Fabdec

What Fabdec does

Fabdec Group is a privately held British manufacturer of stainless steel thermal solutions, founded in 1960 and headquartered in Ellesmere, Shropshire. The company designs, fabricates, and supplies bespoke heat transfer equipment, process vessels, dairy systems, water heating cylinders, heat recovery units, and engineered skid sets for the dairy, food and beverage, water heating, pharmaceutical, chemical, and renewable energy sectors. Core proprietary technology includes in-house laser-welded pillow plates (THERMOPLATES), patented Venturi water heating technology, and the SPAR-HEAT waste heat recovery system, all manufactured at a 65,000 sq ft Shropshire facility.

The business operates through a multi-channel model: enterprise field sales supported by an in-house sales team, a Quote Builder tool for bespoke equipment, a dedicated e-commerce webshop for spares and consumables, and a wholly-owned German subsidiary (Fabdec GmbH) serving European customers. A dedicated installation and service branch (Cookes) provides aftermarket support, generating a recurring service and spares revenue layer on top of one-time capital equipment sales. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, varying with capacity, configuration, and material specification, and the customer base spans enterprise names such as Tesco, NHS, British Gas, Greene King, and Costco alongside mid-market breweries and dairy farms.

Fabdec's product portfolio is anchored in stainless steel fabrication expertise built over 65+ years, with multiple sub-brands (BRITANX Process, EXCELSIOR, KOOL-STOR, SPAR-HEAT, INSTA-KOOL, UNI-HEAT) organized around vertical applications. The company holds ISO 9001, WRAS, CIPHE, SOPHE, and Made in Britain certifications, and reports documented customer outcomes including a 50% reduction in energy usage at Arran Dairies via SPAR-HEAT deployment and production capacity doubling at an independent brewery using BRITANX process vessels. Revenue, headcount detail, and ownership structure are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Fabdec

Legal name

Fabdec Ltd

Website

https://fabdec.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Fabdec Group is a UK-based, privately held manufacturer founded in 1960 that designs and fabricates bespoke stainless steel thermal solutions, including process vessels, dairy cooling systems, water heating cylinders, and heat recovery units, serving dairy, food and beverage, water heating, pharmaceutical, and renewable energy customers across the UK and EMEA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Thermal Equipment

NAICS

Power Boiler and Heat Exchanger Manufacturing (332410), Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433), Heating Equip, Except Elec & Warm Air; & Plumbing Fixtures (3430)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Heat Exchangers & Thermal Transfer Equipment (IMAHAKAC), Boilers, Furnaces & Process Heating Equipment (IMAHAKAD)

Keywords

• Stainless steel vessels
• Thermal solutions
• Dairy cooling equipment
• Water heating cylinders
• Heat recovery systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Ellesmere

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Stainless Steel Equipment Manufacturing: Design, manufacture and supply of stainless steel thermal solutions including process vessels, dairy tanks, water heaters, heat recovery systems, and integrated skid-set systems. Primarily one-time capital equipment sales with bespoke pricing based on specifications.
2. Spare Parts & Consumables: Comprehensive range of spares and consumables available through the Fabdec webshop for milk cooling, milking systems, water heating, process vessels, and heat recovery products. Ongoing revenue from replacement parts and accessories.
3. Service & Technical Support: Installation and servicing through Cookes, the dedicated installation and servicing branch, providing preventative maintenance, emergency repairs, and expert advice to support long-term equipment performance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fabdec Group designs, manufactures and supplies bespoke stainless steel thermal solutions for dairy, food, beverage, brewery, pharmaceutical, chemical, water heating and renewable energy applications. Core offerings include process vessels (BRITANX Process), dairy cooling and storage systems, EXCELSIOR water heating cylinders with patented Venturi technology, and SPAR-HEAT heat recovery systems. All products are produced in-house at a 65,000 sq ft Shropshire facility using laser-welded pillow plate manufacturing technology.

