Champion Industries

What Champion Industries does

Champion Industries is a North American manufacturer of commercial warewashing equipment, headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, with a 130-plus-year operating history that traces back to its 1890 founding as Thompson & Low in Hoboken, New Jersey. The company operates as a subsidiary of Welbilt, Inc., itself part of Italy's Ali Group, and sells a six-category product portfolio spanning undercounter dishwashers, glass washers, door-type machines, rack conveyors, flight-type machines capable of cleaning up to 20,000 wares per hour, and heavy-duty pot, pan, and rack washers. Its core technology stack emphasizes durability, energy efficiency, and connectivity: proprietary features include Ventless Heat Recovery (VHR) for hood-free installations, StemSure soft-start glass protection, Rinse Sentry temperature assurance, Multi-Power in-field voltage conversion, and the Direct Link / Direct Link Plus+ remote diagnostics and cloud-based HACCP monitoring platforms. The Bi-Line sub-brand extends the offering into integrated stainless steel conveyor systems for full dishroom solutions.

Champion's revenue model is anchored in capital equipment sales, augmented by recurring service, parts, and connectivity subscriptions (Direct Link Plus+ carries a renewable three-year subscription). Go-to-market combines regional direct enterprise field sales with an authorized foodservice equipment dealer network and a service provider locator for installation, maintenance, and repair, while the Champion Moyer Diebel subsidiary serves the Canadian market separately. End markets are diversified across hotels and resorts, healthcare, K-12 and higher education, restaurants and bars, corrections, casinos, and food production/bakeries, with ENERGY STAR-qualified SKUs available in every category. All pricing is quote-based, with lease financing offered via a third-party provider, and no public price list is published.

Name

Champion Industries

Legal name

Champion Industries

Website

https://championindustries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1890

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Champion Industries is a North American manufacturer of commercial dishwashing and warewashing equipment, serving hotels, healthcare, education, restaurants, corrections, casinos, and food production through dealers and direct sales as a Welbilt/Ali Group subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Dishwashing Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (333310)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Commercial Cooking Equipment & Parts Wholesale (AFAIALAJ), Foodservice & Kitchen Cleaning (Warewashing) Distribution (CRAOAGAH)

Keywords

• Commercial dishwashing equipment
• Warewashing solutions
• Foodservice equipment
• Commercial kitchen appliances
• Industrial dishwashers

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commercial Dishwashing Equipment Sales: One-time hardware sales of commercial dishwashing machines including undercounter dishwashers, door-type machines, rack conveyors, flight machines, and pot/pan/rack washers. Products sold through dealers and direct sales representatives.
2. Service & Parts: Aftermarket service, maintenance, and replacement parts for installed equipment. Includes factory authorized startup, service training, and service provider locator network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Champion Industries manufactures and sells commercial warewashing equipment, including undercounter dishwashers, glass washers, door-type dishwashers, rack conveyors, flight-type dishwashers, and pot/pan/rack washers. Products are sold through regional sales representatives and foodservice equipment dealers to commercial kitchens in healthcare, hospitality, education, and foodservice industries, supported by aftermarket service, parts, and IoT connectivity solutions (Direct Link and Direct Link Plus+).

Product overview

Champion Industries is a commercial warewashing equipment manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of dishwashing solutions organized into six product categories: Undercounter Dishwashers (compact units for cafes and restaurants up to 60 seats), Glass Washers (specialized glassware cleaning equipment), Door Type Dishwashers (medium-capacity rack machines for 51-75 seats), Rack Conveyors (high-volume continuous systems for 75-125+ seats with ventless heat recovery and blower drying options), Flight Machines (very high-capacity systems cleaning up to 20,000 wares per hour for hospitals and hotels with 750+ seats), and Pot, Pan & Rack Washers (heavy-duty equipment for large cookware). The product lineup includes proprietary connectivity add-ons: Direct Link provides secure VPN-based remote diagnostics with 2048-bit encryption, while Direct Link Plus+ adds cloud connectivity, HACCP temperature monitoring, and performance analytics. Through the Bi-Line sub-brand, Champion offers stainless steel conveyor systems integrated with warewashing equipment for complete dish handling solutions. Notable individual products include the UH130B MAX undercounter dishwasher with multi-level racking technology, the DH6000T VHR ventless heat recovery door machine, and the PP-11 PRO VHR pot and pan washer with touchscreen interface. All machines are manufactured in North America with ENERGY STAR qualified options available across every category.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Direct Link: Internet connectivity solution providing secure, real-time remote diagnostics for commercial dish machines with 2048-bit encryption
• Direct Link Plus+
• Bi-Line
• Vortex
• Wellbilt

