What Buflovak does

Buflovak (legally Buflovak, LLC) is a US-based manufacturer of custom-engineered industrial thermal processing equipment serving chemical, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, environmental, and nutraceutical customers. The company designs and builds equipment for drying, cooling, solidification, evaporation, distillation, and separation, organized across two core product families: a Thermal Drying & Solidification line (Atmospheric Single and Double Drum Dryers, Vacuum Double Drum Dryers, Vacuum Pan Dryers, Vacuum Rotary/Paddle Dryers, Vacuum Shelf Dryers, and Cooling Drum Flakers) and an Evaporation, Distillation & Separation line (Forced Circulation, Falling Film, Rising Falling Film, Natural Circulation/Rising Film, and patented Plate Evaporators, Evaporative Crystallizers, and Distillation Systems). All units use indirect heat transfer — conductive surfaces (steam-heated drums) for drum dryers, and agitated vacuum chambers for sensitive materials — with capability for materials of construction including cast iron and fabricated steel at pressures up to 160 psig.

The business is engineered-to-order with project-based sales. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated through (1) custom industrial equipment sales (long-cycle capital projects), (2) aftermarket spare parts (sleeve bearings, knife blades, rotary unions, gears, OEM motors), (3) field service and preventative maintenance contracts, (4) drum reconditioning across any make or model, (5) lab/pilot-scale testing at facilities in Tonawanda, NY and Louisville, KY, and (6) stock/pre-engineered equipment for faster delivery. The go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with dedicated product engineers managing each customer from concept through installation and startup; lead generation is supported by trade shows (Interphex, The Battery Show, IFT, ISPE, Lithium Supply & Battery Raw Materials), blog and white paper content, and a Request-A-Quote webform.

Buflovak is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carrier Process Equipment Group (CPEG) following CPEG's 2024 purchase of the assets of Hebeler Holdings (the prior owner since 2016). The lineage traces back to 1842 (Scottish machinist David Bell, Buffalo, NY) and includes the Buffalo Foundry & Machine Company, Blaw-Knox ownership (1945), the 1993 spin-off to Buffalo Technologies Corporation, and a 2003 reorganization as Buflovak, LLC. The company also acquired Patterson Kelley Process Equipment from Harsco in 2010. Headcount is 51-100, headquartered at 2000 Military Road, Tonawanda, NY 14150, with an additional CPEG Innovation Center & Testing Lab in Louisville, KY.

Name

Buflovak

Legal name

Buflovak, LLC

Website

https://buflovak.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1845

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Buflovak, a CPEG subsidiary headquartered in Tonawanda, NY, engineers and manufactures custom thermal drying, evaporation, distillation, and separation equipment for chemical, food/beverage, pharmaceutical, environmental, and nutraceutical processors worldwide, with aftermarket parts, field service, drum reconditioning, and pilot-scale lab testing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Buffalo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Sales: Design, engineer, and manufacture custom thermal drying, cooling, solidification, evaporation, distillation, and separation equipment for industrial customers. Project-based sales with long sales cycles targeting chemical, food, pharmaceutical, environmental, and nutraceutical industries.
2. Aftermarket Parts & Service: Spare parts supply for all Buflovak equipment including sleeve bearings, knife blades, rotary unions, endboards, gears, pneumatic cylinders, OEM motors and gear boxes. Also includes field service, drum reconditioning, and preventative maintenance contracts.
3. Field Service & Maintenance: Installation supervision, mechanical repair, process evaluation, and preventative maintenance services. Available through annual or multi-year contracts.
4. Drum Reconditioning: Expert refurbishing of dryer and flaker drums including site consultation services for unit assessment, drum resurfacing, and full unit reconditioning for any make or model.
5. Lab Testing & Pilot Services: Laboratory feasibility to pilot-scale testing of client's process streams to ensure optimum technology selection, design, and process throughput. Testing facilities available at Tonawanda, NY and Louisville, KY.
6. Stock/Readily Available Equipment: Pre-engineered or in-stock drying systems available for faster delivery than custom-built equipment. Includes atmospheric double drum dryers in various sizes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Buflovak designs, engineers, and manufactures custom industrial thermal processing equipment for drying, cooling, solidification, evaporation, distillation, and separation applications. The product portfolio spans drum dryers, vacuum dryers, cooling flakers, multiple evaporator configurations, evaporative crystallizers, and distillation systems, complemented by laboratory pilot testing, spare parts, drum reconditioning, and field service. Equipment is sold to enterprise customers in chemical, food & beverage, pharmaceutical, environmental, and nutraceutical industries globally.

