What Membrane Specialists does

Membrane Specialists LLC is a privately held, Ohio-based industrial engineering firm that supplies customized crossflow membrane filtration systems and process-development services to clients across the Americas. The company was founded by David Pearson and Lewis Pain, both former PCI Membranes (now Xylem Flow Control) executives, and operates as the exclusive distributor of PCI Membrane products in the Americas. Its portfolio spans the full membrane technology stack — microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis — across multiple membrane geometries including spiral-wound, polymeric tubular, ceramic, hollow-fiber, and stainless-steel formats.

The company serves seven primary verticals: industrial/wastewater treatment, biofuels/bioproducts, food and beverage, nutraceuticals, pulp and paper, fine chemicals, and water treatment. Its proprietary Fyne Process and trademarked Mini-Fyne® system target remote-community drinking water treatment and have been deployed for more than 15 years. Service offerings include pilot plant rental (bench-scale to 15,000 gallons/day), process development, system engineering, fabrication, commissioning, and contract-based technical support and membrane replacement.

Revenue is generated through a mix of one-time capital equipment sales, professional process-development services, recurring pilot plant rental, and managed maintenance contracts. Sales are conducted via direct technical engagement with process engineers at industrial customers, supported by a multilingual (English, Spanish, Portuguese) content marketing presence. The firm also operates a wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiary, Membrane Specialists Ltda, to serve South American customers, and designs processes to GAMP and FDA 21 CFR Part 820 standards for nutraceutical and regulated applications.

Name

Membrane Specialists

Legal name

Membrane Specialists LLC

Website

https://membranespecialists.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Membrane Specialists LLC is a privately held Ohio-based firm that designs, engineers, and supplies customized crossflow membrane filtration systems and process-development services for industrial, food and beverage, biofuels, nutraceutical, pulp and paper, fine chemicals, and water treatment customers across the Americas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Membrane Filtration Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560)

akta.pro primary industry

Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water & Wastewater Treatment Plant Equipment (Clarifiers, Aeration, Membrane Systems) (IMAHAEAJ), Membrane Treatment (UF/NF/RO for Potable) (EUANABAC), Effluent Polishing & Filtration (MBR/UF/RO/GAC) (EUANADAL), Filtration (Rapid/Slow Sand, Media, Membrane Pretreatment) (EUANABAB)

Keywords

• Crossflow membrane filtration
• Membrane separation systems
• Process development services
• Industrial water treatment
• Nanofiltration equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

West Chester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Membrane Equipment Sales: Sale of customized membrane filtration systems including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis equipment with all available membrane geometries. Systems are designed, engineered, fabricated and commissioned for specific client applications.
2. Process Development Services: Comprehensive laboratory, system-engineering, manufacturing and installation services. Includes pilot testing, application development, and process optimization services for liquid separation challenges.
3. Pilot Plant Rental: Rental of versatile pilot plants for membrane testing. Equipment ranges from bench models processing samples of two or three gallons to small-scale industrial systems producing up to 15,000 gallons per day.
4. Technical Support and Maintenance: Technical support, operator training, process optimization, and membrane replacement services. Regular maintenance offered on contractual basis. Support available throughout the Americas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Membrane Specialists supplies customized crossflow membrane filtration equipment and process-development services, including microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis systems in polymeric tubular, spiral-wound, hollow-fiber, ceramic, and stainless-steel membrane geometries. The firm also provides pilot plant rental, application/process development, system engineering, fabrication, installation, commissioning, operator training, and ongoing technical support to industrial clients across the Americas, operating as the exclusive distributor of PCI Membrane products in the region.

