What Ferlo does

Ferlo is a Spanish manufacturer of industrial autoclaves, retorts, and product handling automation systems serving the food processing and pharmaceutical industries globally (outside North America). Founded in 1969 in San Adrián, Navarra, the company designs and builds a comprehensive range of sterilization equipment including static, shaking, rotary, Shaka (high-pulse), ImmersaFlow (forced water immersion), and pharmaceutical-grade (STERIFER) autoclaves, ranging from 800mm to 1800mm in diameter. Its technology platform combines proprietary thermal processing innovations (notably ImmersaFlow achieving 4-6 minute come-up times with only 2°F temperature variance, and Shaka pulsing at up to 180 ppm reducing sterilization time by up to 90%) with the e-View industrial PC-based control software that is FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliant for pharmaceutical applications. Ferlo also produces Automated Batch Retort Systems (ABRS) that mechanize loading/unloading and require only 1-2 operators, basket handling systems, and autoclave accessories.

Ferlo's business model centers on custom-engineered capital equipment sales to large food and pharmaceutical manufacturers, supplemented by recurring service revenue through its FerloCare program (Upgrade, Assistance, and Validation tiers), spare parts, DecisionLab pilot plant testing services, and Ferlo Consulting engineering services. Pricing is quote-based with multi-year contracts varying by autoclave configuration, diameter, and customization. Ferlo serves five primary vertical segments: food preserves/vegetables, beverages, fish/seafood, baby food, pet food, and pharmaceuticals, with enterprise field sales delivered directly and through regional offices in Southeast Asia (opened 2018), Peru, South Korea, and the Netherlands.

Ferlo was acquired by ProMach in November 2022 and now operates as a product brand within ProMach's Handling & Sterilizing business line alongside Allpax (North America), Stock America, and the newly acquired DFT Technology GmbH. The company holds regulatory certifications including FDA authorization as the only European exporter permitted in the US market, plus GMP, IRAM, DNI, ISO, and UNE-EN compliance. Its installed base exceeds 2,000 autoclaves manufactured since 1969, supported by a 12,000 m² manufacturing facility and a strategic partnership with Allpax spanning nearly two decades.

Name

Ferlo

Legal name

Ferlo Soluciones de Proceso S.L.U.

Website

https://ferlo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ferlo is a Spanish manufacturer of industrial autoclaves, retorts, and product handling automation systems for food processing and pharmaceutical manufacturers globally. Founded in 1969 and acquired by ProMach in 2022, it offers proprietary sterilization technologies and serves enterprise customers across Europe, Latin America, Asia, and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Adrián

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Capital Equipment Sales: Ferlo generates primary revenue from the sale of capital equipment including autoclaves, retort systems, and handling equipment to food processing and pharmaceutical manufacturers worldwide.
2. After-Sales Service and Maintenance: FerloCare program provides ongoing maintenance, support, and spare parts services through various programs including Upgrade, Assistance, and Validation services.
3. Spare Parts: Original spare parts management and sales through FerloCare service program.
4. Consulting and Engineering Services: Ferlo Consulting provides project feasibility studies, turnkey project development, food and pharmaceutical engineering, thermal process advisory, and implementation studies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ferlo manufactures industrial autoclaves (retorts), pasteurizing tunnels, and automated product handling systems for sterilizing and cooking foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and other consumable products. The portfolio includes static, shaking, rotary, Shaka, ImmersaFlow, and pharmaceutical (STERIFER) autoclaves; Automated Batch Retort Systems (ABRS); basket loaders/unloaders; autoclave accessories; and the e-View control software. Supporting offerings include FerloCare maintenance and validation services, DecisionLab pilot-plant testing, and Ferlo Consulting engineering services.

Product overview

Ferlo is a manufacturer of autoclaves/retorts and handling systems for cooking and sterilizing foods, beverages, pharmaceuticals, and other consumable products. The company operates as part of ProMach's Handling & Sterilizing business line. Ferlo offers multiple sterilization technologies (static, shaking, rotary, shaka, and ImmersaFlow autoclaves), complemented by automated batch retort systems (ABRS), basket handling systems, and its Ferlo Control Software (e-View) for process automation. The product portfolio also includes autoclave accessories and supporting services such as FerloCare maintenance programs, DecisionLab testing facilities, and Ferlo Consulting engineering services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FerloCare: Care and maintenance service for machines and software, including customer service center, support and maintenance, and original spare parts management.
• DecisionLab
• Ferlo Consulting

