AGC Heat Transfer

What AGC Heat Transfer does

AGC Heat Transfer is a privately held US manufacturer of sanitary plate heat exchangers serving the food, beverage, dairy, and adjacent sanitary processing industries. Founded circa 1991-1992 and headquartered in Bristow, Virginia, the company operates four regional facilities across the United States (Virginia, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Texas) and supports international parts and equipment shipping. AGC's product portfolio spans proprietary ProFlow Series plates (built to 3-A Sanitary Standards), multiple frame types including hydraulic (AR51-D, AR51-H, AR51-M), twin spindle, stainless tie-bar, and SA frames, plus aftermarket replacement parts for both AGC and competitor OEM brands.

The company's revenue model combines custom equipment manufacturing (6-12 week lead times, quote-based pricing), recurring replacement parts sales (one of the largest PHE OEM/aftermarket stocks globally), on-site service including the proprietary PlateCheck inspection program (3-A-compliant food-safe dye testing with 1-5 year equipment health forecasts), regasketing, troubleshooting, installation supervision, and short-term rental plate packs. Distribution is direct via regional field sales and traveling service technicians, with same-day parts delivery available for many Midwest customers from the Pleasant Prairie facility. AGC differentiates via complimentary rheology testing using power-law fluid modeling and an extensive internal sample database, positioning itself as a long-term service partner rather than transactional supplier.

The company serves a named enterprise customer base including Dannon, Dairy Farmers of America, Proliant Dairy Ingredients, and Imperial Organic Yeast in dairy/beverage, alongside emerging sustainability customers such as Noya (direct air capture). Capital investments include the $9 million 2021 Fairview, Oregon facility ($2.8M in equipment) and the 2022 Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin regasket center; the Fairview facility operates on 100% wind energy via Portland General Electric's Green Future Enterprise program. Leadership includes President George Adams, Director of Sales & Marketing Penny Vander Velden, and Director of R&D George Tholl. No external funding rounds, M&A activity, or parent company relationships are disclosed.

Name

AGC Heat Transfer

Legal name

AGC Heat Transfer, Inc.

Website

https://agcheattransfer.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AGC Heat Transfer is a privately held US manufacturer of sanitary plate heat exchangers, plates, frames, and gaskets serving food, beverage, dairy, and sanitary processing customers across North America via four US facilities, with complementary on-site service, parts, and rheology testing offerings.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sanitary Plate Heat Exchangers

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414), Refrigeration Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423740)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585), Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC)

Keywords

• Sanitary plate heat exchangers
• Food processing equipment
• Dairy processing equipment
• Heat exchanger manufacturing
• Beverage processing equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristow

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Manufacturing: Custom-manufactured plate heat exchangers, frames (hydraulic, twin spindle, stainless tie-bar, SA frames), and heat exchanger equipment. Products are built to order in 6-12 week lead times with U.S.-based manufacturing.
2. Replacement Parts: Sale of replacement plates (ProFlow series, OEM compatible), gaskets, frame parts, and plate packs. The company maintains one of the world's largest stocks of PHE OEM and aftermarket plates and gaskets, including parts for competitor equipment.
3. Service & Maintenance: On-site service including PlateCheck inspections, plate checks, regasketing, troubleshooting, installation supervision, and engineering support. Services are delivered by field technicians who can travel to customer sites with replacement parts on hand.
4. Rental Plate Packs: Short-term rental of plate packs for customers experiencing equipment issues or undergoing maintenance, providing temporary capacity while permanent solutions are arranged.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AGC Heat Transfer is a US-based manufacturer of sanitary plate heat exchangers serving food, beverage, dairy, and other sanitary processing industries. The company designs, manufactures, and services custom plate heat exchangers, frames (hydraulic, twin spindle, stainless tie-bar, mild steel, SA), replacement plates and gaskets, and provides field services including PlateCheck inspections, rheology testing, regasketing, installation supervision, troubleshooting, and engineering. AGC also stocks and services OEM parts for multiple competitor brands, operating four US facilities plus international shipping.