Product overview

Membrane Specialists offers a comprehensive portfolio of membrane filtration products and services centered on crossflow membrane technology. The core offering includes proprietary filtration systems (Fyne Process and Mini-Fyne®) paired with a full range of membrane technologies: Microfiltration, Ultrafiltration, Nanofiltration, and Reverse Osmosis. These are available in multiple membrane configurations—spiral wound, polymeric tubular, ceramic tubular, and hollow fiber. The company also provides engineering services including pilot plant testing, process development, system design, and ongoing technical support. The portfolio is built around independent membrane selection to ensure solutions match specific application requirements across industrial, biofuels, food & beverage, nutraceuticals, pulp & paper, fine chemicals, and water treatment markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crossflow Membrane Filtration Systems Custom-engineered crossflow membrane filtration systems providing clarification, product isolation, concentration, and separation for liquid processing applications across industrial, food and beverage, biofuels, nutraceutical, pulp and paper, fine chemicals, and water treatment clients.
• The Fyne Process Proprietary nanofiltration process that retains dissolved organic materials (humic and fulvic acids) commonly found in surface waters used for drinking in remote communities, and also reduces iron, metals, and waterborne pathogens.
• Mini-Fyne® Membrane Filtration Unit Compact membrane filtration unit designed for small, remote sites such as schools, campgrounds, and mining/oil services camps. Filters 240 to 2,500 gallons/day (900 to 9,500 liters/day) using tubular nanofiltration membranes with automated cleaning and single-phase power operation.
• Pilot Plant Testing Services Rental and operation of versatile pilot plants for membrane testing, ranging from benchtop models processing samples of 2–3 gallons to small-scale industrial systems producing up to 15,000 gallons per day, designed for wide temperature and pH ranges.
• Process Development Services Application and process development services including independent process and membrane evaluation, operational cost projection, system engineering, installation, and commissioning for customer-specific liquid separation challenges.
• Technical Support and Maintenance Services Ongoing technical support, operator training, process optimization, and membrane replacement services delivered across the Americas, with regular maintenance offered on a contractual basis.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wastewater volume reduction by factor of 5-10 times
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PCI Membranes Inc. (now Xylem Flow Control)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerMembrane Specialists is the exclusive distributor of PCI Membrane products in the Americas. The company's principals previously worked at PCI Membranes, and the relationship continues as a core distribution partnership. PCI provides the membrane products while Membrane Specialists provides application expertise, system integration, and regional sales.
• National Rural Water Association (NRWA)minorOthersNRWA recognized the Lower Kushkokwim School District as winner of the Great American Water Taste Test in 2005 for using the FYNE membrane filtration system. This recognition highlights the effectiveness of Membrane Specialists' water treatment technology in small community applications.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Evoqua Water Technologies: Provider of industrial and municipal water treatment systems including membrane technologies, competing in industrial effluent and water-reuse projects.
• Alfa Laval: Global provider of membrane filtration modules and systems for dairy, food, beverage and process industries, competing in the anchor's food/nutraceutical concentration niche.
• Xylem Inc. Owner of PCI Membranes (the anchor's core supply partner) and broad water technology player; both a partner and a large-scale competitor in membrane water treatment.
• SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions: Global supplier of membranes and water treatment systems for industrial and municipal customers, overlapping in RO/UF/NF process and wastewater applications.
• Veolia Water Technologies: Global water and wastewater treatment technology provider (incl. membrane systems) serving industrial and municipal clients, competing in effluent treatment and reuse.
• GEA Group: Engineering group offering membrane filtration lines for food, beverage and biotech processing, overlapping in clarification and concentration applications.
• Pall Corporation: Danaher-owned global filtration and separation leader with membrane products spanning biopharma, food and industrial markets; overlaps broadly but as part of a far larger portfolio.

Direct peers

• Koch Separation Solutions: Provider of membrane filtration systems (MF/UF/NF/RO) across food, dairy, industrial and water applications; directly competes in custom crossflow membrane system design and supply.
• Synder Filtration: Manufacturer of spiral-wound membranes and membrane systems for food, beverage, and industrial separation; overlaps closely with the anchor's crossflow filtration and concentration offerings.
• Applied Membranes, Inc. Supplier of RO/UF/NF membrane systems and components for water treatment and industrial process use, a similarly specialized membrane equipment integrator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Membrane Specialists