Broadbent
Broadbent (Thomas Broadbent & Sons Ltd) is a 160-year-old UK family-owned manufacturer of industrial centrifuges for solid-liquid separation, serving chemical, polymer, mining, sugar, oil & gas, environmental, and laundry industries across five countries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1864
- HeadquartersHerne Bay, New Zealand
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Broadbent does
Broadbent (legal entity Thomas Broadbent & Sons Ltd) is a UK-headquartered, family-owned industrial centrifuge manufacturer founded in 1864 in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. The company designs, manufactures, tests, and supports solid bowl decanter, screen bowl decanter, gas-tight, batch, and continuous centrifuges for solid-liquid separation across chemical, polymer, mining, mineral, oil & gas, sugar, environmental, and geotechnical industries. Through its Laundry Systems division it also distributes industrial laundry equipment — washers, dryers, ironers, and finishing systems — under long-standing partnerships with Vega Systems BV, Lavatec GmbH, and Alliance Laundry Systems, serving healthcare, garment, and large commercial rental customers.
The technology base is built on in-house mechanical, process, and electrical design using 3D-CAE/CAM systems with FEA, modal and ODS analysis, supported by a process laboratory capable of bench-to-pilot scale testing (including the CQ3000 test rig) and dynamic balancing for rotors up to 6 tonnes. Manufacturing takes place in an 85,000ft2 (8,000m2) facility with three main bays, 20x20ft access, and 25-tonne lifting capacity. Materials expertise covers mild and stainless steels through to Monel, Hastelloy, and titanium, with welding qualifications to ASME IX and NACE, and certifications to ISO 9001, ISO 3834, and UKCA.
The business model combines capital-equipment sales (one-time, project-based bespoke and standard centrifuges), recurring OEM spare parts (£3M+ inventory at HQ), repair/refurbishment including reverse engineering of competitor parts, 24/7 on-site service contracts, and subcontracting manufacturing services. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales via wholly-owned subsidiaries in the UK (Huddersfield), USA (Fort Worth, TX), China (Yangzhou), India (Pune), and Thailand (Chonburi), supplemented by a network of 30+ agents worldwide. The firm is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors and operates under UKAS/LRQA-certified quality systems.
Broadbent firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Broadbent
- Legal name
- Thomas Broadbent & Sons Ltd
- Website
- https://broadbent.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1864
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Broadbent (Thomas Broadbent & Sons Ltd) is a 160-year-old UK family-owned manufacturer of industrial centrifuges for solid-liquid separation, serving chemical, polymer, mining, sugar, oil & gas, environmental, and laundry industries across five countries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Broadbent industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Centrifuges & Separation Equipment
- NAICS
- Other General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing (3339), Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313)
- SIC
- General Industrial Machinery & Equipment (3560), Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes) (IMAHAEAB)
Keywords
Where Broadbent is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Herne Bay
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices5 records
Markets served
Broadbent business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Industrial Centrifuge Sales: Design, manufacture and sale of industrial centrifuges including decanter, batch, and screen bowl decanter centrifuges for chemical, polymer, mining, mineral, oil & gas, sugar, and geotechnical industries. Both standard and bespoke solutions offered.
- Spares & OEM Parts: Supply of genuine OEM spare parts to safeguard machinery performance, extend operational lifespan, and reduce long-term maintenance costs. Parts inventory valued at over 3 million pounds.
- Repairs & Refurbishment: Aftersales support including swift, reliable repairs, refurbishments, reconditioning and upgrade projects. Reverse engineering of competitor parts for upgrade and optimization.
- On-Site Services: 24/7 field service support including commissioning, optimization, engineer and operator training, preventative maintenance, on-site repairs. Global network of service engineers.
- Lab Testing & Proof of Concept: Process laboratory services for testing sample process characteristics, pilot scale tests, and process commissioning and optimization services.
- Industrial Laundry Equipment: Supply of laundry washing, garment and finishing systems, ironers, dryers, extractors, and material handling equipment from manufacturers including Vega Systems BV, Lavatec GmbH, and Alliance Laundry.
