Automated Process Equipment

What Automated Process Equipment does

Automated Process Equipment Corporation (APEC) is a privately held, employee/founder-owned industrial equipment manufacturer founded in 1992 and headquartered in Lake Odessa, Michigan. The company designs and builds custom, made-to-order ingredient automation systems covering weighing, dosing, mixing, continuous blending, liquid coating, and process control for dry and liquid ingredient processing environments. Core proprietary products include the Mistcoater Liquid Coating System (which uses spinning-disk technology instead of spray nozzles to prevent clogging), the CentriFlow™ Dry Solids Meter (registered trademark, ±0.25% full-scale accuracy mass flow measurement), the ProFlo Meter, BatchBox and Batch Control Systems, HD Micro Ingredient Weighing Systems, and a custom fabrication line including laser cutting, water jet, CNC machining, welding, and the wholly-owned West Michigan Powder Coating division.

APEC serves enterprise customers across seven primary verticals: pet food, animal feed (cattle, hog, aqua), food processing, premix processing, specialty ingredient manufacturing, powder and bulk solids, and nutraceuticals. The company has deployed 1,000+ machines and control systems across 35+ countries, with 98% of equipment reportedly still in operation. Named customers and references include Belle Plaine Colony (cattle feedlot), Prestage Farms (hog feed, equipment in operation since 1995), North Central Co-op, Auburn University, Cal-Poly State University, Kansas State University, North Dakota State University, University of Illinois, and an automotive raw materials supplier.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time sales of custom-built equipment priced via project quotes, supplemented by parts and components, engineering and field services (including 24/7 support and preventative maintenance contracts), used/rebuilt equipment resale, and custom fabrication services. Distribution is direct-to-customer via a regional field sales force with named territory coverage (Great Lakes, Southeast US, South Central US, Midwest US, East Coast US, Latin America, International Worldwide), supplemented by inside sales and a website-driven quote-request process. APEC maintains no distributor or reseller network. The company is led by CEO/President Keith Wilcox (son of co-founder Kendall Wilcox), with the original 1992 employee-shareholder structure still referenced as ownership commentary. Management has explicitly stated the company is not for sale and remains focused on independent, sustainable growth.

Name

Automated Process Equipment

Legal name

Automated Process Equipment Corporation

Website

https://apecusa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Automated Process Equipment Corporation (APEC) is a privately held, employee-owned manufacturer founded in 1992 in Lake Odessa, Michigan, that designs and builds custom ingredient automation equipment — including weighing, dosing, mixing, coating, and process control systems — for enterprise customers in pet food, animal feed, food processing, premix, nutraceutical, and powder/bulk solids industries worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Processing Equipment

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, Nec (3569), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Filling & Dosing Machines (Liquid/Powder/Solid) (IMAHAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chemical Processing Equipment (Reactors, Mixers, Agitators) (IMAHAEAA), Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH), Conveying, Feeding & Accumulation Systems (Packaging Lines) (IMAHAOAK)

Keywords

• Ingredient automation equipment
• Process control systems
• Liquid coating equipment
• Batch weighing systems
• Powder handling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Odessa

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, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Processing Equipment Manufacturing: APEC designs and manufactures custom-built ingredient automation equipment including liquid coating systems, batching scales, weighing systems, material handling equipment, and continuous flow processing equipment. All equipment is custom-built to order and tailored to each customer's requirements.
2. Process Control Systems: Design and manufacture of control systems including BatchBox, Batch Control Systems, and custom control panels with PLC and HMI integration for processing equipment automation.
3. Parts and Components: Replacement parts including Mistcoater Liquid Disk PM Kit, Liquid Disk Hub Assembly Kit, ProFlo Parts Package, and other component supplies for equipment maintenance.
4. Engineering and Field Services: Engineering services for design, commissioning, startup assistance, operator training, troubleshooting, and preventative maintenance. Annual service programs and maintenance contracts available.
5. Custom Fabrication Services: Custom metal fabrication including laser and water jet cutting, rolling, forming, welding, CNC machining, and powder coating services. Also includes custom flighting and auger fabrication.
6. Used and Rebuilt Equipment: Sale of refurbished equipment including complete coating systems, ribbon blenders, slide gates, and micro ingredient systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

APEC designs and manufactures custom-built, made-to-order ingredient automation equipment and process control systems for industrial processors. Core offerings include liquid coating systems (Mistcoater), micro ingredient weighing systems, batching and mixing equipment (ribbon mixers, bulk bag unloaders), continuous mass flow meters (CentriFlow, ProFlo), powder feeders, and PLC/HMI-based control systems (BatchBox, control panels), supported by in-house custom metal fabrication, engineering, field service, and replacement parts.

