Kalt Maschinenbau

What Kalt Maschinenbau does

Kalt Maschinenbau AG, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Lütisburg, Switzerland, is a manufacturer of machinery and complete plant systems for dairy processing and cheese production. The company's core product portfolio spans the full cheese-production workflow: cheese vats (available up to 12,500L units), cassette pressing systems (including the 7-in-1 Press that handles Cheddar, semi-hard and hard cheese in one machine), drainage systems, brine baths, curing/ripening systems, custom special machines, and integrated automation. All equipment is built in Switzerland using chrome-nickel steel and is designed to comply with international hygiene standards including USDA requirements. The firm combines mechanical engineering with in-house cheese-making expertise, employing cheese technologists alongside plant engineers.

The company operates a consultative enterprise field-sales model with regional sales managers covering Europe, North America, India, and the Middle East, complemented by distributors such as Kanchan in India. Revenue is generated through three streams: (1) hardware sales of cheese-production machinery and turnkey plant systems, (2) consulting and project-planning services from feasibility studies to turnkey delivery, and (3) ongoing customer service including 24/7 troubleshooting, preventive maintenance contracts, remote maintenance, training, and retrofit/modernization services. Customers range from traditional artisan cheese makers (e.g., Berg-Käserei Gais, Käserei Studer) to large industrial dairies (e.g., Tine Ireland/Jarlsberg, Emmi, Gebrüder Woerle, Coop at Yenne).

Since January 2022, Kalt has been majority-owned by Swiss investment firm CGS Management AG, operating as the primary subsidiary of the Advaton FoodTec Group alongside Staedler Automation AG (Henau, Switzerland; ~40 employees) and SAS Eurotandem (Certines, France), with management co-investment from CEO Lukas Staedler, CTO Thomas Fäh, and the Berthier family. The company currently employs approximately 100 staff at its Lütisburg headquarters.

Name

Kalt Maschinenbau

Legal name

Kalt Maschinenbau AG

Website

https://kalt-ag.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kalt Maschinenbau AG is a Swiss manufacturer, founded in 1962, of cheese-production machinery and complete dairy plant systems — vats, presses, drainage, brine, curing, and automation — serving artisan and industrial cheese producers globally, and operating as a subsidiary of the Advaton FoodTec Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cheese Production Machinery

NAICS

Cheese Manufacturing (311513)

SIC

Dairy Products (2020)

akta.pro primary industry

Cheese Manufacturing (AFAKAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cheese Byproduct & Waste Stream Processing (Whey Routing, Brine Management) (AFAHABAK)

Keywords

• Cheese production machinery
• Dairy processing equipment
• Cheese pressing systems
• Cassette press systems
• Milk processing plants

Headquarters

HQ city

Lütisburg

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Cheese Production Machinery & Equipment: Sale of cheese production machines and complete plant systems including cheese vats, pressing systems, drainage systems, brine baths, curing systems, and automation solutions. Machines are developed and manufactured in Switzerland.
2. Consulting & Project Planning: Expert consulting services for cheese production optimization, including feasibility studies, cost calculations, energy consulting, and project planning from concept to turnkey delivery.
3. Customer Service & Maintenance: Comprehensive service offerings including knowledge transfer, preventive maintenance contracts, 24/7 troubleshooting, remote maintenance, training, and modernization/retrofit services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kalt Maschinenbau AG develops and manufactures machines and complete plant systems for dairy processing and cheese production in Switzerland. Its product portfolio covers the entire cheese production workflow—from milk intake and curd processing through cheese vats, cassette pressing systems, drainage, brine baths, curing/ripening, to integrated automation and process control. The company also provides consulting, project planning, customer service, maintenance, and retrofit services tailored to cheese producers worldwide.