- Manufacturing Services: Subcontracting services for external users of large, complex engineering components including fabrication, machining, assembly, and testing services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Industrial Centrifuge Equipment |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Broadbent product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Broadbent designs, manufactures, and supports industrial centrifuges for solid-liquid separation across chemical, polymer, mining, mineral, oil & gas, sugar, environmental, and geotechnical industries. The company also distributes industrial laundry equipment and provides comprehensive aftermarket services including OEM spares, repairs, refurbishment, on-site field service, and process laboratory testing. Operations span wholly-owned offices in the UK, USA, China, India, and Thailand, supported by a global agent network.
Product overview
Broadbent is an industrial equipment manufacturer specializing in separation solutions, primarily centrifugal systems. The company operates through multiple divisions: the core Industrial Process Division (IPD) produces solid bowl decanter centrifuges, screen bowl decanter centrifuges, gas-tight centrifuges, and batch/continuous centrifuges for chemical, polymer, mining, minerals, oil & gas, sugar, and geotechnical industries. The Food, Environmental & Experimental Division (FEED) provides centrifuges for food processing and environmental applications. Supporting divisions include Laundry Systems (industrial washers, dryers, ironers, finishing systems from Vega, Lavatec, Alliance Laundry), Manufacturing Services (fabrication, machining, assembly, testing), Lab Testing & Proof of Concept (process laboratory and pilot testing), Centrifuge Spares & Repairs (OEM parts and reverse engineering), and On-Site Services (24/7 support, control upgrades, service contracts). The company also produces Geotechnical centrifuges for research applications. Established in 1864, Broadbent provides complete turnkey solutions from proof of concept to final machines, supported by global operations in the UK, China, India, Thailand, and USA.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Industrial Process Division (IPD) Centrifuges
Companies that use Broadbent
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments7 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Broadbent technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Broadbent partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Department of Engineering, University of CambridgecoreActive research collaboration with the Department of Engineering at University of Cambridge. Liaise and collaborate with specialists in academic centers of excellence for R&D in separation technology.
- Geotechnical & Environmental Research Group, University of CambridgecoreCollaboration with the Geotechnical & Environmental Research Group at University of Cambridge for geotechnical centrifuge research and development.
- The Filtration SocietyminorCollaboration with The Filtration Society (WfIUS) for knowledge sharing and industry expertise in separation technology.
- Textile Services Association (TSA)minorPartnership with Textile Services Association (TSA) for laundry industry expertise and standards.
- British Standards Institution (BSI)minorCollaboration with BSI for standards development and compliance in industrial equipment.
- The Welding Institute (TWI)minorPartnership with TWI for welding expertise and certification support.
- Vega Systems BVcoreBroadbent supplies the complete range of Vega Systems BV products including industrial laundry finishing systems, ironers, and materials handling equipment. Vega Systems is a major force in industrial laundry sector worldwide with manufacturing sites in Netherlands, Germany, Thailand and China.
- Lavatec GmbHcoreBroadbent has been Lavatec dealers for over 20 years, supplying complete range of Lavatec laundry technology products including continuous tunnel washers, extractors, dryers and finishing systems. Large spares inventory held for legacy Lavatec machines.
- Alliance Laundry SystemscoreBroadbent supplies the complete range of Alliance Laundry Systems products. Alliance leads the world in commercial laundry sales, product range, reach and R&D investment.
- Fintec Textilpflegesysteme GmbHminorLongstanding partnership with Fintec for garment finishing machinery including gas and steam tunnel finishers, garment transport systems and garment folders.
- PrimusminorBroadbent supplies Primus commercial washers and dryers and carries large inventory of spares for Primus machinery.
- PassatminorBroadbent carries spares for Passat laundry machinery as part of their comprehensive spare parts inventory.