Product overview

Fabdec Group is a British manufacturer of stainless steel thermal solutions offering an integrated portfolio of products for dairy, food, beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical and renewable energy applications. The core offering comprises Process Vessels (BRITANX Process) for bespoke storage, mixing, heating and cooling across multiple industries; Dairy Systems for milk cooling, bulk storage and farm management including DX-FF tanks, KOOL-STOR, falling film chillers, ice builders and FOOT-WASH Pro; EXCELSIOR Water Heating sub-brand covering domestic, commercial, industrial and marine cylinders from 50 to 10,000 litres with patented Venturi unvented technology; and Energy Recovery solutions including SPAR-HEAT heat recovery vessels (150-3,000L), Energy Blades for water-source heat exchange and THERMOPLATES laser-welded pillow plates. All products are manufactured in-house at the 65,000 sq ft Shropshire facility using stainless steel fabrication and pillow plate laser welding technology, enabling integrated thermal management solutions where dairy cooling connects to heat recovery, water heating integrates with heat pumps, and skid sets bundle multiple components together.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BRITANX Process: Part of Fabdec Group specialising in in-house design and manufacture of high-quality stainless steel vessels for food, beverage, brewery, and distilling industries. Operates from 65,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Shropshire, UK.
• EXCELSIOR
• Fabdec Dairy Systems
• Cookes