Products and services

• Static Autoclave Autoclave that transmits cold and hot water through recirculation via plate heat exchange in spray or cascade mode, suitable for products that do not require movement during sterilization. Available in diameters from 800mm to 1800mm, constructed in AISI 304L stainless steel.
• Shaking Autoclave Autoclave operating like the static autoclave with additional longitudinal movement of up to 60 pulses per minute, suitable for products requiring constant movement during sterilization. Available in diameters from 800mm to 1520mm.
• Rotary Autoclave Sterilization system that rotates the cage simultaneously with sprays along the cage, avoiding centrifugation effect and guaranteeing homogenization of product temperature. Available in diameters 1000mm and 1600mm.
• Shaka Autoclave Autoclave applying pulses at up to 180 ppm to achieve faster and more efficient heat distribution, reducing sterilization time by up to 90%. Suitable for products with high temperature penetration difficulty, with a maximum working temperature of 163°C.
• ImmersaFlow Autoclave Innovative batch-type water immersion sterilization technology providing control of process media by forcing water through the load rather than relying on gravity, achieving 4-6 minute come-up times with only a 2°F difference between geometric center and perimeter of the load.
• Pharmaceutical Autoclave (STERIFER) Autoclave designed and manufactured for the pharmaceutical industry meeting GMP and FDA standards, with optional double-door design for sterile zones and pressure compensation systems, intended for sterilization of vials, serums, ampoules, injectable liquids, and plasma bags.
• Basket Loaders and Unloaders Handling systems for loading and unloading autoclave baskets, including push-type systems for metal, non-metal, and glass containers; magnetic plate systems for metal and glass containers; and vacuum systems for flexible containers such as flat bags and doypacks.
• Automated Batch Retort Systems (ABRS) Automated systems that mechanize the entire loading, unloading, and introduction process into autoclaves, controlled by software. A fully automated system typically requires only one or two people to operate and supervise the entire system.
• Autoclave Accessories Autoclave accessories including baskets, carts, custom trays, and sliding sheets suitable for all brands and models of autoclaves, available with custom designs and interlocking layers.
• Ferlo Control Software (e-View) Industrial management software based on a PC industrial system for automatic control of process cycle operations, featuring real-time machinery supervision, alarm visualization and history, process data acquisition, recipe editing and visualization, user access security levels, and FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance.
• FerloCare Service Program Care and maintenance service for Ferlo machines and software, consisting of a Customer Service Centre, Support and Maintenance service, and original spare parts management, offered through FerloCare Upgrade, FerloCare Assistance, and FerloCare Validation programs.
• DecisionLab Pilot Plant Testing Testing laboratory and pilot plant where customers can test their products with optimal sterilization systems, with capabilities for temperature distribution, heat penetration, and organoleptic property analysis across static, shaka, shaking, and rotary autoclave technologies.
• Ferlo Consulting Consulting and engineering department providing integrated project creation from initial planning to start-up control, including feasibility studies, turnkey project development, custom equipment development, food and pharmaceutical engineering, thermal process advice, and implementation studies.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% reduction in sterilization time with Shaka technology
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AllpaxcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllpax, a leading sterilization and processing machinery manufacturer, has worked with Ferlo for nearly two decades. Ferlo has provided manufacturing competency to assist in supplying retort room equipment. Allpax is a ProMach product brand serving the North American market, while Ferlo serves the global market outside North America.
• KiremkominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKiremko is listed as a business alliance partner, offering complete processing lines, factory upgrades, and capacity expansions for the food industry.
• SerranominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSerrano is a business alliance partner specializing in design and manufacturing of machinery for the food industry.
• HermasaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHermasa is a business alliance partner providing canning technology solutions for operations anywhere in the world.
• CNTAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCNTA (Centro Nacional de Tecnología y Seguridad Alimentaria) is an independent process authority recognized by the FDA and international entities. Ferlo collaborates with CNTA on the FerloCare Validation program for objective and independent validation of machines, processes, training, and thermal process monitoring. CNTA provides senior technicians with scientific backgrounds and over 10 years experience.
• ProMachcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProMach acquired Ferlo in November 2022, expanding its international footprint and global retort capacity. Ferlo joined ProMach's Handling & Sterilizing business line. ProMach is a global leader in packaging line solutions with complementary product brands Allpax, Stock America, and newly acquired DFT Technology.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: GEA is a large global industrial equipment manufacturer with a dedicated separation and thermal processing portfolio serving food, dairy, beverages, and pharma. Its batch and aseptic processing equipment competes with Ferlo across multiple customer verticals and geographies.
• Tetra Pak: Tetra Pak is a global food processing and packaging giant offering sterilization, pasteurization, and aseptic filling for dairy, beverages, and prepared foods. It overlaps with Ferlo in thermal processing equipment for liquid food and beverage customers globally.
• JBT Avure Technologies: JBT operates Avure, a large industrial autoclave and high-pressure processing (HPP) equipment line serving global food and pharma customers. While much broader than Ferlo, it competes in batch sterilization and offers alternative non-thermal technologies, making it a key incumbent benchmark.

Direct peers

• Allpax Products: Allpax is a ProMach sister brand and the leading North American retort/sterilization equipment manufacturer, overlapping directly with Ferlo on static, shaking, rotary, and continuous sterilization systems. The two brands split global geography but share customers, technology adjacencies, and business-line leadership under ProMach's Handling & Sterilizing unit.
• Stock America: Stock America is another ProMach sterilization and processing equipment product brand serving the North American market. It competes head-on with Ferlo and Allpax in retort rooms and product handling for food processing, making it a directly comparable peer within the same parent ecosystem.
• DFT Technology GmbH: DFT is a German water-immersion retort specialist recently acquired by ProMach (Dec 2025), serving seafood, ready-to-eat, infant food, meats, soups, dairy, and pet food. Its water-immersion technology directly overlaps with Ferlo's ImmersaFlow, making it Ferlo's closest technology peer.
• Lagarde Autoclaves: Lagarde is a French autoclave and retort manufacturer for the food and pharmaceutical industries. It competes with Ferlo across static and agitated retorts, particularly across European food processors, with comparable customer verticals (canning, ready meals, pharma).
• Stalam S.p.A. Stalam is an Italian manufacturer of thermal processing equipment including its Steriflow line of batch and continuous sterilizers for food and pharma. It is a direct European peer to Ferlo with overlapping customer verticals (dairy, meat, ready meals, seafood, pharma).
• Surdry: Surdry is a Spanish manufacturer of autoclaves and retorts serving the food preservation sector. Despite a smaller global footprint, it directly competes with Ferlo across Iberian and Latin American food processors on static and agitated sterilization systems.

Emerging players

• Hiperbaric: Hiperbaric is a Burgos, Spain-based high-pressure processing equipment manufacturer serving food processors and pharma. As the leading non-thermal sterilization alternative, it competes indirectly with Ferlo's thermal retorts for the same shelf-stable and high-value food customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maquinaria-ferlo-s-a

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Ferlo