of custom stainless steel processing equipment including cheese vats, tanks, skidded systems, and custom fabrications. Equipment ranges from single components to complete production lines.
2. Engineering Services: Process design engineering, automation and controls design, and custom plant layouts (2D and 3D) provided as professional services.
3. Installation Services: On-site equipment installation, start-up, and commissioning services with experienced field technicians and project superintendents.
4. Service & Repair: Preventive maintenance, emergency repairs, equipment diagnostics, and optimization services. 24/7 technical support available.
5. Consulting Services: Cheesemaking and plant operations consulting led by on-staff Master Cheesemaker, including recipe optimization and process troubleshooting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Advanced Process Technologies (APT) designs, fabricates, and installs custom stainless steel processing equipment for food and dairy industries, with a focus on patented cheesemaking equipment including the Advanced Cheese Vat (ACV), Advanced Finishing Vat (AFV), and Advanced Cottage Cheese Vat (ACCV). The company operates as a vertically integrated provider combining process design engineering, fabrication, automation and controls, installation, and ongoing service and repair under one roof, serving customers across the U.S. and Canada from manufacturing facilities in Minnesota, Idaho, and California.

Product overview

Advanced Process Technologies (APT) offers a comprehensive portfolio of cheesemaking equipment, skidded systems, tanks, custom fabrications, 3-A certified equipment, catwalks, and associated services for the food and dairy processing industries. The core product line centers on the patented Advanced Cheese Vat (ACV) family—including the ACV, Advanced Cottage Cheese Vat (ACCV), and Advanced Finishing Vat (AFV)—supplemented by a full range of cheese processing equipment including towers, dosing systems, draining/fines/cheese/transfer/salting belts, and packaging systems. These are complemented by skidded systems (blending, CIP, HTST pasteurizers), stainless steel tanks (PMO balance tanks, processors), 3-A certified equipment (strainers), custom fabrications (flow verters, vacuum chambers, specialty tanks), and catwalks/access systems. APT provides end-to-end services including process design engineering, fabrication, automation & controls, installation, cheesemaking consulting, and service & repair. The company operates as a vertically integrated provider combining design, fabrication, automation, installation, and support under one roof.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Advanced Cheese Vat (ACV): Patented cheese vat introduced in 2006, designed for superior yield, enhanced mechanical reliability, and reduced maintenance.
• Advanced Cottage Cheese Vat (ACCV)
• Advanced Finishing Vat (AFV)
• Advanced Cheese Tower (ACT)
• Advanced Bulk Packaging (ABP)
• Advanced Dosing System (ADS)
• Advanced Draining Belt (ADB)
• Advanced Fines Belt (AFB)
• Advanced Cheese Belt (ACB)
• Advanced Transfer Belt (ATB)
• Advanced Salting Belt (ASB)
• Advanced Salt Dosing System (ASDS)
• Advanced Cheese Packaging (ACP)

