What Dahmes Stainless does

Dahmes Stainless, Inc. is a private, custom industrial process equipment manufacturer headquartered at 526 4th Avenue SW, New London, Minnesota, founded in 1995 by Forrest Dahmes and led today by President Alex Marcus. The company designs, engineers, fabricates, and commissions turnkey evaporating and spray drying systems for enterprise buyers across food and dairy processing, animal protein and pet food, flavor and seasoning manufacturing, pharmaceutical, and chemical and construction industries. Dahmes markets itself as a global turnkey solution provider, with a direct-sales motion that takes projects from feasibility through installation, and a 20-year documented customer relationship with Symrise illustrates the multi-decade engagement profile of its enterprise accounts.

The product portfolio is organized around multiple spray dryer configurations — the proprietary Ductless Dryer Cone (DDD-C) and Ductless Dryer V (DDD-V), plus Top Exhaust, Bustle, Box, and U-Tube designs — together with a parallel evaporators line. The technology stack rests on several defensible innovations: the patent-pending ThermaShear™ two-fluid nozzle (operating at roughly 200 psi versus conventional 4,000 psi and roughly doubling water-removal rate on the same chamber), the patented Indirect Heater (96% efficiency, NOx-free process air), the patented sanitary Remote Viewing System for in-chamber nozzle monitoring, the Bag-In-Place CIP system meeting USDA and 3-A sanitary standards, and Shell & Tube and Envelope heat recovery modules. An on-site R&D Center with three pilot spray dryers supports feasibility studies and campaign trials before customers commit capital.

Commercially, Dahmes runs an exclusively direct go-to-market with no channel partners or distributors, combining enterprise field sales (Sr. VP of Sales Roger Ochsner) with inside sales handling parts, R&D trial scheduling, and mid-market inquiries. Revenue streams include one-time capital sales of custom dryers and evaporators, parts and aftermarket services, full-service general contracting via Dahmes Contracting, R&D pilot trial fees, and pre-owned equipment sales. A welding apprenticeship program launched in 2021 has produced 18+ graduates with 9 retained, supporting internal fabrication capacity. The company has expanded its brand presence across LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and a technical blog, though the dominant commercial motion remains relationship-driven direct engagement with industrial buyers.

Name

Dahmes Stainless

Legal name

Dahmes Stainless, Inc.

Website

https://dahmes.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Dahmes Stainless is a private manufacturer of custom industrial evaporating and spray drying systems serving food, dairy, pharmaceutical, chemical, and construction industries. It designs, engineers, and commissions proprietary drying equipment with patented ductless and atomization technologies from its Minnesota headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Spray Drying and Evaporating Equipment

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Drying & Evaporation Equipment (Dryers, Evaporators, Crystallizers) (IMAHAEAD)

Keywords

• Industrial spray dryers
• Custom evaporating systems
• Dairy processing equipment
• Powder handling systems
• Process drying equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

New London

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Evaporating Systems: Design, manufacturing, and installation of custom evaporating systems for liquid concentration and water removal in food, dairy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.
2. Spray Dryers and Drying Systems: Custom spray drying equipment including DDD-C, DDD-V, Top Exhaust, Bustle, Box, and U-Tube dryers with associated components and options.
3. Parts & Services: Spare parts, maintenance, troubleshooting, technical support, system upgrades, and components including baghouse parts, burner upgrades, dryer upgrades, heat recovery, and custom fabrication.
4. General Contracting Services: Full-service general contracting from process-first mindset, directing all aspects including engineering, architecture, procurement, and installation.
5. R&D Center Trials: Pilot-scale testing, trial runs, feasibility studies, and campaign product runs at R&D facility with three dryer systems.
6. Pre-Owned Equipment Sales: Sale of pre-owned spray dryers and equipment including complete systems with dryers, baghouses, fluid beds, and associated components.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Dahmes Stainless designs, manufactures, and installs custom industrial spray dryers and evaporating systems for water removal and product concentration. The company serves food, dairy, pharmaceutical, chemical, and construction industries with multiple dryer configurations (DDD-C, DDD-V, U-Tube, Top Exhaust, Bustle, Box), complementary components (heat recovery, indirect heaters, powder handling), and integrated project delivery including R&D pilot testing, general contracting, and aftermarket parts and services.