Product overview

APEC (Automated Process Equipment Corporation) is a custom-built-to-order manufacturer of ingredient automation equipment and process control systems serving the pet food, animal feed, food processing, premix, nutraceutical, and powder/bulk solids industries since 1992. The product portfolio centers on a complete dry and liquid ingredient automated system combining weighing, dosing, mixing, continuous blending, and coating equipment with integrated control systems. Core equipment includes the Mistcoater Liquid Coating System (spinning disk technology), CattlePro Microingredient System, Micro Ingredient Systems, HD Micro Ingredient Weighing Systems, and Horizontal Ribbon Mixers for batching and mixing operations. Weighing and metering is handled through the CentriFlow Dry Solids Meter, ProFlo Meter, and Powder Metering Feeders. Control systems include the BatchBox integrated batch controller, Batch Control System, and custom Control Panels. Material handling equipment includes Bulk Bag Unloaders and Dry Flow Control components (slidegates and diverters). All equipment is designed and manufactured in Lake Odessa, MI, USA, with customization available for specific customer requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• West Michigan Powder Coating: Powder coating division of APEC providing finishing services for fabricated metal products with two ovens available (10' x 40' and 10' x 18').

Products and services

• CattlePro Liquid & Dry Microingredient System Automated liquid and dry micro ingredient scaling system for cattle feedlot managers that applies carrier and active ingredients directly onto feed, eliminating dependence on leased equipment or drug-manufacturer supply contracts.
• Mistcoater Liquid Coating System Liquid coating equipment using proprietary spinning disk technology (instead of spray nozzles) to apply liquids to dry solids in continuous flow processes; available in T, TMX, and SST (food grade) models with capacities from 7 to 170 cubic meters per hour.
• Liquid Dosing System Compact cabinet-based liquid dosing machine for injecting micro liquids into continuous flow processes; features Coriolis liquid flow meter, heated cabinet, and plug-and-play installation.
• Bulk Bag Unloader Bulk bag (super sack) discharger designed to eliminate dangerous worker situations during bag disconnection and material blockage; features bag lift rack, pneumatic agitators, and dust control options.
• Horizontal Ribbon Mixer Industrial ribbon mixer with double ribbon agitator for reliable and uniform blending of powders, granules, and dry mixes; shaft sizes from 2-1/4" to 6" diameter and drive sizes from 3 to 60 HP.
• Micro Ingredient System Automated ingredient system for accurate weighing of micro ingredients with gain-in-weight and loss-in-weight options; features removable stainless steel bins (6 or 10 cu. ft. capacity), variable pitched feeder screws, and integrated control panel.
• HD Micro Ingredient Weighing System High-capacity micro ingredient weighing system delivering 40lb maximum load with gram-level accuracy using capacitive digital load cell technology; hermetically sealed load cells safe for food and washdown environments.
• CentriFlow Dry Solids Meter First true mass flow measurement instrument for flowable solids with bulk densities from 1lb to 100lb per cubic foot; achieves ±0.25% full scale accuracy with no moving parts.
• ProFlo Meter Continuous mass flow meter for bulk solids with densities of 10 to 100 lbs. per cubic foot and flow rates from 700 to 7000 cubic feet per hour; achieves ±0.5% full scale accuracy.
• Powder Metering Feeder Precise metering feeder for dry additives available in Loss-In-Weight or Volumetric configurations; features mechanical bin agitator and optional platform scale.
• BatchBox Integrated Batch Controller Industry-specific computer-based batch control system with open architecture for integration with most scale instrument brands; features formula management, inventory tracking, and automatic HMI configuration.
• Batch Control System PC-based batch control system using off-the-shelf components with multi-tasking environment; supports Allen-Bradley or Opto22 I/O with SQL database for extended transaction storage.
• Control Panels Centralized management panels for batching, blending, volumetric, ratiometric, mass flow, loss-in-weight, routing, and motor control; supports Allen-Bradley PLCs (CompactLogix, MicroLogix, ControlLogix) and Powerflex VFDs.