Product overview

AGC Heat Transfer is a leading supplier of sanitary plate heat exchangers in North America, offering a comprehensive portfolio of U.S.-manufactured products. The core product line includes the ProFlow Series Plates (Pro3, Pro5Snap, Pro8, Pro10) designed specifically for food and beverage applications with 3-A sanitation standards. The company provides multiple frame types including Hydraulic Frames (AR51-D, AR51-H, AR51-M), Twin Spindle Frames, Stainless Tie-Bar Frames, and SA Frames rated for ASME/PED code requirements. Beyond equipment sales, AGC offers extensive services including PlateCheck inspections using dye testing compliant with 3-A standard 11-09, PHE 101 training, installation supervision, regasketing, troubleshooting, engineering, and free rheology testing for product optimization. The company services all OEM equipment brands and stocks parts for competitors' systems. AGC operates manufacturing facilities in Virginia, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Texas, serving industries including dairy, brewing, beverages, fats & oils, corn wet milling, liquid egg, and prepared foods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ProFlow Series: A line of heat transfer plates designed specifically for food applications meeting 3-A Sanitation Standard, featuring large surface area and optimized distribution patterns.
• Green Future Enterprise

Products and services

• ProFlow Series Plates Custom-engineered heat transfer plates designed specifically for food and beverage sanitary applications, meeting 3-A Sanitation Standard with optimized chevron angles for enhanced turbulence, enlarged inlet designs to reduce pressure drops, large surface area for consistent heat exchange, and bright annealed finish for improved CIP response. Used by food, beverage, and dairy processors.
• Hydraulic Frames Plate heat exchanger frames with self-contained hydraulic closure that automatically opens and closes to precise dimensions with single-lever operation, reducing maintenance access time from hours to minutes. Built for plants requiring frequent plate access and built to current 3-A specifications.
• Twin Spindle Frames Plate heat exchanger frames using a twin spindle mechanism for opening and closing the unit, providing an alternative to hydraulic closure for sanitary applications.
• Stainless Tie-Bar Frames Plate heat exchanger frames with stainless steel tie bars designed for corrosion resistance in sanitary food, beverage, and dairy applications.
• Powder Coated Mild Steel Tie-Bar Frames Plate heat exchanger frames with powder coated mild steel tie bars providing corrosion resistance for less demanding sanitary environments.
• Matched Hot Water Sets Pre-configured hot water heat exchanger sets for sanitary processing applications, simplifying ordering and installation for facilities requiring ready-to-deploy hot water heating systems.
• Pilot Scale Heat Exchangers Small-scale heat exchangers for product testing and development, enabling processors to evaluate thermal performance before full-scale production deployment.
• Pulsation Dampeners Equipment designed to reduce pulsation in fluid systems, enabling smoother operation and reduced wear on downstream plate heat exchangers.
• SA Frames Plate heat exchanger frames rated to ASME and PED code standards for various pressure requirements, used in code-mandated sanitary processing applications.
• Other OEM Equipment Supplementary OEM heat transfer equipment offered alongside AGC's standard product line for specialized sanitary processing requirements.
• Sanitary Heat Exchanger Plates Replacement plates for sanitary plate heat exchangers, available as OEM and aftermarket options compatible with multiple brands, supporting both AGC equipment and competitor systems.
• Frame Parts Replacement components for plate heat exchanger frames including ports and other structural parts used to repair and maintain plate heat exchanger units.
• Plate Heat Exchanger Gaskets Heat and pressure-resistant gaskets for sealing plates and preventing cross-contamination in sanitary applications.
• Rental Plate Packs Short-term rental of plate packs for processors experiencing equipment issues or undergoing maintenance, providing temporary capacity while permanent solutions are arranged.
• PlateCheck Service Proprietary plate inspection and leak detection service using the only 3A-approved food-safe dye penetrant testing method (3-A standard 11-09). Examines every square inch of plate surface, pinpoints leak locations, and delivers third-party audit documentation, including frame integrity, gasket condition, and CIP system effectiveness with 1-5 year health forecasts.
• PHE 101 Training Course Educational course providing maintenance staff with working knowledge of plate heat exchangers, troubleshooting procedures, and best practices to support in-house equipment upkeep.
• Installation Supervision On-site technical support during heat exchanger installation to ensure proper setup and optimal performance from day one of operation.
• Regasketing Service Professional gasket replacement service for plate heat exchangers to restore seal integrity and prevent leaks; supported by AGC's full Midwest regasket center.
• Troubleshooting Service Diagnostic service to identify causes of heat exchanger performance issues including leaks, pressure drops, and cross-contamination across AGC and competitor equipment.
• Engineering Service Custom engineering support for heat exchanger design, retrofit evaluation, and process optimization, including co-development projects such as the Noya CO2 heat exchanger.
• Rheology Testing Service Complimentary fluid sample analysis using the power law model to measure how fluid viscosity changes with flow speed, helping optimize plate heat exchanger configuration for specific products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced downtime through preventive PlateCheck programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NoyacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2022Strategic partnership to build custom CO2 heat exchangers for Noya's direct air capture technology. Noya uses cooling towers with CO2-absorbing chemicals to capture carbon dioxide, and AGC provides heat exchangers (Model 080-S Frame) for heating water in the regeneration process. Noya's goal is to capture billions of tons of CO2 annually from two million cooling towers across the US.
• Portland General Electric (Green Future Enterprise)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnership through Portland General Electric's Green Future Enterprise program where AGC's new Fairview, Oregon facility receives 100% electricity from clean wind energy produced by Northwestern wind farms. The program requires $2M in capital improvements or $500K in equipment investment; AGC invested $9M in the facility and $2.8M in equipment.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alfa Laval: Global Swedish leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling. Directly competes with AGC in plate heat exchangers but serves a far broader industrial base across food, marine, energy, and chemicals with multinational scale.
• GEA Group: German multinational supplying process technology for food, dairy, and beverage. Competes with AGC in sanitary plate heat exchangers as part of a much larger portfolio of separators, homogenizers, and complete processing lines.
• Mueller Industries: Diversified US manufacturer of copper, brass, aluminum, and heat transfer products. Adjacent competitor in industrial heat exchange with much broader product portfolio than AGC's sanitary focus.
• Xylem: Global water technology company with heat exchange and thermal management capabilities for industrial applications. Larger-scale incumbent that competes in adjacent fluid and thermal processing markets.

