Nova-Tech Engineering

What Nova-Tech Engineering does

Nova-Tech Engineering is a privately-held industrial automation company founded around 1994 in Willmar, Minnesota, that designs, manufactures, and services robotic systems for the agricultural and aquaculture industries. The company's product portfolio is organized around three business lines: Nova-Tech Poultry (commercializing its patented Infrared Beak Treatment (IRBT) technology, which has been deployed since 1997 as a first-of-its-kind non-contact beak treatment procedure), ShrimpWorks® (an all-in-one shrimp processing platform integrating heading, deveining, peeling, leg removal, EZ-Peel, and sorting into a single modular touchpoint with a digital interface), and a precision machining services division offering 5-axis, 3-axis, and Swiss machining with lead times under two days for production volumes from 1 to 50,000 parts. Equipment is installed in over 600 customer locations across 69 countries and six continents, serving primarily poultry producers (chicken, turkey, duck) and shrimp processors.

The company operates through a direct enterprise field sales motion with Regional Business Managers covering North America, Europe/Oceania, LATAM, MEA/Southeast Asia, and South Asia, supported by 24/7 customer service and on-site installation. Revenue is generated through a mix of one-time hardware sales of IRBT and ShrimpWorks systems, multi-year equipment lease packages with remote machine performance monitoring, customer service packages providing installation, training, and 24/7 support, refurbishing services delivering 50-90% cost savings versus new equipment, and external precision machining services. The company employs nearly 300 professionals across 12 countries.

Nova-Tech operates from the MinnWest Technology Campus, a 37-building, 110-acre facility in Willmar, MN that the company co-acquired with Life-Science Innovations in 2005 from the State of Minnesota. The company appears to be founder-owned and independently operated, with founder Marc Gorans having transitioned the CEO role to Chris Gorans and the President role passing from Jim Sieben to Landon Fries. The company holds multiple US patents on its IRBT technology, which it markets globally to the animal welfare community, and maintains dedicated sub-brands for Nova-Tech Poultry and ShrimpWorks with corresponding LinkedIn showcase pages.

Name

Nova-Tech Engineering

Legal name

Nova-Tech Engineering LLC

Website

https://nteglobal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Nova-Tech Engineering designs and manufactures robotic automation systems for poultry processing (Infrared Beak Treatment), shrimp processing (ShrimpWorks), and precision machining, serving agricultural and aquaculture customers across 69 countries from its Willmar, Minnesota headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Automation Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Hatchery Equipment, Systems & Technology (RAS Hatcheries, Incubation, Grading, Transport Systems) (AFAEAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Automation, Controls & Instrumentation Engineering (IAS, PMS, Control Logic) (IMAJAGAG)

Keywords

• Poultry processing equipment
• Infrared beak treatment
• Shrimp processing systems
• Agricultural automation
• Precision machining services

Headquarters

HQ city

Willmar

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of poultry processing equipment (Infrared Beak Treatment systems) and shrimp processing equipment (ShrimpWorks)
2. Equipment Leasing: Lease packages with no hidden fees, no capital investment, remote machine performance monitoring, spare parts inventory, and repair parts program
3. Customer Service Packages: Fully supported installation, on-site training, 24/7 customer support, and routine visits included in customer service package
4. Machining Services: Custom machining services including prototyping, low volume runs, precision CNC turning and milling for external customers
5. Refurbishing Services: Equipment refurbishing with cost savings of 50-90% of new, including disassembly, decontamination, restoration, and repair services

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Nova-Tech Engineering manufactures and sells first-generation automation technology and robotic solutions for the agricultural and aquaculture industries worldwide. Core offerings include the patented Infrared Beak Treatment (IRBT) system for poultry hatcheries, the ShrimpWorks® all-in-one shrimp processing platform, and custom precision CNC machining services. The company supplements equipment sales and leases with customer service packages, on-site training, 24/7 support, and equipment refurbishing programs.

Product overview

Nova-Tech Engineering specializes in first-generation automation technology, creating robotic solutions for agricultural and aquaculture industries. The company operates through multiple divisions and product lines: Nova-Tech Poultry (a division focused on the poultry industry offering Infrared Beak Treatment technology), ShrimpWorks® (an all-in-one shrimp processing system combining heading, deveining, peeling, leg removal, EZ-Peel, and sorting), and Nova-Tech Machining (custom precision machining services). The portfolio also includes customer service packages, lease options, tech services, and refurbishing programs supporting equipment across 600+ locations in over 65 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nova-Tech Poultry: Division of Nova-Tech Engineering dedicated solely to ensuring the success of customers in the poultry industry, providing Infrared Beak Treatment and related equipment and support services
• ShrimpWorks®

Products and services

• Infrared Beak Treatment (IRBT) Patented first-of-its-kind non-contact infrared beak treatment procedure for poultry hatcheries. Reduces disease, infection, and mortality by mitigating carcass damage from bird-on-bird aggression without leaving open wounds. Treatments are customized based on species, breed, strain, flock age, housing type, and climate. Improves bio-security by eliminating routine trimming where workers travel farm to farm.
• ShrimpWorks® All-In-One Processing System

Quantifiable outcome

• Veining efficacy up to 99%
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Life-Science InnovationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2005, Nova-Tech Engineering partnered with Life-Science Innovations to acquire a 37-building, 110-acre historic hospital facility in Willmar from the State of Minnesota, leading to the development of the MinnWest Technology Campus.
• MinnWest Technology CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNova-Tech hosts all facets of operations on the MinnWest Technology Campus, including manufacturing facility steps away from engineering and drafting teams. The campus is one of the largest privately owned technology parks in the country.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BAADER: BAADER is a German manufacturer of processing machinery for fish and seafood, including shrimp. It is the closest direct peer to Nova-Tech's ShrimpWorks division in target end-market (aquatic protein processing) and integrated processing-line approach.
• Pas Reform: Pas Reform is a Dutch hatchery equipment manufacturer supplying incubation, climate control, and hatchery automation to poultry producers worldwide. It is the most direct peer to Nova-Tech Poultry's IRBT and hatchery-focused automation offering.
• Jamesway Incubator Company: Jamesway designs and manufactures incubators and hatchery equipment for poultry producers globally. Like Nova-Tech Poultry, it serves commercial hatcheries with capital equipment, parts, and service.
• Cabinplant: Cabinplant is a Danish equipment maker specialising in shrimp, fish, and other food processing lines. It is directly comparable to Nova-Tech's ShrimpWorks in shrimp processing automation and turnkey line delivery.
• HatchTech: HatchTech is a Dutch provider of incubation technology and chick-processing equipment for the global poultry hatchery sector. Comparable to Nova-Tech in target customer (commercial hatcheries) and product category (hatchery automation and chick handling).

Broad incumbents

• JBT Corporation: JBT is a US-listed supplier of food processing and air transport equipment, including the Meyn poultry processing brand. It is a broad incumbent peer that overlaps with Nova-Tech in protein processing capital equipment and aftermarket services.
• GEA Group: GEA is a German-listed global supplier of food processing machinery and separation technology. Comparable to Nova-Tech as a broad food-processing equipment incumbent serving meat, dairy, and seafood processors with engineering, automation, and service offerings.
• Marel: Marel is an Icelandic-listed global leader in food processing equipment, with major poultry, meat, and fish processing lines. It is a broad incumbent overlapping with Nova-Tech Poultry and ShrimpWorks across protein processing automation but at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@novatechengineering
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nova-tech-engineering

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Nova-Tech Engineering