Hydro-Thermal Corporation

What Hydro-Thermal Corporation does

Hydro-Thermal Corporation is a privately held, family-owned industrial machinery manufacturer specializing in Direct Steam Injection (DSI) heating technology. Founded in 1927 in Waukesha, Wisconsin and currently led by third-generation CEO Jim Zaiser, the company designs and manufactures custom-engineered steam injection heating systems for industrial and sanitary fluid processing applications across food and beverage, renewable fuels/ethanol, wastewater treatment, chemical processing, paper and pulp, pharmaceuticals, distilling and brewing, and energy and utilities markets. Hydro-Thermal operates under three generations of Zaiser family ownership with no external institutional investors, holding more than a dozen active patents and being named in over 40 process patents.

The company's core technology uses a patented internal modulation system with a variable-area nozzle/diffuser assembly that injects steam directly into process fluids for instantaneous heat transfer, achieving 100% thermal efficiency and temperature control within ±1°F. The product portfolio spans industrial heaters (Hydroheater/Jetcooker K-Series and M-Series, Solaris Hydroheater with Cross-Flow Diffuser, NOH Non-Obstructing Heater for high-solids), sanitary systems (Hydron 3-A certified sanitary heater, SilverLine Smart Cooking System with PLC control, Infuze Sanitary Cooking Skid), water-only solutions (EZ Heater, EZ Skid System), and custom-engineered ATTEC skid systems. Hydro-Thermal holds ISO 9001:2015 certification along with 3-A, EHEDG, and FDA elastomer compliance on sanitary product lines, and its systems integrate with plant DCS/PLC infrastructure via Ethernet/IP and Modbus TCP.

Revenue is generated through quote-based, custom-engineered one-time equipment sales, supplemented by recurring spare parts and replacement components and lab/application testing services offered through a try-before-you-buy facility in suburban Milwaukee. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales (Regional Sales Managers and Inside Sales Account Representatives) with a global channel partner network spanning six continents and operations in 90+ countries, including a 2018-established regional headquarters in Lyon, France for EMEA. The customer base includes enterprise accounts such as ADM, Cargill, EI DuPont, PPG Industries, Kimberly-Clark, Andersons, and VeraSun, with 20,000+ cumulative installations worldwide.

Name

Hydro-Thermal Corporation

Legal name

Hydro-Thermal Inc.

Website

https://hydro-thermal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Hydro-Thermal Corporation is a privately held, family-owned industrial machinery manufacturer specializing in Direct Steam Injection heating systems for food, beverage, chemical, wastewater, and pharmaceutical processing applications, with 20,000+ installations across 90+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Process Heating Equipment

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (33241), Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), Heating Equip, Except Elec & Warm Air; & Plumbing Fixtures (3430)

akta.pro primary industry

Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC), Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Direct steam injection heaters
• Industrial process heating equipment
• Sanitary steam injection systems
• Custom skid heating systems
• Fluid heating solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Waukesha

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. Industrial DSI Heating Equipment Sales: Sale of direct steam injection heating systems including Hydroheaters, Jetcookers, NOH heaters, Solaris Hydroheaters, EZ Heaters, and complete skidded systems. Products are custom-designed for specific customer applications and process requirements.
2. Spare Parts and Replacement Components: Replacement parts including wear parts, soft parts, and maintenance components for existing heater systems. Products like once-a-year preventative maintenance checks and parts changes.
3. Lab Services and Application Testing: In-house lab testing services where engineers work with customers to test their specific requirements and verify processes. Try-before-you-buy testing facility in suburban Milwaukee.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Hydro-Thermal Corporation designs and manufactures direct steam injection (DSI) heating and cooking systems for industrial and sanitary fluid processing. Its products include the Hydroheater/Jetcooker family, K-Series Standard Skid, Solaris Hydroheater, NOH (Non-Obstructing Heater), SilverLine Smart Cooking System, Hydron Sanitary Hydroheater, Infuze Sanitary Cooking Skid, EZ Heater, EZ Skid System, and ATTEC Process Custom Skid Systems. Each system is custom-engineered to specific customer process requirements and supported by an in-house applications lab and global channel partner network.

Product overview

Hydro-Thermal Corporation is the global leader in direct steam injection (DSI) heating and cooking systems, offering a comprehensive portfolio of industrial heating products. The core product line centers on the Hydroheater/Jetcooker family (available in K-Series and M-Series variants), complemented by specialized heaters including the Solaris Hydroheater (with Cross-Flow Diffuser for high-solids applications), NOH Non-Obstructing Heater (for clog-resistant sludge heating), and the sanitary-grade Hydron Sanitary Hydroheater. For advanced food and beverage processing, the SilverLine Smart Cooking System and Infuze Sanitary Cooking Skid provide fully integrated cooking solutions with PLC-based automation. Water-only applications are served by the EZ Heater and pre-packaged EZ Skid System. The ATTEC Process Custom Skid System addresses unique industrial requirements. All products utilize patented internal modulation technology for precise temperature control (±1°F), 100% thermal efficiency, and elimination of steam hammer and vibration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hydroheater®: The core industrial direct steam injection heater product line, including J-series, K400, K500, K600, and K608 models.
• Jetcooker™
• EZ Heater®
• EZ Skid™
• Hydron™ Sanitary Hydroheater
• Infuze™ Sanitary Cooking Skid
• NOH™ (Non-Obstructing Heater)
• SilverLine™ Smart Cooking System
• Solaris® Hydroheater
• ATTEC® Process Custom Skid System
• Hydrive Linear Actuator™ (HLA)
• ATTEC Systems