Products and services

• Advanced Cheese Vat (ACV) Patented cheese vat released in 2006, serving as an industry benchmark in the U.S. and Canada. Features single agitator shaft with opposing blade panels, water-based heating system with sparger pipe, triple-skin design with 3-inch insulation, and automated rennet injection. Available in 2,500 to 70,000 pound capacities for large-scale cheese producers.
• Advanced Cottage Cheese Vat (ACCV) Enclosed vat design released in 2025 for cottage cheese production, offering improvements in product quality and operator safety. Based on ACV technology with agitation optimized for cottage cheese stages, featuring constant knife action for uniform cutting compared to traditional cutting harps. Available in 15,000 to 70,000 pound capacities.
• Advanced Finishing Vat (AFV) Multi-functional finishing vat for cheesemaking operations, featuring poly chain agitator drive, air-purged rotary union, laser distance sensor for carriage positioning, whey collection system, and robust curd unloading system. Heating jacket available for lower moisture cheeses.
• Advanced Cheese Tower (ACT) Block-forming system designed for high efficiency, precise control, and minimal product waste. Features guillotine cover door with quick clamp removal, inflatable door gasket, innovative screen design for whey removal, and 316 stainless steel product contact areas.
• Advanced Bulk Packaging (ABP) High-speed conveyor system for bulk packaged products with modular design and corrosion-resistant construction. Features smart sensors for optimized production speed and reduced line stoppages. Handles 500-pound barrels with advanced automation.
• Skidded Systems (Blending, CIP, HTST Pasteurizers) Pre-engineered, pre-wired, pre-tested self-contained process modules including blending systems, CIP systems, and HTST pasteurizers. Plug-and-play functionality with factory acceptance testing reduces installation time from weeks to days.
• Stainless Steel Tanks (PMO Balance, Processors, CIP) Versatile tanks for heating, cooling, and blending in food and dairy applications. 3-A compliant with dimpled heat exchange surface and customized agitation. Available in 304 or 316L stainless steel with polished finish. PMO Balance Transfer Tanks meet Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and 3-A Sanitary Standards.
• 3-A Certified Equipment (PMO Balance Tanks, Processors, Strainers) 3-A certified equipment meeting USDA, FDA, and PMO standards. PMO Balance Tanks certified to 3-A Standard 32-03, Processors compliant with 3-A Standard 25-03, and Strainers certified to 3-A Standard 42-01. Built with 304 or 316L stainless steel construction.
• Custom Fabrications (Flow Verters, Vacuum Chambers, Specialty Tanks, Oversized Components) Custom stainless steel fabrications for unique food and dairy processing requirements including flow control solutions, custom vacuum chambers for air and liquid extraction, specialty tanks, and oversized manufactured components up to 20 tons finished weight.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 1% improvement in whey fats through blade sharpening and service
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Millerbernd Manufacturing CompanyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2022APT partnered with Millerbernd Manufacturing Company to present a new Lincoln Square TIG 200 welder to Lester Prairie High School, supporting workforce development in the local community.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Krones AG: Krones AG is a German industrial equipment leader for the food and beverage industries, including dairy processing and packaging lines. It is comparable as a broad incumbent that competes for custom-engineered processing equipment deals with large food and dairy customers, though at a much larger scale.
• SPX Flow: SPX Flow designs and engineers food and beverage processing equipment, including mixers, separators, and heat exchange technologies used in dairy operations. It is comparable to APT because both sell engineered process equipment and skidded systems into dairy and food processors, though SPX Flow operates across many segments.
• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval supplies heat exchangers, separators, and fluid handling equipment widely used in dairy and food processing, including HTST systems that overlap with APT's skidded HTST pasteurizers. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same dairy processors, though Alfa Laval's portfolio spans many industries.
• Tetra Pak: Tetra Pak is a global food processing and packaging giant with a deep cheese and dairy equipment portfolio covering vats, presses, and processing lines. It is comparable because it competes with APT for the same enterprise dairy customers, but at a much larger scale and with a global service footprint.

Direct peers

• Paul Mueller Company: Paul Mueller Company fabricates stainless steel process equipment and tanks for the dairy and food industries, including HTST systems, balance tanks, and custom fabrications. It is directly comparable to APT in its vertically integrated tank/fabrication capabilities serving dairy processors across North America.
• Relco: Relco is a U.S.-based specialist in cheese and dairy process equipment, including vats, finishing equipment, and process lines. It is directly comparable to APT as a similarly sized niche competitor serving cheese/dairy processors with custom-engineered equipment and process design services.
• GEA Group: GEA Group is one of the largest suppliers of process technology for the food and dairy industries, including cheese processing equipment such as vats, block formers, and separators. It is directly comparable to APT because it serves the same North American cheese/dairy processors with similar custom-engineered equipment and turnkey installations.
• Stoelting: Stoelting manufactures food and dairy processing equipment, including cheese vats and finishing systems, alongside mixers and processing tanks. It is comparable to APT because it sells into the same cheese and dairy processor customer base with custom-engineered stainless steel equipment and controls.

Others

• Scherping Systems: Scherping Systems was a U.S. cheese and dairy equipment specialist prior to being absorbed into a larger platform, and is referenced in APT management backgrounds (Gary S. joined Scherping in 1995 per source). Included as a historical/named comparable for the cheese equipment niche APT operates in.

Emerging players

• BouMatic: BouMatic supplies dairy farm and processing equipment, with growing involvement in dairy processing systems and components. It is partially comparable as an adjacent dairy equipment vendor, though its primary focus is milking and on-farm systems rather than the cheese processing equipment that anchors APT.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/apt_inc
• Facebookfacebook.com/advancedprocesstechnologies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/advanced-process-technologies-inc.

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Advanced Process Technologies