What Thomas & Muller does

Thomas & Muller Systems Ltd. is a privately held, family-owned custom mechanical bulk materials handling and conveying equipment manufacturer, founded in 1945 in Philadelphia and now headquartered in Red Hill, Pennsylvania. The company designs, engineers, and fabricates specialized equipment — primarily screw conveyors, screw feeders, bucket elevators, drag conveyors, and belt conveyors — for problematic, non-standard materials including abrasive ash, corrosive chemical waste, cohesive lithium slurry, and sticky biomass. Technical differentiators include mass-flow screw feeders with variable-pitch screws, jacketed thermal screws for temperature control (used in 1,000°F-to-400°F cooling applications), cantilevered screws, injector screws that simultaneously meter dry and liquid products, and in-house fabrication across carbon steel, stainless steel, hastelloy, inconel, and AR steel with USDA-compliant and CEMA IV dairy/pharmaceutical finishes. Engineering design uses AutoCAD 2016 and Autodesk Inventor, and material testing is performed in collaboration with specialists such as Jenike & Johanson and Solids Handling Technologies.

The company's revenue model is project-based and quote-driven, with no public pricing. Customers submit RFQ forms by product category and engage the sales team by phone ((215) 541-1961) or email ([email protected]); quotes are issued after evaluation of specific application requirements. Revenue streams include custom equipment fabrication, engineering consulting, and equipment repair services. The go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven: active participation in industry tradeshows (Pack Expo East, International Bio Mass, Powder Show South, The Battery Show North America) supplemented by direct enterprise outreach and university partnerships. The customer base spans chemical (BASF, Hercules), food (Hershey, Pillsbury, Kraft, ADM), pharmaceutical/medical (Merck, Johnson & Johnson, Wheaton), energy/mining (Schlumberger, Babcock & Wilcox, Kerr-McGee, Svedala), pulp and paper (Sappi), recycling, water treatment, and battery materials (Wysmont Lithium Mine) — primarily U.S.-based enterprise customers with one disclosed South American project. The company holds American Welding Society D1.1 / MIL-STD-278 certification and NAVSEA qualification for U.S. Navy shipbuilding work. The business has operated continuously since 1945 under four patrilineal generations of the Thomas family, with Frazier Thomas (third generation) overseeing operations since 2014 and Frazier Jr. currently in apprenticeship.

Name

Thomas & Muller

Legal name

Thomas & Muller Systems Ltd.

Website

https://thomasandmuller.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Thomas & Muller Systems Ltd. is a family-owned custom mechanical bulk materials handling and conveying equipment manufacturer, founded in 1945 and based in Red Hill, Pennsylvania, serving enterprise customers across chemical, food, pharmaceutical, energy, mining, and battery materials with engineered screw conveyors, feeders, and related systems.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Bulk Materials Handling Equipment

NAICS

Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Custom screw conveyors
• Bulk materials handling
• Industrial conveying equipment
• Mechanical conveying systems
• Custom fabricated equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Red Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Design, Engineering & Fabrication: The primary revenue stream is the design, engineering, and fabrication of custom mechanical bulk materials handling equipment including screw conveyors, screw feeders, drag conveyors, bucket elevators, belt conveyors, and custom systems. Equipment is built to each customer's specific material characteristics, process requirements, and operating environment. Revenue is project-based, earned through custom orders.
2. Engineering Consulting: Consulting services for feasibility studies, equipment sizing, system upgrades, and problem-solving in material handling systems. Can be provided as specifications only or combined with full design, engineering, and fabrication support.
3. Equipment Repair Services: Repair services for damaged and worn equipment when cost-effective, including retrofits to enhance performance and service life of existing equipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thomas & Muller Systems Ltd. designs, engineers, and fabricates custom mechanical bulk materials handling and conveying equipment, with screw conveyors and screw feeders as the primary product line. Each system is engineered around the customer's specific material characteristics, flow behavior, temperature, pressure, abrasion profile, and system layout, rather than being built from off-the-shelf standard designs. The offering is delivered as project-based custom orders supported by in-house engineering consulting, AutoCAD/Inventor-based design, multi-alloy fabrication, and equipment repair services.

