Sterling Manufacturing

What Sterling Manufacturing does

Sterling Manufacturing is a privately held American manufacturer of commercial steam cooking equipment, headquartered and produced at a single facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana (7601 Honeywell Dr.). Operating under the Sterling Steamers brand since the current entity was formed in 2015, the company sells two distinct product lines: the boiler-based Summit Series—featuring an industry-first Quick-Change Generator that enables on-site generator swaps in under 30 minutes—and the Boiler-less (SP electric / SPG gas) convection steamer line, both ENERGY STAR certified, UL Listed, and UL Classified to NSF/ANSI 4. The company's technology stack is electromechanical rather than software-driven: 36kW heating elements, flat-plate heating in boiler-less units, front-access descaling, and integrated water filtration differentiate the products, supported by 10 granted patents and 4 patents pending in foodservice equipment.

The business model is direct hardware sales to commercial end-users via a consultative, quote-based sales process with no public pricing and no dealer or distributor network. Sterling targets four vertical segments—K-12 schools, healthcare and senior living facilities, restaurants (local and chain), and hospitality/catering operations—with three of four flagged as primary. Revenue is generated through unit sales across countertop, stand-mounted, and double-stack configurations, supplemented by an aftermarket parts and service channel accessed via a dedicated hotline. Customer relationships are anchored by lifetime factory technical support, immediate-shipment finished inventory, and ROI analysis offered at the quote stage. The company is founder-led (Chip Tippmann, Co-Owner and President), privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no M&A activity in the source data; the founders' lineage traces back to creating the boiler-less/connectionless steamer category in 1992 and the steam griddle category in 1998.

Name

Sterling Manufacturing

Legal name

Sterling Manufacturing

Website

https://sterlingsteamers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling Manufacturing is a privately held Fort Wayne, Indiana-based manufacturer of commercial steamers—Summit boiler-based and Boiler-less convection lines—serving K-12 schools, healthcare, restaurants, and hospitality through direct, quote-based hardware sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Cooking Equipment

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)

akta.pro primary industry

Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Boilers, HRSGs & Steam Generators (IMAHAFAF), Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Commercial steamers
• Commercial cooking equipment
• Foodservice equipment
• Boiler-based steamers
• Boiler-less steamers

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Wayne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations

Revenue model

1. Commercial Steamer Sales: Sterling Manufacturing generates revenue through the sale of commercial steam cooking equipment including boiler-based (Summit Series) and boiler-less steamers. Products are sold as complete units with various configurations (countertop, stand-mounted, double-stack). Units come with integrated water filtration systems and lifetime technical support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sterling Manufacturing designs, builds, and sells commercial steam cooking equipment for institutional and restaurant kitchens, offering two main product lines: the Summit boiler-based steamer with the industry-first Quick-Change Generator, and the Boiler-less connectionless convection steamer available in electric and gas configurations. Units are sold as finished countertop, stand-mounted, and double-stack assemblies, accompanied by factory-direct parts, lifetime technical support, and an integrated water filtration system, and are manufactured in the USA.

Product overview

Sterling Manufacturing offers two distinct lines of commercial steamers: the Summit (boiler-based with Quick-Change Generator technology) and the Boiler-less (connectionless boiler-less design). Both product lines share ENERGY STAR® certification, rapid heat recovery under 30 seconds, and heavy-duty 304 stainless steel construction. Available configurations include 6-pan countertop, 6-pan on stand, and 12-pan double-stack setups. Products are manufactured in Indiana with lifetime technical support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Summit Series: Boiler-based commercial steamer featuring a quick-change generator, designed for high-volume commercial kitchens.
• Boiler-less
• SP Series
• SPG Series

Products and services

• Sterling Summit Boiler-Based Steamer The Sterling Summit is a boiler-based commercial steamer featuring the industry's first Quick-Change Generator, a 36kW heating element, capacity for up to 10 full-size pans, idle power consumption of just 172 Watts, and front-access descaling. A technician can swap a generator in under 30 minutes on-site without removing the machine, delivering zero-downtime high-volume performance for K-12 schools, healthcare facilities, restaurants, and hospitality operators.
• Sterling Boiler-less Connectionless Convection Steamer The Sterling Boiler-less is a connectionless boiler-less convection steamer with flat-plate heating elements that recover heat in under 30 seconds — 3x faster than the competition — with no generators or fans and no scheduled de-liming or water filtration required. Available in electric (SP Series) and gas (SPG Series) models in countertop, stand-mounted, and double-stack configurations for commercial kitchens.

Quantifiable outcome

• Heat recovery time under 30 seconds
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Rational AG: Rational is the global leader in combi ovens — increasingly competing with dedicated steamers for the same institutional, catering, and fine-dining customers; represents a technology-substitution threat to Sterling's standalone steamer thesis.

Broad incumbents

• Vulcan (Middleby Corporation): Vulcan is a broad-line commercial cooking equipment OEM (ranges, steamers, kettles) used in restaurants and institutions; competes with Sterling on steamer SKUs and benefits from Middleby's national dealer footprint.
• Hoshizaki America: Hoshizaki is best known for ice and refrigeration but also manufactures commercial cooking equipment; competes for institutional kitchen capex budgets alongside Sterling in K-12 and healthcare segments.
• Electrolux Professional: Electrolux Professional offers a full foodservice equipment line including steamers and combi ovens for institutional and chain customers globally; a scale incumbent with strong European and North American footprints.
• Cleveland Range (Middleby Corporation): Cleveland Range, owned by Middleby, is a legacy commercial steamer brand used across foodservice and institutional kitchens; competes directly with the Summit boiler-based line while leveraging Middleby's massive service network.
• Groen (Middleby Corporation): Groen, part of the Middleby portfolio, manufactures commercial steamers, kettles, and braising pans — overlapping with Sterling's target customer base of healthcare, schools, and high-volume kitchens.
• Blodgett: Blodgett manufactures commercial cooking equipment including steamers, combi ovens, and ranges for foodservice and institutional operators; a long-standing incumbent with overlapping distribution channels.
• Southbend (Middleby Corporation): Southbend, within the Middleby family, builds heavy-duty commercial ranges, broilers, and steamers targeting the same institutional and chain restaurant customers Sterling serves.
• Garland (Middleby Corporation): Garland, part of Middleby, produces commercial cooking equipment (ranges, griddles, steamers, broilers) used in the same heavy-volume kitchens Sterling targets.

Direct peers

• AccuTemp Products: AccuTemp is a leading US manufacturer of commercial steamers, well known for its boiler-less / connectionless steamers — Sterling's direct head-to-head competitor in the same institutional and chain restaurant segments.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sterlingsteamers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-manufacturing-llc

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 Sterling Manufacturing