• Dry Flow Control Equipment Equipment for regulating dry bulk material movement including slidegates (pneumatic, manual, electric) and diverters (2-way plate, 3-way plate, basket, hose styles) for discharge control and material routing.
• Engineering and Field Services Engineering services for design, commissioning, startup assistance, operator training, troubleshooting, and preventative maintenance; annual service programs and maintenance contracts available across equipment from most manufacturers.
• Custom Fabrication Services Custom metal fabrication including laser and water jet cutting, rolling, forming, welding, CNC machining, and powder coating services; also includes custom flighting and auger fabrication via wholly owned West Michigan Powder Coating division.
• Used and Rebuilt Equipment Sale of refurbished equipment including complete coating systems, ribbon blenders, slide gates, and micro ingredient systems.
• Replacement Parts and Components Replacement parts including Mistcoater Liquid Disk PM Kit, Liquid Disk Hub Assembly Kit, ProFlo Parts Package, and other component supplies for equipment maintenance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of equipment still in operation after deployment
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles7 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Coperion (formerly Coperion K-Tron): Coperion is a direct peer in feeding, weighing, batching and bulk material handling, with loss-in-weight feeders and process control systems that overlap APEC's Powder Metering Feeder, Micro Ingredient Systems and BatchBox product lines.
• Wenger Manufacturing: Wenger is a direct peer in extrusion and processing equipment for pet food, aquatic feed and human food, offering cooking, forming, coating and control systems that overlap with APEC's pet food and animal feed process solutions.
• AZO Group: AZO is a direct peer in automated bulk material handling, micro-ingredient systems and process automation for food, feed and chemical industries. Its ingredient automation, conveying and dosing solutions overlap substantially with APEC's material handling and batching portfolio.
• Schenck Process: Schenck Process is a direct peer in industrial weighing, dosing and feeding of bulk solids, with loss-in-weight feeders and batch control systems that compete head-to-head with APEC's ProFlo, CentriFlow, Powder Metering Feeder and BatchBox offerings.
• Spraying Systems Co. Spraying Systems is a direct peer in liquid coating and application equipment for industrial processes; it competes with APEC's Mistcoater liquid coating system via spray nozzle technology, which is the explicit alternative APEC's spinning-disk design is built to displace.
• CPM (California Pellet Mill): CPM is a direct peer in feed, pet food and grain processing equipment (pellet mills, hammer mills, conditioners, coolers). Like APEC it supplies integrated process lines to animal feed and pet food manufacturers with strong service and aftermarket support, making it the closest head-to-head for APEC's CattlePro and Mistcoater lines.
• Hayes & Stolz Industrial Manufacturing: Hayes & Stolz is a direct peer in industrial mixing, blending and material handling equipment for feed, food and grain processors. Its ribbon mixers and batch systems are closely comparable to APEC's Horizontal Ribbon Mixer and batching solutions.

Emerging players

• Munson Machinery: Munson Machinery manufactures industrial mixers, blenders and size reduction equipment for food, feed, chemical and bulk solids processors. Its ribbon mixers and batch blenders are smaller-scale alternatives to APEC's mixing and batching line.

Broad incumbents

• Bühler Group: Bühler is a global incumbent in food and feed processing equipment, offering dosing, mixing, coating, weighing and extrusion systems across the same verticals APEC serves (pet food, animal feed, specialty ingredients). It competes broadly with APEC but at much larger scale and with a broader portfolio including optical sorting and digital services.
• Andritz Feed & Biofuel: Andritz is a broad incumbent supplying equipment for feed mills, biomass processing and food industries including mixers, conditioners, pellet mills and process automation. It overlaps with APEC's animal feed and food processing equipment lines but as part of a much wider industrial portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/apecusa
• Facebookfacebook.com/apecusa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apecusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Automated Process Equipment