Products and services

• Hydroheater/Jetcooker Industrial DSI heater for precisely heating liquids and slurries across varying viscosities and solids, with a unique combining tube adjustor for easy control of process shear and optimal starch conversion. Available in K-Series (2.5"-10") and M-Series (0.75"-2.5") sizes.
• K-Series Hydroheater Standard Skid Pre-engineered standard skid system featuring the K-Series Hydroheater for industrial direct steam injection heating applications, with built-in automation controls.
• Solaris Hydroheater Industrial DSI heater with a Cross-Flow Diffuser that injects steam across the entire cross-section of flow for thorough mixing and uniform temperature profile. Low-shear flow ideal for slurries with high solids content where chunk size must be maintained. Max Pressure: 300 PSIG, Max Temperature: 450°F.
• NOH (Non-Obstructing Heater) Innovative straight-tube DSI heater with unrestricted flow, no pressure drop, and ability to heat slurries without plugging or fouling. Rugged design handles abrasive materials and supports Ethernet/IP and Modbus TCP for DCS integration.
• SilverLine Smart Cooking System Polished stainless-steel sanitary cooking system engineered to precisely replicate specified processing profiles, with integrated PLC control, Shear Control, and EHEDG/3-A certified NGI levelers and hygienic valves. Models DN40-DN100.
• Hydron Sanitary Hydroheater Most precise, accurate, and versatile sanitary Hydroheater, featuring a modular 3-A certified design, self-cleaning action, and automatic/manual/fixed combining tube options. Max Pressure: 195 PSIG, Max Temperature: 400°F. Awarded ADPI/Dairy Foods Breakthrough Award.
• Infuze Sanitary Cooking Skid Sanitary cooking skid (member of the SilverLine family) for on-demand heating of soups, sauces, slurries, or beverages requiring pasteurization or blended emulsification. Features sanitary rotary/torque actuators, FDA-compatible materials, 3-A certification, and PLC controls with Ethernet/IP or Modbus TCP. Max Pressure: 100 PSIG, Max Temperature: 339°F.
• EZ Heater Direct steam injection heater for water-only applications delivering precise hot water on demand; enhances batch cooking, eliminates hot spots and burn-on, and supports better quality control.
• EZ Skid System Integrated, compact pre-engineered hot water set heating system utilizing the EZ Heater. Includes all components needed for liquid heating—connect to plant utilities (steam, water, air, power). Available in H310-H2040 models.
• ATTEC Process Custom Skid System Custom engineered skid system for process-specific direct steam injection heating requirements, designed to meet unique industrial application specifications.
• Lab Services and Application Testing Application testing services in which Hydro-Thermal engineers work with customers to test specific process requirements, validate DSI system sizing, and verify results in a try-before-you-buy lab facility in suburban Milwaukee.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20-25% energy savings compared to indirect heat exchangers
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sterling Industrial (Pick Heaters): Pick Heaters is a direct competitor to Hydro-Thermal in steam injection heating, offering a parallel portfolio of direct steam injection heaters for similar industrial and sanitary applications across food, chemical, and ethanol customers.
• SPX Heat Transfer (formerly APV / SPX Flow): SPX Flow's heat-transfer division supplies plate, scraped-surface, and tubular heat exchangers — the indirect technologies Hydro-Thermal explicitly displaces — targeting the same food, dairy, beverage, and chemical processing customers.
• Heatec (a Heico company): Heatec designs and manufactures industrial process heaters and heating systems for asphalt terminals, chemical, and refining industries — a comparable direct competitor in the process heating equipment category Hydro-Thermal serves.
• API Basco (Alfa Laval): API Basco specializes in shell-and-tube heat exchangers used in chemical, petrochemical, and industrial applications — the incumbent heat-transfer technology that Hydro-Thermal competes against for the same process heating buyers.
• Eclipse Thermal (now part of Thermon): Eclipse/Thermon manufactures process immersion heaters and thermal systems for industrial fluid heating — a comparable product category targeting similar chemical, oil & gas, and process industry customers served by Hydro-Thermal.

Broad incumbents

• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval is the global incumbent in heat transfer, including plate and spiral heat exchangers used in food, dairy, pharma, and chemical processing — the broader competitor set that Hydro-Thermal targets for displacement with DSI technology.
• Schmidt + Clemens (SCHMIDT-CLEMENS Group): Schmidt+Clemens is a specialist in process heating equipment and high-alloy components for petrochemical and industrial applications, overlapping with Hydro-Thermal's chemical and process heating verticals.
• Watson-Marlow (Spirax-Sarco Engineering): Spirax-Sarco and its Watson-Marlow business serve steam-and-process heating applications globally with broader portfolios; they overlap with Hydro-Thermal in industrial steam utilization and sanitary process heating.

Emerging players

• ProSonics / Sonics + Materials: Sonics manufactures ultrasonic and process equipment for liquid processing and inline heating/coking — an emerging alternative mechanism adjacent to DSI for food, dairy, and chemical process heating where Hydro-Thermal competes.

Regional players

• Cipriani Heat Exchange: Cipriani is a European-headquartered manufacturer of shell-and-tube and plate heat exchangers serving chemical, petrochemical, and power generation markets, comparable to Hydro-Thermal's EMEA customer base and a regional competitor for indirect-to-direct displacement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@hydro-thermalcorporation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hydro-thermal-corporation
• Xx.com/fluidheating

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Hydro-Thermal Corporation