What Cretel does

Cretel is a privately held Belgian manufacturer of food processing equipment and industrial washing and drying systems, founded in 1972 and headquartered in Ghent as part of the ATS Group (A.T.S. nv) mechatronics division. The company's core offering splits into two product lines. The first is skinning and derinding equipment for fish and meat, including the F460A automatic fish skinner (with precise thickness control for shallow and deep skin methods), the F360M manual table-top fish skinner, the M360M automatic meat skinner, and a M360M manual table-top model, supplemented by vacuum packers, pinbone removers, fish scalers, food processing pumps, and a knife sharpening system. The second is industrial washing and drying systems, comprising crate washers (Basic and Modular lines), vertical pallet washers (up to 200 pallets per hour), bin and container washers, rack and trolley washers with rotating cage technology, the CD Series drying modules, and material handling systems. Equipment is engineered with quantified efficiency features, including circular washing cycles that reduce water consumption to 10-30L per container and drying modules designed for maximum water recovery and minimal energy use.

The company operates a channel-led go-to-market model, selling through a worldwide network of trained dealer partners (including ScottPec in North America, CF-Tech in India, FPT in Turkey, Global Food Technology in the UK, and Jansen Techniek in the Netherlands) that handle local sales, installation support, training, and after-sales service. Cretel supplements the channel with direct quote-based inquiry handling through a multilingual website (six languages), LinkedIn and YouTube presence, a GDPR-compliant newsletter, and active participation in global industry trade shows (Seafood Expo Global, IFFA, CFIA, Gulfood Manufacturing, Meat Expo, India International Seafood Show, Future Fish Eurasia). End customers span fish processing, meat processing, poultry, dairy, confectionery/bakery, pharmaceuticals, hatcheries, fruit and vegetables, automotive parts washing, and pooling/logistics; named reference customers include Colruyt Group (meat containers), Dathwyler (pharmaceutical crates), Aquaculture Resources Malta (fish waste container installation with automated warehouse), and Belgian dairy and perfume/flavorings producers. The company employs approximately 40 people, occupies a CO2-neutral production facility in Ghent equipped with new laser cutting, bending, and CNC machinery, and offers turnkey project delivery, maintenance and repair services, and factory-refurbished second-hand machines. The parent A.T.S. nv has held EcoVadis Silver Medal status for sustainability in both 2022 and 2023.

Name

Cretel

Legal name

Cretel

Website

https://cretel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cretel is a privately held Belgian manufacturer, founded 1972 and part of ATS Group, that designs and builds food processing skinners and industrial washing/drying systems for fish, meat, dairy, pharmaceutical, poultry, and logistics customers worldwide via a trained dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Gent

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Processing Equipment Sales: Cretel manufactures and sells food processing equipment including skinners (manual and automatic) for fish and meat, vacuum packers, pinbone removers, fish scalers, and sharpening systems. Products are sold directly and through a worldwide dealer network.
2. Washing & Drying Systems Sales: Industrial washing and drying equipment including crate washers, pallet washers, container washers, bin washers, rack & trolley washers, and drying systems. Sold with various configurations for different industry needs.
3. Turnkey Projects: Complete project delivery including study & design, realization, and after-sales service. Encompasses custom machinery, mechanical solutions, packaging machines, vacuum packaging machines, transport belts, vacuum units, and wash & dry lines.
4. Maintenance & Repairs: Expert service technicians ensure equipment operates smoothly daily. Services include repairs, parts supply, and maintenance contracts tailored to customer business.
5. Renovated Machines & Upgrades: Cretel offers second-hand machines that are factory refurbished, and upgrades for existing machines to meet current and future requirements with latest developments.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cretel manufactures and sells industrial food processing equipment (manual and automatic skinners for fish and meat, vacuum packers, pinbone removers, fish scalers, food processing pumps, and knife sharpening systems) and industrial washing and drying systems (crate washers, pallet washers, container washers, bin washers, rack and trolley washers, and drying modules). The company serves food processing, meat, poultry, dairy, pharmaceutical, confectionary, automotive, and pooling/logistics industries globally through a worldwide dealer network, also offering turnkey projects and maintenance services.