Products and services

• Process Vessels (BRITANX Process) Bespoke stainless steel process vessels for food, beverage, brewery, distilling, pharmaceutical, chemical and dairy applications. Includes Mash Tuns, Dual Purpose Vessels, Brite Beer Tanks, Serving Tanks, mixing vessels, buffer vessels and pressure vessels designed to PD5500 standards, manufactured to client specifications.
• Dairy Systems Comprehensive dairy farming equipment including DX-FF bulk milk cooling tanks (1,200-34,000L), KOOL-STOR weatherproof tanks, falling film chillers, ice builders, plate coolers, bulk silos, UNI-HEAT dairy farm water heaters, FOOT-WASH Pro cow footwash systems, and milking parlour components for dairy farms.
• EXCELSIOR Water Heating Stainless steel water heating cylinders and heat transfer products including domestic (50-300L), commercial (300-500L), industrial (500-3,000L), marine (50-3,000L), bespoke (50-10,000L), heat pump cylinders, buffer vessels, and the Venturi unvented water heater technology with patented self-sustaining expansion for domestic, commercial, industrial and marine use.
• SPAR-HEAT Heat Recovery British-engineered heat recovery system that captures waste heat from refrigeration systems and converts it to hot water. Capacities from 150 to 3,000 litres with double-walled coil technology, available in Plastisol (indoor) or stainless steel (outdoor) cladding, integrating with refrigeration and milk cooling systems.
• Energy Blades Submerged stainless steel water source heat exchangers for lakes and rivers that extract thermal energy for ground source heat pump integration. Standard dimensions 3000mm x 500mm x 800mm, 4-plate array configuration delivering 8-20kW depending on water conditions, for renewable energy and HVAC applications.
• THERMOPLATES (Pillow Plates) Laser-welded stainless steel pillow plate heat transfer surfaces for heating, cooling and energy recovery. Used as tank jackets, immersion panels or transfer surfaces in dairy, food, beverage, water heating and process applications. Manufactured in-house with specialist laser welding technology, making Fabdec the only UK manufacturer of pillow plates.
• INSTA-KOOL Falling Film Chillers Advanced cooling systems using pillow plate technology for rapid, precise temperature control. Custom-built with 2-14 pillow plates, featuring even coolant distribution, low freeze risk, low maintenance and energy-efficient operation for dairy and beverage processing.
• FOOT-WASH Pro Automated stainless steel cow footwash system with intelligent cow counting technology. Fully automated wash cycles ensure consistent cleaning with reduced chemical use. Available in sizes 1865mm to 4065mm with optional side panels, designed for dairy farms.
• Storage & Buffer Vessels Liquid storage and pressure stabilization vessels for thermal and hydraulic applications. Capacities from 100 to 10,000 litres with advanced insulation, precision temperature control and energy efficiency for heating networks, cooling installations and domestic hot water storage.
• Stainless Steel Skid Sets Pre-assembled modular process units combining tanks, pumps, valves, instrumentation and piping into single transportable structures. Support blending, heating, cooling, dosing, filtration and metering operations with integrated control systems for demanding industrial environments.
• Spares & Consumables Comprehensive range of spare parts and consumables including KOOL-SPARES for milk cooling, KINGSTON milking parlour spares, water heating spares, brewery spares, heat recovery spares and process vessel spares available through the Fabdec webshop.
• Installation & Servicing (Cookes) Installation, preventative maintenance, emergency repairs and expert technical advice delivered through Cookes, the dedicated installation and servicing branch of Fabdec, supporting long-term equipment performance for dairy and industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% decrease in energy usage at Arran Dairies through SPAR-HEAT heat recovery
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Williams RefrigerationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2023Williams Refrigeration collaborated with Fabdec on the Arran Dairies project, recognising the energy saving potential in refrigeration circuits used for ice cream production. Williams turned to Fabdec's SPAR-HEAT heat recovery expertise to provide a complete solution, combining their refrigeration knowledge with Fabdec's thermal solutions.
• OEMs, Contractors & DeveloperscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFabdec works in close partnership with OEMs, contractors, developers, and end users across the UK, EMEA and beyond. These partnerships involve designing and supplying bespoke thermal solutions and refrigeration systems tailored to meet the demands of global markets.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Pentair: Major water treatment and heating solutions player, including commercial and domestic hot water products. Comparable EXCELSIOR product line for stainless steel unvented cylinders and heat pump integration.
• Tetra Pak: Global processing and packaging solutions for dairy, beverage and food. Overlaps with Fabdec in process vessels, thermal processing and bulk tank refrigeration for dairy and brewing customers.
• GEA Group: Large dairy equipment and process technology supplier offering milking, cooling, processing and bottling lines. Overlaps with Fabdec on milk cooling tanks and process vessels, plus heat recovery for dairy customers.
• SPX FLOW: Industrial flow and heat transfer equipment provider with complementary APV heat exchangers and dairy/food processing systems. Competes on stainless steel process vessels and dairy thermal handling.
• Alfa Laval: Global leader in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling with major presence in dairy, food and beverage. Direct overlap in heat exchangers, process vessels and dairy cooling, but at vastly larger scale and broader portfolio.

Direct peers

• Fullwood Packo: UK/European manufacturer of milk cooling tanks, milking equipment and dairy heat exchange solutions. Closest direct competitor on bulk milk tanks, plate coolers and dairy heat recovery used by Fabdec's primary segment.
• Paul Mueller Company: US-focused stainless steel vessel and heat transfer manufacturer with long history in process vessels and dairy storage. Comparable in custom stainless fabrication and thermal expertise for brewery, dairy and process industries.
• DeLaval: Specialist in dairy farming equipment and milking systems with comparable milk cooling tanks, plate coolers and farm water heating offerings. Direct overlap on DX-FF-style bulk tanks and robotic milking integrations.

Regional players

• Vaillant Group: European heating manufacturer with strong UK/Germany presence in boilers and hot water cylinders. Comparable position in commercial/domestic water heating and heat pump integration.
• Baxi Group: Leading UK-based boiler and hot water cylinder manufacturer. Regional UK overlap with Fabdec's EXCELSIOR water heating business in residential and light commercial cylinders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fabdecltd
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@fabdecltd
• Facebookfacebook.com/FabdecLimited
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fabdec
• Instagraminstagram.com/fabdecltd
• TikToktiktok.com/@fabdecltd

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Fabdec