- AmkominorBroadbent carries spares for Amko laundry machinery as part of their comprehensive spare parts inventory.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Broadbent competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Jensen Group: Belgian industrial laundry equipment manufacturer (washers, dryers, ironers, finishing) with global service network. Directly comparable to Broadbent's Laundry Systems division, which distributes competing brands Vega, Lavatec and Alliance.
- Flottweg: German specialist in decanter centrifuges, separators and belt presses for chemical, pharmaceutical, food and environmental applications. Highly comparable mid-to-large specialist competitor with overlapping IPD centrifuge products and similar customer base.
- Hiller GmbH: German decanter centrifuge specialist serving environmental, chemical, food and oil & gas applications. Closely comparable product focus to Broadbent's solid-bowl decanter offering and similar mid-sized industrial customer profile.
- Siebtechnik Tema: Manufacturer of centrifuges (screen-bowl decanters, vibratory and tumbling centrifuges) and mineral processing equipment. Direct competitor in mining, mineral and industrial solid-liquid separation markets where Broadbent's IPD division operates.
- Stord (Atlas Stord): Norwegian manufacturer of decanters, presses and food/animal by-product processing equipment. Overlaps with Broadbent's FEED division on sugar, food and environmental separation applications across Europe and adjacent geographies.
- Western States Machine Company: US-based manufacturer of batch and continuous basket centrifuges used in sugar, salt, chemical and mineral processing. Direct competitor to Broadbent's sugar and batch-centrifuge business, particularly in the Americas market served by Broadbent Incorporated.
Regional players
- Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha: Japanese engineering firm with a long history of manufacturing decanters and separating equipment for chemical, oil & gas and food applications. Comparable product technology to Broadbent's IPD centrifuges, with primary focus on Japanese and broader Asian markets.
Broad incumbents
- GEA Group: German industrial group with one of the world's largest separation technology portfolios including decanters, nozzle and peeler centrifuges for dairy, chemical, pharma and environmental markets. Competes head-to-head with Broadbent on industrial solid-liquid separation and shares many of the same end markets.
- Alfa Laval: Swedish global leader in heat transfer, separation and fluid handling, with a major decanter and disc-stack centrifuge portfolio serving chemical, food, pharma and O&G customers. Directly competes with Broadbent across multiple industrial separation verticals, but at much larger scale and broader product breadth.
- Andritz Group: Austrian engineering group supplying decanter and screen-bowl centrifuges for chemical, mineral, food and environmental applications. Overlaps with Broadbent's IPD and FEED divisions on solid-liquid separation equipment for mining, sugar and industrial customers.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Broadbent compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Broadbent financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Broadbent leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Broadbent subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Broadbent funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Broadbent M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Broadbent
What does Broadbent do?
Broadbent designs, manufactures, and supports industrial centrifuges for solid-liquid separation across chemical, polymer, mining, mineral, oil & gas, sugar, environmental, and geotechnical industries. The company also distributes industrial laundry equipment and provides comprehensive aftermarket services including OEM spares, repairs, refurbishment, on-site field service, and process laboratory testing. Operations span wholly-owned offices in the UK, USA, China, India, and Thailand, supported by a global agent network.
Is Broadbent a public or private company?
Broadbent is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Broadbent founded?
Broadbent was founded in 1864. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Broadbent based?
Broadbent is headquartered in Herne Bay, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Broadbent make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Industrial Centrifuge Sales are the primary driver. The others are spares & OEM Parts, repairs & Refurbishment, on-Site Services, lab Testing & Proof of Concept, industrial Laundry Equipment and manufacturing Services.
Who are Broadbent's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Jensen Group, Flottweg, Hiller GmbH, Siebtechnik Tema, Stord (Atlas Stord) and Western States Machine Company. Mitsubishi Kakoki Kaisha is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are GEA Group, Alfa Laval and Andritz Group.
Does Broadbent have an API?
No public API is recorded for Broadbent.
What industry is Broadbent in?
Broadbent's product category is Industrial Centrifuges & Separation Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAEAB, Separation & Filtration Equipment (Filters, Centrifuges, Membranes). Its NAICS code is 3339 and its SIC code is 3560.