Product overview

Thomas & Muller Systems Ltd. is a custom mechanical bulk materials handling equipment manufacturer with over seventy years of experience. The product portfolio centers on screw conveyor technology as the core offering, including Screw Conveyors, Screw Feeders, Incline Screw Conveyors, Vertical Screw Conveyors, Multiple Screw Feeders, Ribbon Screws, Injector Screws, Cantilevered Screws, and Heating & Cooling Screw Feeders. Supporting the screw product line are Drag Conveyors, Bucket Elevators, and Belt Conveyors for alternative material transport methods. Additional specialized equipment includes Live Bottoms for bins/hoppers/silos, Single and Double-Shaft Pug Mill Mixers, Blenders, and Dewatering Screw Conveyors. The company also provides engineering consulting, custom design services using AutoCAD 2016 and Inventor, in-house fabrication, and repair services. A Screw Selection service module helps customers choose the appropriate configuration based on material characteristics and process requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Screw Conveyors Mechanical bulk material handling equipment using rotating helical screw blades inside a trough or tube to move materials horizontally or at an incline. Handles materials ranging from reasonably dry to sludge-type, with each unit custom-engineered to the application's material and capacity requirements.
• Screw Feeders Custom-engineered feeders designed to receive bulk material consistently and discharge it at a controlled rate, featuring engineered flight pitches, shroud design, and inlet geometry for smooth material flow and accurate metering.
• Incline Screw Conveyors Custom screw conveyors designed to elevate bulk materials at various angles, with sizing and horsepower calculations tailored to material flow characteristics, lift height, and incline degree.
• Vertical Screw Conveyors Custom vertical screw conveyors engineered for consistent flow, reliability, and efficiency in elevating bulk materials vertically, with design based on lift height, material type, and flow characteristics.
• Multiple Screw Feeders Multi-screw live-bottom feeder systems for larger bin, hopper, or silo discharges, featuring variable speed drives and grouped or individual drive options for handling larger volumetric capacities.
• Ribbon Screws Specialized screw conveyors with ribbon flighting engineered for handling sticky materials and preventing segregation of large from small and light from heavy particles during conveying.
• Injector Screws Cantilevered screw with a hollow drive shaft accepting a rotary joint to deliver two products (one dry, one liquid) to the same point, with the screw controlling dry product and a pump or valve controlling the liquid.
• Cantilevered Screws Screw design supported at one end for open-end discharge, delivery into enclosed equipment, positive feeding into vertical or inclined screws, and handling non-free-flowing materials.
• Heating & Cooling Screw Feeders Jacketed thermal screw conveyors with baffled jacket designs for temperature control via heat-transfer fluid circulation, used for heating, cooling, maintaining product temperature, protecting equipment in high-heat atmospheres, or capturing fluids under a perforated trough.
• Drag Conveyors Mechanical conveyors using chains, cables, or linkages with attached flights or paddles to drag bulk materials through a trough or tube, suitable for elevation changes and extreme particle size ranges from ash fines to large clinkers.
• Bucket Elevators Vertical conveying systems using series of buckets attached to belt or chain to lift materials, available in centrifugal discharge, continuous discharge, and positive discharge styles with various take-up configurations.
• Belt Conveyors Systems using a continuous belt to transport materials horizontally or at slight incline, offering low cost for long distances, minimal product degradation, visible material on belt, and flexible loading/discharge options.
• Live Bottoms for Bins, Hoppers, or Silos Conveying systems integrated into the base of bins, hoppers, or silos featuring screws across the bottom to facilitate even discharge of materials, designed for vertical or negative-slope walls with problematic material flow characteristics.
• Single-Shaft Pug Mill Mixers Mixing equipment for combining materials during conveying, featuring a single rotating shaft with pug flights for thorough mixing action.
• Double-Shaft Pug Mill Mixers Dual-shaft mixing equipment for enhanced mixing capacity and more thorough material combination during the conveying process.
• Blenders Equipment designed for blending bulk materials to achieve uniform composition throughout the processed material.
• Dewatering Screw Conveyors Specialized screw conveyors designed to remove moisture from materials while conveying, combining material transport with dewatering functionality.
• Bins and Hoppers Storage containers for bulk materials designed to work with live bottom systems and screw feeders for controlled material discharge.
• Engineering Consulting Expert consulting services for feasibility studies, equipment sizing, system upgrades, and problem-solving in mechanical bulk materials handling systems, including evaluation of materials, process requirements, and operating conditions.
