Valley Welding and Machine Works

What Valley Welding and Machine Works does

Valley Welding and Machine Works (VWM), founded in 1946 and headquartered in Fresno, California, designs and manufactures advanced mechanical processing equipment for the global food industry. The company's product portfolio centers on proprietary vibratory conveying (VI-PRO®), air aspiration cleaning (SuperVac®), size grading, dehydration, washing, dewatering, metering, conveying, and packaging systems, sold as individual machines or integrated turnkey processing lines for raisins, almonds and nuts, dried fruit, frozen fruit and vegetables (IQF), peaches, peppers, and prunes. VWM operates from a 50,000 sq ft facility with in-house CAD design, engineering, and fabrication, and reports equipment operating on every major continent worldwide.

VWM's business model is built on quote-based sale of custom-engineered capital equipment to enterprise food processors, with revenue generated through hardware sales of individual machines and complete processing lines, complemented by after-sale technical service, field support, and spare parts. The go-to-market motion combines direct enterprise sales from the Fresno headquarters with a network of independent manufacturer's representative organizations (Mountain Pacific Machinery in NW US/Western Canada; Eckert Machines in Eastern Canada/NY State), and customer references include equipment shipments to Japan and China. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by configuration, capacity, and system complexity.

The company's customer base comprises enterprise-scale food processors such as Blue Diamond Growers, Sun-Maid Growers, Tree Top, Mariani Packing, Del Rey Enterprises, ShoEi Foods, JSS Almonds, Keenan Farms, and Minturn Nut, several of which describe multi-project, repeat engagements. VWM is privately held with no disclosed institutional investment, no public listing, and no disclosed parent or subsidiary structure. Revenue, headcount detail, and ownership composition are not publicly disclosed; the company provides no mobile applications, APIs, or disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and the technology base is electromechanical with patented separation features and registered trademarks.

Name

Valley Welding and Machine Works

Legal name

Valley Welding and Machine Works

Website

https://vwmworks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Valley Welding and Machine Works (VWM), founded in 1946 in Fresno, California, designs and manufactures custom vibratory conveying, air aspiration, and size grading equipment for global enterprise food processors in dried fruit, nuts, and IQF segments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Food Processing Equipment Manufacturing: VWM designs and manufactures custom and standard food processing equipment including conveyors, graders, separators, washers, and complete processing lines. Revenue is generated through equipment sales with pricing based on customization level, capacity requirements, and system complexity. The company offers turnkey processing lines as well as individual machine purchases.
2. Custom Solutions and Systems Integration: Design and manufacture of specialty equipment tailored to specific customer processing requirements. Includes engineering design, system integration, and custom-built machinery for unique applications across various food processing industries.
3. After-Sale Services and Parts: Post-sale technical support, field service, spare component support, equipment repair, upgrades, and maintenance services. The company emphasizes ongoing customer support continuing long after equipment delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Valley Welding and Machine Works designs and manufactures custom and standard food processing equipment, including vibratory conveyors, air aspiration cleaners, size graders, washing systems, dewatering systems, bin dumpers, elevators, food pumps, flavoring coaters, mixing systems, and packaging systems, as well as complete turnkey processing lines for raisins, almonds, nuts, frozen fruits and vegetables, peaches, peppers, and prunes. The company also provides after-sale technical support, field service, spare parts, and custom solutions engineering for food processing companies worldwide.