Product overview

Cretel is a Belgian manufacturer offering two main product lines: Food Processing Equipment and Washing & Drying Systems. Food Processing Equipment includes manual and automatic skinners for fish (F460A, F360M) and meat (M360M), food processing pumps, vacuum packers, pinbone removers, fish scalers, and knife sharpeners. The Washing & Drying Systems division provides industrial cleaning solutions including crate washers (Basic Line and Modular Line), vertical pallet washers, drying systems (CD series), bin washers, container washers, handling systems, and rack & trolley washers. These products serve industries including meat, poultry, fish, dairy, confectionary, pharmaceuticals, hatcheries, pooling & logistics, fruit & vegetables, and automotive. The company also offers turnkey projects and maintenance & repair services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F460A Automatic Fish Skinner Automatic fish skinning machine for high-volume fish processors, featuring precise thickness control system, hygienic and ergonomic design, conveyor belts, and ability to handle different fish types including high-fat species.
• F360M Table-Top Fish Skinner Manual table-top fish skinning machine designed for ergonomic use, easy maintenance, and replacement of the 365F model.
• M360M Table-Top Meat Skinner Manual table-top meat skinning machine for pork and beef processors, designed for ergonomic use and easy maintenance as the new generation of the 362SKM model.
• Food Processing Pumps Pumps designed for food processing applications in fish and meat processing industries.
• Vacuum Packers Vacuum packaging equipment for meat and fish products after skinning processing.
• Pinbone Remover Equipment for removing pinbones from fish fillets.
• Fish Scaler Equipment for scaling fish in fish processing operations.
• Sharpenset Knife Sharpening System Knife sharpening system for maintaining cutting equipment used in food processing.
• Crate Washers - Basic Line Simple concept crate washers for standard crate washing, designed for applications with limited capacity and budget. Capacity up to 250 crates/hour (based on E2 crates).
• Crate Washers - Modular Line Modular concept crate washers with minimal water, energy, and chemical consumption for automated industrial crate washing solutions. Capacity from hundreds to several thousand crates per hour.
• Vertical Pallet Washers Pallet washers designed according to proven tunnel washer concept with vertical or horizontal transfer. Capacity up to 200 pallets per hour, with easy removable spray heads, rotating wash arms, fully separated wash and rinse zones, and customizable transport speed.
• Drying Systems - CD Series Industrial drying modules with modular concept, high hygienic design standards, maximum water recovery, and minimal energy consumption. Available in Economic/Low, Standard, and Reinforced designs for heavy applications.
• Bin Washers - Cabin Design Normwagen washers designed for cleaning 200L and 300L bins with proven concept for high standards of hygienic design, water, chemicals, and energy consumption.
• Container Washers - Cabin Design Container washers designed for cleaning plastic or steel containers such as DOLAV and Euro containers. Features double spray system for inside and outside cleaning, freely adjustable wash cycle, inclined positioning, optional rotating filters, and TWIN version for doubling capacity.
• Handling Systems Material handling systems ranging from single-person operation to complex transport, (de)stacking and manipulation systems for high-capacity industrial lines.
• Rack & Trolley Washers Rack and trolley washers with rotating cage for cleaning standard racks and trolleys, featuring sublime washing results through rotating wash arms. Also available with up/down moving spraying system for special racks and trolleys with thorough cleaning of large non-standard sizes.
• Turnkey Projects Complete project delivery including study and design, realization, and after-sales service. Encompasses custom machinery, mechanical solutions, packaging machines, vacuum packaging machines, transport belts, vacuum units, and wash & dry lines.
• Maintenance & Repairs Expert service technicians ensure equipment operates smoothly daily. Services include repairs, parts supply, and maintenance contracts tailored to customer business requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• F460A fish skinner processes 1000 kg of fillets per hour compared to previous 200 kg/hour capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature13 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Jansen TechniekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Dutch machinery manufacturer Jansen Techniek signed an official distribution agreement to continue and emphasize cooperation with Cretel by ATS. They serve as the Dutch distributor for Cretel products.
• ScottPeccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorScottPec is a distributor for Cretel in North America, participating in events such as Seafood Expo North America 2023 in Boston alongside Division Manager Guy Persyn.
• CF-TechcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCF-Tech is Cretel's Indian distributor, participating together at the India International Seafood Show (IISS) 2023 in Kolkata, India.
• FPT Food Processing TechnologiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFPT Food Processing Technologies is Cretel's Turkish distributor, participating at Future Fish Eurasia 2022 in Izmir, Turkey.
• Global Food Technology LTDcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK-based distributor Global Food Technology Ltd received additional training on Cretel products, visiting Gent for product training sessions.
• ATS Group (A.T.S. nv)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCretel is a brand under ATS Group (A.T.S. nv). The group includes multiple subsidiaries including A.T.S. nv Technics (piping), ATS Group HQ Merelbeke (programming), A.T.S. nv Electrical Panels (panel construction), and other mechatronics activities. Cretel shares new production facilities with other ATS mechatronics activities.
• ATS BU AutomationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATS BU Automation handled the Malta project automation and control system programming for the complex warehouse management and washing system integration.
• ATS BU Machinery and AutomationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerATS BU Machinery provided the automated warehouse for the Malta Aquaculture Resources project, combining Cretel's washing systems with automated storage and retrieval.
• LuminusminorOthersEnergy company constructing a wind turbine at Cretel's CO2-neutral production facility location in the Ghent port area.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Marel: Iceland-based global leader in fish and meat processing equipment. Marel is the most direct competitor to Cretel's skinners, derinding equipment, and processing line solutions, competing head-to-head in seafood and protein processing plants worldwide.
• Heat and Control: US-Australian food processing equipment manufacturer specializing in meat, poultry, and seafood lines including skinning, marinating, and coating. Heat and Control competes with Cretel in mid-sized protein processing plants, particularly in skinning and derinding equipment.
• Provisur Technologies: US-based manufacturer of food processing equipment with a strong portfolio in skinning, derinding, deboning, and forming for meat, poultry, and seafood. Provisur's Formax and Beehive brands are directly comparable to Cretel's meat and fish skinner lines.
• Baader: German specialist in fish and seafood processing machinery, including skinning, filleting, and grading equipment. Baader's product portfolio overlaps directly with Cretel's fish processing range (F460A, F360M, pinbone remover, scaler).
• Cabinplant: Danish manufacturer of processing equipment for fish, meat, and convenience foods, with strong washing and handling systems for food processing. Cabinplant competes in the same niche-custom-engineering space as Cretel across fish and meat verticals.
• Scanico: Swedish specialist in fish processing equipment including defrosting, skinning, and grading. Scanico is a direct niche peer to Cretel in the European fish processing equipment market, particularly in whitefish and salmon plants.

Broad incumbents

• JBT Corporation: US-listed broad-line supplier of food processing and protein solutions, including cooking, freezing, and portioning. JBT's Protein segment overlaps with Cretel's meat and fish processing equipment, though it operates at much larger scale across multiple categories.
• GEA Group: German global engineering group with a major food processing and packaging equipment division. GEA serves meat, dairy, and seafood customers with separators, homogenizers, and processing lines, making it a broad comparable rather than a head-to-head skinner/washer rival.
• TOMRA: Norwegian global leader in sorting and processing equipment with a significant food division serving fish, meat, and produce processors. TOMRA's optical sorting and processing systems intersect with Cretel's washing and fish processing business at large seafood customers.
• Middleby Corporation: US-listed conglomerate with a portfolio of food processing brands covering meat, poultry, and bakery equipment. Middleby's broad portfolio overlaps with Cretel's meat processing skinners, but its scale and breadth make it an incumbent rather than a direct niche peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC2kTDxr4c1tt0pSOfIL0WOg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cretel-nv

Compliance2 records

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 Cretel