• Custom Fabrication In-house fabrication of custom components and full systems using carbon steel, stainless steel, and specialty alloys, including screws, housings, complete assemblies, and retrofits.
• Design Services Engineering design combining real-world experience with CAD and 3D modeling (AutoCAD 2016 and Inventor) for durable, precise material handling systems.
• Repair Services Repair services for damaged and worn equipment when economically viable, including refurbishment of existing screw conveyors and components, and retrofits to enhance performance and service life.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bed ash cooling screw reduced material temperature from 1,000°F to 400°F within 30 feet of conveyor length while maintaining pressures under 15 psig, achieving 11,000 lb/hr capacity
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments11 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• American Welding SocietycoreOthersThomas & Muller Systems is certified by the American Welding Society to MIL-STD-278 D1.1 standards, demonstrating welding quality and expertise in fabrication of pressure vessels and structural assemblies.
• NAVSEA (Naval Sea Systems Command)coreOthersThomas & Muller Systems is NAVSEA qualified, enabling the company to supply equipment and fabrication services to U.S. Navy shipbuilding and naval infrastructure projects.
• ARIPPA (Anthracite Region of Pennsylvania Independent Power Producers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThomas & Muller Systems is a member of ARIPPA, an association of independent power producers in Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region. Membership indicates specialization in power generation and coal/fly ash handling equipment, a core application area for the company's products.
• Solids Handling TechnologiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor the Superfund remediation project, Thomas & Muller partnered with Solids Handling Technologies to perform cohesive property and wall friction tests on hazardous chemical sludge, enabling data-driven equipment design rather than relying on rules of thumb.
• Jenike & JohansonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFor the Wysmont lithium mine project, material testing was performed by Jenike & Johanson, a leading firm in bulk solids handling testing, to determine flow properties and enable accurate equipment sizing for cohesive lithium slurry handling.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Flexicon Corporation: Direct competitor designing and manufacturing screw conveyors, flexible screw conveyors, and bulk material handling equipment for food, chemical, pharmaceutical, and industrial customers — closely overlapping T&M's core product portfolio and target verticals.
• KWS Manufacturing Company: Manufacturer of screw conveyors, screw feeders, and bulk material handling equipment serving food processing, chemical, and industrial markets — direct overlap in product category and customer base.
• Screw Conveyor Corporation: Specializes in screw conveyors, screw feeders, and bucket elevators for bulk material handling — overlapping product line and engineering-driven, custom-build business model.
• Spiroflow Systems: Designs and manufactures flexible screw conveyors, aero mechanical conveyors, and bulk material handling equipment for food, dairy, chemical, and packaging applications — directly comparable in custom-engineered bulk handling solutions.
• Hapman: Manufactures flexible screw conveyors, tubular drag conveyors, and bulk material handling equipment serving chemical, food, pharmaceutical, and industrial customers — overlapping target verticals and equipment categories.
• VAC-U-MAX: Specializes in pneumatic and mechanical conveying systems for bulk solids, including custom-engineered solutions for food, pharmaceutical, and chemical applications — comparable custom-engineering approach and customer mix.
• Metalfab: Manufactures screw feeders, screw conveyors, and bin activators for dry bulk material handling in food, chemical, plastics, and pharmaceutical industries — direct overlap in product line and process-industry customers.
• JH Equipment: Custom manufacturer of bulk material handling and conveying equipment, including screw conveyors and feeders, serving process industries — comparable in custom-engineered, problem-solving approach for difficult materials.

Broad incumbents

• Schenck Process: Global broad-line supplier of bulk material handling, weighing, feeding, and conveying equipment across mining, chemicals, power, and food — competes in overlapping equipment categories as a much larger incumbent with broader portfolio.
• Coperion: Global manufacturer of conveying, feeding, and processing equipment for bulk solids, particularly in plastics, chemicals, and food — broader portfolio and global scale than T&M, but overlapping core conveying/feeding product lines.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thomasandmullersystems8510

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Thomas & Muller