Applied Chemical Technology

What Applied Chemical Technology does

Applied Chemical Technology, Inc. (ACT) is a privately held engineering, design, and fabrication firm founded in June 1981 in Florence, Alabama by A. Ray Shirley, Jr. The company designs and builds custom industrial process equipment and turnkey systems for chemical, fertilizer, pharmaceutical, food, mining, biomass, and polymer producers worldwide. Its core product lines are fluid bed systems (batch and continuous, including combination fluid bed/baghouses), rotary drums (granulators, agglomerators, dryers, coolers, coaters, blenders, and rotary vacuum dryers), tanks/reactors/pressure vessels (ASME Code), and skid-mounted, trailer-mounted, and modular prefab processing systems. A proprietary patented falling curtain granulation process, invented by the founder at TVA, anchors the technology stack alongside 50+ patents developed over 30+ years.

ACT's business model is project-based custom equipment manufacturing combined with integrated engineering services and pilot plant development. Revenue is generated from custom equipment sales (one-time capital projects), engineering and design services, and laboratory/pilot plant testing on a 30,000 sq ft facility at the Florence headquarters. The company operates a Develop-Engineer-Fabricate vertical integration model, enabling scale-up from bench-scale testing through commercial production (up to 2 ton/hr continuous plants), with Factory Acceptance Testing prior to delivery. Pricing is quote-based, transaction-driven, and varies by equipment type, scale, materials of construction, and customization. Go-to-market is enterprise direct sales supported by industry conference presence (Fertilizer Latino Americano, TFI, SW Fertilizer Conference), educational Fluid Bed Seminars, a brochure-rich website with RFQ forms, and a LinkedIn presence. The firm employs over 70 staff including engineers, designers, technicians, draftsmen, craftsmen, and sales/support personnel, with over 50% of employees tenured more than 10 years. Leadership is split between founder/Chairman A. Ray Shirley, Jr. (Engineering Advisor) and President Curtis Small. ACT is a profitable, self-funded, founder-controlled operating company with no disclosed external investors, M&A activity, or revenue figures.

Name

Applied Chemical Technology

Legal name

Applied Chemical Technology, Inc.

Website

https://appliedchemical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Applied Chemical Technology is a privately held engineering and fabrication firm that designs and builds custom fluid bed systems, rotary drums, pressure vessels, and turnkey process plants for fertilizer, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and biomass producers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Process Equipment

NAICS

Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (3332), Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAHAEAA

Chemical Processing Equipment (Reactors, Mixers, Agitators)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Process & Industrial Plant Equipment

SECONDARYAFABAIAJ

Formulation R&D, Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Inputs & Agrochemicals/Agrochemical Formulation & Toll Manufacturing

Keywords

• Custom process equipment
• Fluid bed systems
• Rotary drum fabrication
• Pressure vessel manufacturing
• Pilot plant services

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Equipment Manufacturing: Design, engineering, and fabrication of custom industrial process equipment including fluid bed systems, rotary drums, pressure vessels, and complete turnkey systems. Equipment ranges from laboratory/pilot scale to commercial production scale.
2. Engineering Services: Integrated engineering services including process engineering, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, process automation, and project management from concept through commissioning and startup.
3. Pilot Plant Services: Laboratory and pilot plant testing services, process development, and scale-up support. 30,000 sq ft of pilot plant space available. Pilot plant equipment may be leased or purchased.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Applied Chemical Technology (ACT) designs, engineers, and fabricates custom industrial process equipment including fluid bed systems, rotary drums, pressure vessels, reactors, and complete turnkey processing systems. The company offers vertically integrated Develop-Engineer-Fabricate services under one roof, supported by 30,000 square feet of pilot plant facilities and laboratory capabilities that enable scale-up from bench-scale to commercial production for clients in fertilizer, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, mining, and bioenergy industries.

Product overview

Applied Chemical Technology (ACT) is an engineering, design, and fabrication company founded in 1981 that provides a comprehensive portfolio of chemical processing equipment and services. The company's product portfolio centers on four core equipment categories: Tanks/Reactors/Pressure Vessels, Fluid Bed Systems, Rotary Drums, and Turn Key Systems. These are complemented by Skid Systems (Modular Prefab Units, Pumping Skid Systems, and Trailer Mounted Systems) and supported by three service pillars: Research and Development (including laboratory, bench-scale, and pilot plant services), Engineering (design, mechanical, process automation, process engineering, process plant design, project management, structural), and Fabrication Services. ACT's equipment serves industries including fertilizer, chemical, pharmaceutical, food, mining, polymer, energy, and biomass. The company operates from Florence, Alabama with 24,500 square feet of office/laboratory space and 60,000 square feet of fabrication, automation, and pilot plant facilities, employing over 70 staff with extensive experience in granulation technology and fluid bed processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tanks, Reactors, & Pressure Vessels
• Fluid Bed Systems
• Turn Key Systems

Quantifiable outcome

• Scale-up capability from bench-scale to 2 ton/hr continuous plants
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FEECO International: FEECO International is a direct peer: a custom process equipment and agglomeration systems manufacturer headquartered in Green Bay, WI, with deep overlap with ACT in rotary drums, granulation, and fertilizer/agricultural mineral processing equipment. Both firms specialize in custom-engineered, project-based equipment with pilot plant capabilities.
• Glatt Group: Glatt is a direct peer specializing in fluid bed technology for drying, granulation, coating, and agglomeration, serving pharmaceutical, food, and chemical industries. ACT's fluid bed systems (batch, continuous, combination fluid bed/baghouses) compete directly with Glatt's integrated fluid bed product lines.
• Hosokawa Micron: Hosokawa Micron manufactures powder and particle processing equipment including fluid bed systems, agglomeration, and mixing equipment for chemical, pharmaceutical, and food applications. It competes with ACT in fluid bed drying, granulation, and custom process system integration.
• Komline-Sanderson: Komline-Sanderson designs and manufactures fluid bed dryers, granulators, and process equipment serving chemical, pharmaceutical, food, and environmental markets. Its fluid bed dryer/granulator portfolio directly overlaps with ACT's batch and continuous fluid bed offerings.
• Mars Mineral: Mars Mineral manufactures agglomeration and granulation equipment (paddle mixers, disc pelletizers, rotary drums) primarily for mineral and fertilizer processing. It is a direct peer to ACT's rotary drum granulator/agglomerator business serving fertilizer and mining customers.
• Carrier Vibrating Equipment: Carrier Vibrating Equipment designs and manufactures fluid bed dryers, coolers, and vibratory process equipment for chemical, food, and mineral processing. Its fluid bed dryer/cooler lines overlap directly with ACT's fluid bed systems.
• Bühler Group: Bühler is a global process equipment manufacturer serving food, feed, and chemical industries, with strong positions in drying, mixing, and granulation. It competes with ACT in animal feed coating/processing and food processing equipment.
• Dedert Corporation: Dedert Corporation designs and manufactures process equipment including spray dryers, fluid bed dryers, evaporators, and rotary dryers for chemical, food, and mineral processing. Its fluid bed and rotary dryer product lines overlap with ACT's fluid bed and rotary drum portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• GEA Group: GEA Group is a broad incumbent in process engineering for food, dairy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries, offering fluid bed systems, separators, and complete turnkey plants. It overlaps with ACT's fluid bed and rotary processing equipment but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• ANDRITZ Group: ANDRITZ is a broad incumbent supplying process equipment and plant solutions for chemical, fertilizer, food, and biomass industries, including fluid bed dryers and granulation systems. Its separation and drying product lines compete with ACT's fluid bed and rotary drum offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/applied-chemical-technology

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Applied Chemical Technology