Product overview

Kalt Maschinenbau AG offers a comprehensive portfolio of cheese production machinery and systems, developed and manufactured in Switzerland since 1962. The core product line includes Cheese Vats, Cheese Pressing Systems (including cassette presses and the innovative 7-in-1 Press), Drainage Systems, Brine Baths, Curing & Ripening systems, Special Machines, and Automation solutions. These products form an integrated production workflow from milk intake through cheese ripening. The systems are complemented by consulting, project planning, and comprehensive customer service including 24/7 worldwide support, maintenance contracts, and retrofit services. The company also partners with Staedler Automation for control systems and ERP integration. Solutions are available for businesses of all sizes, from traditional artisan cheese makers to industrial production facilities, serving markets worldwide including compliance with USDA standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Premium cheese quality production with maximum yield
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Kanchan (India)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 August 2025Indian partner Kanchan managed the Kalt booth at Anuga FoodTec India 2025, providing the platform for equipment presentation. Represents Kalt's distribution and sales support presence in the Indian market.
• SAS EurotandemcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2023Eurotandem, founded in 2015 by Albert and Olivier Berthier in Saint-Just/Certines, France, is a specialist for turnkey production lines for dairies and cheese factories with focus on semi-hard and hard cheeses in the AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) sector. The merger adds French cheese-making expertise and French-speaking market access to the Advaton FoodTec Group.
• Staedler Automation AGcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2021Staedler Automation, founded in 2009 and based in Henau, Switzerland, specializes in automation, robotics, and industrial cooking equipment for the food and cheese industry. The partnership provides comprehensive control solutions and process automation integration for Kalt cheese production systems, enabling seamless integration of machine controls with higher-level control systems.
• BB Metall GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership announced February 2026 to provide complete solutions from a single source for Swiss dairies and cheese factories, reducing complexity from multiple suppliers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Krones: German global leader in beverage and food packaging and processing technology. While primarily focused on beverages, Krones competes with Kalt in integrated dairy processing facilities and brings substantially larger scale and R&D resources.
• GEA Group: German-based global leader in food processing technology, including separators, homogenizers, and complete cheese and dairy plant solutions. GEA competes with Kalt on industrial cheese production lines while also serving broader food and beverage markets.
• Tetra Pak: Swedish-Swiss multinational and the dominant global supplier of dairy processing and packaging equipment. While far broader in scope (including milk pasteurization, filling lines, and packaging), Tetra Pak competes with Kalt in industrial-scale cheese and dairy plant engineering and is a benchmark incumbent in the same customer RFPs.

Others

• Staedler Automation AG: Swiss sister company within Advaton FoodTec Group specializing in automation, robotics, and process control for the food and cheese industry. Although a group affiliate rather than competitor, Staedler is included as a relevant comparable for the integrated automation layer Kalt bundles with its mechanical equipment.

Direct peers

• CMT Costruzioni Meccaniche Trezzano: Italian specialist manufacturer of dairy and cheese processing equipment including vats, presses, and molding systems. CMT competes directly with Kalt in the Mediterranean and broader European cheese equipment market with comparable custom-engineered solutions.
• Scherjon: Dutch manufacturer of cheese processing equipment including presses, vats, and complete cheese production lines. Scherjon is a direct competitor to Kalt in the European cheese equipment market with similar specialization in pressing and forming technology.
• DIMA Group: Italian manufacturer of cheese-making equipment including draining tables, pressing systems, and brining solutions. DIMA is a direct competitor to Kalt with overlapping product lines targeting artisan and industrial cheese producers in Europe.
• Mark Cheese Equipment: Dutch specialist in cheese-making equipment including cheese vats, presses, and complete production lines. Mark is a direct competitor to Kalt with comparable niche specialization and similar target customers in the European cheese industry.
• Alpma: German specialist manufacturer of cheese-making equipment including cheese vats, pressing systems, and brine baths. Alpma is the closest direct competitor to Kalt, serving the same artisan and industrial cheese producers across Europe with comparable product portfolios.

Regional players

• IDMC (Indian Dairy Machinery Company): Indian manufacturer of dairy processing equipment including cheese vats and milk processing systems. IDMC is a regional competitor relevant to Kalt's India expansion strategy through its Kanchan partnership, serving South Asian dairy producers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kalt-ag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kalt-maschinenbau-ag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Kalt Maschinenbau