Product overview

Valley Welding and Machine Works (VWM) is a designer and manufacturer of advanced processing equipment for the food industry since 1946. The company's product portfolio centers on core mechanical equipment including VI-PRO Vibratory Conveyors, SuperVac Air Aspiration Systems, Size Graders, and Dehydration Systems, complemented by a range of supporting equipment such as Bin Dumpers, Elevators, Food Pumps, Mixing Systems, Dewatering Systems, Washing Systems, Flavoring Coaters, and Custom Solutions. VWM also offers complete processing lines for specific food products including Raisins, Almonds and Nuts, Frozen Fruits and Vegetables, Peaches, Peppers, and Prunes. The equipment is engineered for the dried fruit, nut, fresh fruit, vegetable, and frozen food industries, with a 50,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Fresno, California. The company serves customers worldwide with a focus on innovative design, superior equipment quality, and customer support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• VI-PRO Vibratory Conveyors Industry-leading vibratory conveyor solutions for product conveying, sorting, grading, and processing with vibration-free operation, featuring advanced VI-PRO technology for grading capacity and efficiency.
• SuperVac Air Aspiration Systems The industry's most advanced air aspiration cleaning system for foreign material removal, pre-cleaning, and product purification using patented separation technology and precise air velocity control, processing up to 60,000 lbs/hour.
• Size Graders Advanced size grading solutions for efficient product sizing, separating, sorting, and grading using proven sizing technology with VI-PRO vibratory conveyors.
• De-Clumpers / Product Singulators / Breakers Cost-effective solutions for improving separation and flow of dried fruits, vegetables, and bulk products with rugged stainless steel construction for durability and low-maintenance operation.
• Dehydration Systems Tunnel dehydrators and dehydration systems for the dried fruit industry since 1946, including washers, singulators, and de-clumpers with proven reliability.
• Dewatering Systems Durably designed dewatering systems to remove excess moisture under demanding plant conditions with customizable screens, air knife blowers, and slotted screens for optimal water removal.
• Bin Dumpers Advanced performance bin dumpers engineered for strength, reliability, and seamless material handling in demanding processing environments, available in hydraulic, electric, and pneumatic configurations.
• Elevators Durable, low-maintenance elevators and vertical conveyors for efficient product transport across processing lines with bucket, plastic modular, polyurethane, wire mesh, and cleated designs.
• Flavoring Coaters Efficient, uniform product coating systems for consistent seasoning, powder, or liquid application across food products with adjustable flow control and dual-angle lifting mechanism.
• Food Pumps Gentle, efficient food pump systems that move products using controlled water flow for transport without mechanical damage, ideal for fragile or high-value products.
• Raisin Processing Lines Complete raisin processing lines from 4,000 to 70,000 lbs per hour including pre scalping systems, SuperVac stem removal, Dry Cappers, Rotation Recleaners, washing, size grading, and automatic bulk packaging.
• Almond and Nut Processing Systems High-performance almond and nut processing solutions including the first industry sizer to handle 45,000 lbs/hour at 8 sizes, SuperVac air aspiration, and VI-PRO vibratory conveying technology.
• Frozen Fruit and Vegetable Processing Systems Advanced frozen fruit and vegetable processing for mixing, metering, breaking, and integrating IQF products with precision ingredient blending and throughput up to 10,000 lbs per hour.
• Peach Processing Machinery High-performance peach processing equipment for sizing, sorting, peeling, slicing, feeding, and conveying including lye peelers, pitter systems, and water reclamation technology.
• Pepper Processing Machinery Specialized pepper processing machinery for efficient seed removal, peeling, dewatering, and product handling including VI-PRO screeners, SuperVac aspiration, and custom roasters for jalapeños and bell peppers.
• Prune Processing and Size Grading Equipment High-efficiency prune processing equipment for size grading, sorting, and complete processing lines with VI-PRO vibratory sizing technology for consistent product flow and reduced waste.
• Mixing Systems and Blenders Mixing systems and blenders for quick, simple, and reliable product mixing with adjustable line flow and automatic preset mix ratios for dried or frozen products.
• Water Reclaimer Reels Efficient solids separation systems for water recycling in food processing with Tri-Rod screen design, tank integration, and sanitary stainless steel construction.
• Washing Systems Superior cleaning performance washers for fruits, vegetables, and food products with vibratory conveyor washers, trommel washers, wash tanks, brush washers, riffle washers, and bubble washers.