Direct peers

• SPX Flow: Global supplier of process equipment including plate heat exchangers for food, beverage, and dairy. Direct competitor to AGC in sanitary plate heat exchangers with comparable product line and customer base.
• Kelvion: German-based manufacturer of plate, shell-and-tube, and other heat exchangers serving food, dairy, chemical, and power markets. Closely comparable to AGC's plate heat exchanger core business with global reach.
• Tranter: Manufacturer of plate heat exchangers for HVAC, refrigeration, and process industries. Direct competitor to AGC's plate-based heat exchanger product line with overlapping industrial applications.
• Sondex (part of Danfoss): Danfoss-owned plate heat exchanger brand serving food, dairy, and industrial applications. Directly comparable to AGC's sanitary plate heat exchanger focus with broader parent-company backing.
• API Heat Transfer: US-based manufacturer of heat exchangers including plate, shell-and-tube, and air-cooled designs. Comparable to AGC in serving North American industrial customers with custom-engineered thermal solutions.

Regional players

• Hughes Anderson Heat Exchangers: Specialty plate heat exchanger manufacturer and refurbisher serving North American industrial markets. Comparable to AGC's focus on plate heat exchangers with similar service-and-refurbishment business model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agc-heat-transfer
• Facebookfacebook.com/AGC-Heat-Transfer-248974831932585

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 AGC Heat Transfer