Product overview

Buflovak is an industrial process equipment manufacturer specializing in thermal drying, solidification, evaporation, distillation, and separation solutions. As a subsidiary of Carrier Process Equipment Group (CPEG), the company offers engineered-to-order equipment for food, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental, and nutraceutical industries. The product portfolio includes Atmospheric Single and Double Drum Dryers (ASDD/ADDD), Vacuum Double Drum Dryers, Vacuum Pan Dryers, Vacuum Rotary Paddle Dryers, Vacuum Shelf Dryers, and Cooling Drum Flakers for thermal drying and solidification. For evaporation and separation, products include Forced Circulation Evaporators, Falling Film Evaporators, Rising Falling Film Evaporators, Natural Circulation/Rising Film Evaporators, Plate Evaporators, Evaporative Crystallizers, and Distillation Systems. Supporting services include product testing laboratories, spare parts supply, drum reconditioning, and field service. The equipment is designed for high performance, energy efficiency, and customization with materials including cast iron or fabricated steel with pressure ratings up to 160 psig.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Atmospheric Single Drum Dryers (ASDD) Industrial drum dryers that dry high viscosity liquids, pasty materials, adhesives, and synthetic resins through atmospheric pressure drying using indirect conductive heat transfer.
• Atmospheric Double Drum Dryers (ADDD) Versatile drum dryers that use thin film continuous drying via conductive heat transfer, featuring two rotating saturated steam pressurized drums with one fixed and one adjustable for complete control of product film thickness. Effective for drying foods, chemicals and pharmaceutical products of varying densities and viscosities.
• Vacuum Double Drum Dryers Low temperature drying, non-reactive atmospheric drying, or complete solvent isolation and recovery drying equipment for highly temperature-sensitive materials.
• Vacuum Pan Dryers Multi-functional equipment that can filter, dry product under vacuum, cool product under inert environment, distill under reflux, and recover solvents; ideal for heat and solvent-sensitive materials.
• Vacuum Rotary Paddle Dryers Fast, uniform drying of press cake, filter cake, and slurry type materials requiring agitation and recovery of solvents.
• Vacuum Shelf Dryers Dry pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, specialty foods, fine chemicals and glandular products without agitation or compression; ideal for delicate materials.
• Cooling Drum Flakers Cool molten product to a solid flaked product utilizing thin film continuous cooling via conductive heat transfer for solidification of various materials.
• Forced Circulation Evaporators Evaporators that evaporate viscous, scaling, and salting liquids with high tube velocity, efficiency, and reduced fouling; available with horizontal or vertical steam chests.
• Falling Film Evaporators Ensure uniform distribution of liquid down through tubes with specialized evaporative design; ideal for specific foods, fruit juices, and pharmaceuticals.
• Rising Falling Film Evaporators Deliver high tube velocities for metered flow resulting in uniform product distribution and high coefficients of heat transfer.
• Natural Circulation/Rising Film Evaporators Affect liquids naturally by thermo-siphon action and heat to provide the necessary thermal difference to cause circulation.
• Plate Evaporators Patented plate design that evaporates, desolventizes, devolatilizes and strips solvents from viscous and heat-and-shear sensitive materials.
• Evaporative Crystallizers Effectively deliver small or large crystals from liquid solutions in batch or continuous operation regardless of the solubility curve.
• Distillation Systems & Heat Transfer Equipment Systems to recover solvents, alcohol and essence, strip VOC streams, and/or vacuum distill.
• Product Testing Laboratory Services Laboratory feasibility to pilot-scale testing of client process streams to ensure optimum technology selection, design, and process throughput; available at facilities in Tonawanda, NY and Louisville, KY.
• Spare Parts Genuine Buflovak spare parts including sleeve bearings, knife blades, rotary unions, endboards, gears, pneumatic cylinders, OEM motors and gear boxes, with technical information and customer support.
• Field Service Installation supervision, mechanical repair, process evaluation, and preventative maintenance contracts for Buflovak equipment, available as annual or multi-year contracts.
• Drum Reconditioning & Replacement Expert refurbishing of dryer and flaker drums including site consultation services for unit assessment, drum resurfacing, and full unit reconditioning for any make and model.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced maintenance costs and downtime through high-quality materials and durability
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature12 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Carrier Process Equipment Group (CPEG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024In 2024, CPEG purchased the assets of Hebeler Holdings to market and sell Buflovak's expansive line of Dryers, Calciners, Evaporators, Mixers, Dust Collectors, and process experience. As a subsidiary of CPEG, Buflovak gains access to whole new realm of custom manufacturing capabilities along with additional process equipment for complete systems integration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• COMESSA: French specialist in thermal processing equipment including dryers, coolers, calciners, and agglomerators for chemical, mineral, and food industries. Direct comparable to Buflovak in rotary dryers and specialized thermal processing solutions for industrial customers.
• Dedert Corporation: Specialized US manufacturer of evaporation, drying, and crystallization equipment with strong overlap in food, chemical, and environmental applications. Direct competitor to Buflovak in falling film evaporators and crystallizers, with similar custom-engineering, mid-sized company profile.
• Swenson Technology: Specialized evaporation, crystallization, and drying equipment supplier for chemical, food, and pharmaceutical processors. Direct peer to Buflovak in forced circulation evaporators and evaporative crystallizers, operating at similar scale and with comparable custom-engineering model.
• VetterTec: German specialist in evaporation, drying, and crystallization technology for chemical, food, and environmental industries. Closely comparable to Buflovak in falling film and mechanical vapor recompression evaporation technologies serving similar industrial customers.
• Stalam S.p.A. Italian manufacturer specializing in industrial drying equipment including radio frequency and thermal drying systems for food, textile, and chemical applications. Comparable mid-sized custom-engineering approach to Buflovak with similar focus on heat-sensitive industrial materials.

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: Global large-scale process equipment manufacturer offering drying, evaporation, separation, and crystallization systems across food, chemical, and pharma verticals. Directly overlaps with Buflovak's core product categories but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach.
• Andritz AG: Major process equipment supplier with strong positions in drying, evaporation, and separation technologies for chemical, food, and environmental applications. Comparable customer base and equipment portfolio to Buflovak but operates at much larger enterprise scale globally.
• Bühler Group: Global process technology provider specializing in food and feed processing equipment including drying, thermal processing, and material handling. Direct overlap with Buflovak's food & beverage vertical at a substantially larger scale and broader product line.
• Alfa Laval: Global leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling equipment including evaporation and drying systems. Closely comparable to Buflovak in heat exchanger and evaporation technologies but operates at much broader scale across dozens of industries.
• SPX FLOW: Industrial process equipment manufacturer with dehydration, evaporation, and separation product lines serving food, dairy, chemical, and pharmaceutical markets. Highly comparable product portfolio to Buflovak with broader geographic presence and larger installed base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/buflovak
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/buflovak-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Buflovak