Product overview

Dahmes Stainless is a turnkey industrial process solutions provider specializing in custom evaporating and spray drying systems. The core portfolio centers on multiple spray dryer configurations (DDD-C, DDD-V, U-Tube, Top Exhaust, Bustle, Box) and evaporator systems, complemented by add-on modules including heat recovery systems, indirect heaters, powder handling equipment, the ThermaShear Nozzle atomization technology, agglomeration systems, and system components (baghouses, fluid beds, crystallization belts, CIP systems). The company offers integrated project delivery through its contracting arm, R&D pilot testing services, and aftermarket parts and support. Solution-specific offerings address distinct industry verticals: egg drying, flavor drying, permeate drying, and protein drying. The architecture is modular—customers select core dryer/evaporator platforms and configure them with appropriate add-on components and solution-specific features to match their product requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Evaporators Industrial evaporation systems for concentrating liquids and removing water using thermal vapor or mechanical vapor recompression, offered in forced recirculation, falling film, and rising film configurations with plate or shell and tube calandria heat transfer for food, dairy, chemical, and pharmaceutical processors.
• Spray Dryers Custom spray drying systems for converting liquid products into dry powders, encompassing multiple dryer configurations (DDD-C, DDD-V, U-Tube, Top Exhaust, Bustle, Box) designed for various product types and processing requirements across food, dairy, pharmaceutical, and chemical industries.
• Dahmes Ductless Dryer - Cone (DDD-C) Tall-form ductless spray dryer with baghouse located radially around the dryer chamber, designed for sticky or high-fat products with integrated CIP capabilities and Bag-In-Place option. Eliminates cyclones and wet scrubbers for industrial processors handling challenging feedstocks.
• Dahmes Ductless Dryer - V Bottom (DDD-V) Tall-form spray dryer close coupled to a baghouse via V-trough housing a static fluid bed for further drying and product removal, featuring lower building height requirements and limited rotary airlocks with easy overpressure protection.
• U-Tube Dryer Tall-form spray dryer with large U-shaped duct that transports product and process air from the dryer chamber to exhaust air separation and filtration equipment, best suited for low-fat and non-hygroscopic products.
• Top Exhaust Dryer Tall-form dryer chamber with exhaust ports exiting the top of the dryer's perimeter, offering excellent performance for agglomerating particles with easy overpressure protection.
• Bustle Dryer Tall-form spray dryer with cone extending beyond the diameter of the dryer chamber; exhaust air is pulled from the top of the cone with majority of powder exiting at the bottom, designed to create agglomerated particles.
• Box Dryer Flat bottom dryer with integrated baghouses and drag systems to remove product, offering an affordable design when overpressure protection is not required.
• Indirect Heaters Patented radial design indirect heater utilizing center-fire duct that delivers ultra-pure process air with 96% efficiency rate and no NOx contaminants, ideal for sanitary environments in food and pharmaceutical applications.
• Powder Handling Solutions Custom powder handling equipment including dilute phase and dense phase conveying systems, receiver bins, storage bins, and key components like rotary valves, vibratory sifters, and metal detectors for industrial powder processors.
• Research & Development Center Pilot-scale testing facility with three spray dryers, CIPable baghouse, fluid-bed drying, and evaporation systems that conducts new product testing, campaign runs, and dryer scaling for prospective clients to validate processes before full capital commitment.
• Parts & Services Comprehensive aftermarket support including parts manufacturing, engineering, design, control programming (Allen Bradley, Siemens), installation, modifications, renovations, and system upgrades for installed Dahmes equipment and other systems.
• Dahmes Contracting (General Contracting) Full-service general contractor with a process-first approach that delivers integrated project services from feasibility study through commissioning, handling engineering, architecture, procurement, and installation for industrial drying system projects.
• Pre-Owned Spray Dryers & Equipment Sale of pre-owned spray dryers and equipment including complete systems with dryers, baghouses, fluid beds, and associated components for customers seeking lower-cost or rapid-deployment drying capacity.

Quantifiable outcome

• ThermaShear Nozzle doubles water removal rate on same chamber compared to conventional high-pressure configuration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Pak: Largest dairy processing equipment OEM globally, offering integrated plant solutions including evaporation and drying. Competes with Dahmes for dairy capital projects, particularly at large dairy processors, but with a much broader portfolio spanning packaging, processing, and services.
• Hosokawa Alpine: German powder and particle processing equipment manufacturer with spray drying and agglomeration capabilities. Competes in food, chemical, and pharma drying applications as part of a broader process technology portfolio, with stronger European footprint than Dahmes.
• Bühler Group: Global food and feed processing equipment OEM headquartered in Switzerland. Bühler's drying and protein processing divisions offer spray drying and extrusion solutions across food, feed, and chemical markets - a much larger, diversified competitor with broader geographic and product coverage than Dahmes.

Direct peers

• GEA Group: Global leader in industrial spray drying and evaporation systems serving dairy, food, and pharma. GEA's separation/fermentation and liquid processing divisions overlap directly with Dahmes' core product lines including Niro spray dryers and falling-film evaporators, competing for the same enterprise dairy and food customers globally.
• Swenson Technology: US manufacturer of evaporators, crystallizers, and dryers for chemical, food, and mineral processing. Directly comparable custom-engineering OEM serving food and chemical customers with project-based equipment sales, similar in size and geographic focus to Dahmes.
• Dedert Corporation: US-based custom manufacturer of spray dryers, evaporators, and crystallizers for chemical, food, and environmental applications. Closest comparable in scale and custom-engineering approach to Dahmes, serving overlapping end markets with similar project-based direct sales model.
• C.E. Rogers Company: Specialty spray dryer manufacturer focused on dairy, food, and chemical applications. Custom-engineered drying systems with comparable direct-to-customer sales motion and similar custom engineering orientation, competing for similar mid-market and enterprise dairy/food accounts.

Regional players

• Marchante Group: Spanish-based spray dryer and evaporator manufacturer serving primarily European dairy, food, and chemical customers. Comparable custom engineering approach and product portfolio, but with primary geographic focus on EMEA rather than competing head-to-head in Dahmes' core North American accounts.

Emerging players

• Buchi Labortechnik: Swiss manufacturer of laboratory and small-scale spray dryers widely used in R&D and pilot applications. Smaller-scale overlap with Dahmes' pilot facility offering and entry-level production dryers for food, pharma, and academic customers.
• Powder Systems Limited (PSL): Specialty manufacturer of filtration, drying, and containment systems for pharmaceutical and specialty chemical applications. Comparable custom-engineering approach with focus on sanitary and high-containment drying, an adjacent niche where PSL competes with Dahmes for pharma and high-purity drying projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@dahmesstainless6297
• Facebookfacebook.com/dahmesstainlessinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dahmes
• Instagraminstagram.com/dahmes_stainless
• TikToktiktok.com/@dahmesofficial?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Dahmes Stainless