• Dry Capper Destemmer Removes attached stems from raisins via high-speed rotating rubber paddles with staggered configuration for multiple contact points ensuring thorough cap stem removal.
• Vacuum and Air Aspirators Precision removal of lightweight foreign materials from food processing lines using calibrated airflow technology for separation while preserving product integrity.
• Metering and Feeders Precision flow control and accurate metering for bulk solids with feeder belts, mechanical metering hoppers, rotary metering hoppers, and vibratory product metering systems.
• Packaging Systems Customized packaging solutions for final pack-off, product weighing, and distribution including bulk fill stations, combination scale platforms, case indexers, and X-ray and metal detector integration.
• Custom Solutions Specialty custom-designed equipment for various applications including custom conveyors, processing equipment, and specialized machinery tailored to specific customer needs.
• After-Sale Services and Parts Post-sale technical support, field service, spare component support, equipment repair, upgrades, and maintenance services for installed VWM equipment, with ongoing customer support continuing long after equipment delivery.
• Select Product Conveyors Product conveyors available in a wide variety of designs and applications, specializing in product orientation, indexing, metering, and gentle conveying for food processing lines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% volume increase reported by Del Rey Enterprises with VWM continuous dryer and supporting equipment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Mountain Pacific MachinerycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent manufacturer's representative organization covering Northwestern U.S. states (WA, OR, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO) and Western Canada provinces (BC, AB). Located in Lake Oswego, OR with contact at (503) 639-7635.
• Eckert Machines Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent manufacturer's representative covering Canadian provinces (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland) and New York State. Located in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Key Technology (Duravant): Designs and manufactures vibratory conveyors, optical sorters, and digital sortation equipment for food processing applications — directly comparable product portfolio to VWM's VI-PRO and SuperVac product lines. Now part of Duravant, serving nuts, dried fruit, and produce customers globally.
• Heat and Control: Designs and manufactures food processing equipment including frying, cooking, seasoning, conveying, and inspection systems — a similar mid-size specialty equipment manufacturer serving snack food, prepared food, and produce processors comparable to VWM's customer base.
• Grote Company: Manufactures food cutting, slicing, and processing equipment including conveyors and automatic feeding systems — a similar mid-size US-based specialty food equipment manufacturer comparable in scope and target customer to VWM.
• Urschel Laboratories: Manufactures industrial food cutting, slicing, dicing, and size reduction equipment — a similarly-positioned specialty equipment manufacturer with comparable scale, customer profile (food processors globally), and engineering-driven business model.
• FAM (Stumpe): Belgian manufacturer of industrial cutting, slicing, and dicing equipment for the food industry — a similar specialty food processing equipment manufacturer serving comparable fruit, vegetable, and prepared food customers as VWM.
• Clextral: French manufacturer of food processing equipment including extrusion, mixing, conveying, and drying systems — a similar mid-size specialty equipment manufacturer with overlapping product categories (drying, conveying, custom processing lines) comparable to VWM.

Broad incumbents

• TOMRA Food: Global leader in sensor-based sorting and grading technology for food — directly comparable in air-aspiration/optical sorting to VWM's SuperVac, but at substantially larger scale and with broader geographic and product coverage.
• Bühler Group: Large Swiss manufacturer of food processing equipment covering grain milling, nuts, chocolate, and many other verticals — a much larger incumbent with overlapping capabilities in sorting, conveying, and complete processing lines comparable to VWM.
• John Bean Technologies (JBT): Diversified global food processing and air transport equipment company with broad portfolio including fruit and vegetable processing, freezing, and packaging systems — a broad incumbent with some product overlap and significantly larger scale than VWM.

Regional players

• Cabinplant: Danish manufacturer of food processing equipment with similar specialty focus on washing, sorting, and portioning — comparable product categories and customer types, but primarily serving European markets rather than competing directly in VWM's core California/Central Valley territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Valley Welding and Machine Works