Products and services

• Undercounter Dishwashers

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 50% more energy efficient with heat recovery models
• +2 more outcomes

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Welbilt, Inc.coreOthersChampion Industries operates as part of Welbilt, Inc., giving it global reach and manufacturing scale. This parent company relationship enables international distribution across U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia markets.
• Bi-Line Conveyor SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationThrough partnership with Bi-Line Conveyor Systems, Champion offers a fully integrated approach to warewashing, ware handling, and waste reduction. Bi-Line provides stainless steel foodservice conveyors for efficient transport of trays and products.
• Champion Moyer DiebelcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChampion Moyer Diebel is the Canadian division of Champion Industries, located in Jordan Station, Ontario. Serves the Canadian market with complete product line and local support including sales, service, and parts.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Electrolux Professional: Electrolux Professional is a global broad-line foodservice equipment manufacturer with a substantial warewashing portfolio. Overlaps with Champion across dishwasher categories and verticals, but offers a much wider range of cooking, refrigeration, and laundry equipment.
• Hobart Corporation: Hobart is the long-established U.S. leader in commercial warewashing and broader foodservice equipment. Direct overlap with Champion across undercounter, door-type, conveyor, and flight machines, but Hobart operates at significantly greater scale with a much wider portfolio.

Direct peers

• Jackson WWS: Jackson WWS manufactures commercial dishwashing equipment across undercounter, door-type, and conveyor categories, targeting many of the same foodservice and institutional customers as Champion. Similar mid-scale focus on the U.S. foodservice channel.
• Winterhalter: Winterhalter is a German manufacturer specializing in commercial dishwashing systems, glasswashers, and warewashing chemicals. Strong direct product overlap with Champion across undercounter, glass, and rack/flight categories, with growing presence in U.S. hospitality accounts.
• Meiko: Meiko is a leading German-headquartered manufacturer of commercial dishwashing and cleaning technology, with direct overlap in flight machines, rack conveyors, and pot/pan washers. A close technology and channel competitor globally, including in Champion's North American verticals.
• CMA Dishmachines: CMA builds commercial undercounter, door-type, and glasswashers for restaurants, bars, and small institutional kitchens. Closely comparable product portfolio and target customer base in the smaller-capacity segments where Champion also competes.
• Blakeslee Group: Blakeslee is a U.S. commercial warewashing manufacturer producing flight-type, rack conveyor, and pot/pan washers. Direct competitor to Champion in the higher-capacity institutional and food-production segments.
• Insinger Machine: Insinger specializes in heavy-duty commercial pot, pan, and rack washers, directly competing with Champion's PP-11, PP-20, and PP-36 product lines for healthcare, food production, and large-institution accounts.

Others

• Ali Group (parent-level peer): Ali Group is Champion's ultimate parent and one of the largest global foodservice equipment manufacturers. Relevant as the corporate context within which Champion competes and as a reference point for portfolio scale across multiple warewashing and kitchen-equipment brands.

Regional players

• Fagor Professional: Fagor Professional manufactures commercial dishwashers and kitchen equipment primarily for European markets. Comparable product line to Champion but with weaker direct overlap in the U.S. foodservice channel where Champion is concentrated.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ChampionInd
• Facebookfacebook.com/ChampionInd.Warewashing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Champion Industries