Hill Equipment & Refrigeration

What Hill Equipment & Refrigeration does

Hill Equipment & Refrigeration operates as Hill Defence Products, a wholly-owned subsidiary of AJ Baker & Sons headquartered in South Australia. The company specializes in the supply of refrigeration, air-conditioning, and catering equipment to the Australian Defence Forces, an end market it has served continuously for more than 40 years. Customers span the Royal Australian Navy — including embedded positions on the Collins Class submarine, Huon Class minehunter, and ANZAC Class frigate platforms — the Australian Army, and the Royal Australian Air Force. The firm holds Defence Industry Security Program (DISP) membership via its parent, which gates participation in Australian defence procurement.

The product portfolio addresses the full commissary and climate-control stack for defence applications: cooking equipment (combis, ranges, fryers, microwaves), refrigeration (display coldwells, ice makers, bar cabinets, refrigerators), food preparation equipment, dishwashing systems, laundry equipment, stainless steel furniture and cabinetry, HVAC systems, air filtration systems, integrated chilled water systems, cool and freezer rooms, and portable DC-powered water coolers and refrigerators. Underlying technology centres on Mil-spec engineering with multi-voltage power compatibility (115VAC/60HZ, 208-240VAC/50-60HZ, 415-440VAC/50-60HZ, 380-440VDC), enabling both fixed installation and deployable field operations across naval, shore, and land environments.

The business model combines direct hardware sales with full lifecycle services — design, project management, installation, commissioning, ongoing maintenance, and spare parts supply — under multi-year contracts. Go-to-market is exclusively direct enterprise sales into ADF procurement via dedicated phone line, defence-specific email, and a website quote request flow; no distributor or reseller channel is indicated. Pricing is custom and project-based and is not publicly disclosed. Operational scope is domestic-only (Australia, headquartered in Dry Creek, South Australia) with 251-500 employees across the broader Hill/AJ Baker group.

Name

Hill Equipment & Refrigeration

Legal name

Hill Defence Products

Website

https://hill.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1931

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hill Equipment & Refrigeration, operating as Hill Defence Products, supplies Mil-spec refrigeration, air-conditioning, HVAC, and catering equipment to the Australian Defence Forces under parent AJ Baker & Sons. Serves the Royal Australian Navy, Army, and Air Force with multi-year design, installation, and maintenance contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Defense Refrigeration & Catering Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415)

SIC

Refrigeration & Service Industry Machinery (3580), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Military Aerospace Fuel, Hydraulic & Environmental Control Systems (IMABAMAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial refrigeration equipment
• Military HVAC systems
• Defence catering equipment
• Commercial kitchen supplies
• Air conditioning systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Dry Creek

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Commercial Kitchen and Commissary Equipment Sales: Direct sales of cooking equipment (ranges, combi steam ovens, fryers, microwaves), refrigeration (refrigerators, display coldwells, bar cabinets, ice makers), preparation equipment (vegetable cutters, mixers, slicers), dishwashing systems, and stainless steel furniture/cabinetry to defense forces.
2. Project Lifecycle Services: Comprehensive services encompassing design, project management, installation, commissioning, and ongoing support/maintenance of defense equipment systems. Also includes supply of spare parts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hill Defence Products (Hill Equipment & Refrigeration) supplies military-grade refrigeration, air-conditioning, HVAC, and catering equipment to the Australian Defence Forces, including cooking, refrigeration, food preparation, dishwashing, serving, laundry, and stainless steel cabinetry products designed to Mil-spec. The company also delivers full lifecycle services — design, project management, installation, commissioning, support, maintenance, and spare parts supply — for naval vessels, field operations, barracks, hospitals, and air force installations across Australia.

Product overview

Hill Defence Products is a specialized defence subsidiary of AJ Baker & Sons, serving the Australian Defence Forces for over 40 years. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of military-grade equipment across two primary specialization areas: Refrigeration/Air-conditioning and Catering equipment. The product suite includes Cooking Equipment (Combi Steam Ovens, Fryers, Microwaves), Refrigeration Equipment (Refrigerators, Display Coldwells, Ice Makers), Food Preparation Equipment (Vegetable Cutters, Mixers, Slicers), Dishwashing Equipment (Undercounter and Pass-Through Dishwashers, Macerators), Laundry Equipment (Washers-Extractors, Tumble Dryers, Drying Cabinets), and Serving Equipment (GN Bain-Maries, Ice Cube Makers, Ice-Cream Machines). Additionally, the company provides HVAC systems, air filtration systems, cold storage solutions (cool rooms, freezer rooms, chilled water systems), and portable DC refrigeration units. These products serve Marine (Galley and Commissary), Field/Portable Operations, Barracks, Hospitals, and Hospitality sectors. The company operates as both equipment supplier and full-service provider, offering design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance capabilities alongside equipment supply to meet Mil-spec standards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cooking Equipment

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Emerging players

• GOSS (Global Outsourcing & Support Services): UK-based defense catering and support services company. Comparable to Hill in providing catering, galley, and food service equipment to military customers, particularly in maritime defense.
• Winterhalter Gastronom: Specialist commercial warewashing and food service equipment manufacturer with international defense and government customers. Comparable to Hill's dishwashing and commercial kitchen equipment product lines.
• Hobart Service (ITW Food Equipment Group): Commercial food equipment manufacturer with defense/military customer base. Overlaps with Hill in the commercial kitchen, dishwashing, and food service equipment space including military applications.

Broad incumbents

• Carrier Corporation: Global HVAC and refrigeration manufacturer with military/government product lines. Comparable to Hill in the manufacturing of commercial and military-grade HVAC and refrigeration equipment, but at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Saab Australia: Provides naval combat systems, surveillance, and support across Australian defense programs. Comparable defense customer/competitor dynamics to Hill in the naval and base-facility support segment.
• BAE Systems Australia: Major Australian defense prime that operates the Huon Class minehunter program (a Hill customer) and is a key shipbuilder for naval platforms. Overlaps with Hill as both customer and potential competitor for naval platform fit-out work.
• Babcock Australasia: Provides sustainment and through-life support for Australian defense platforms including ANZAC frigates. Comparable to Hill as a defense sustainment provider with engineering, fleet management, and equipment support capabilities.
• Trane Technologies: Global manufacturer of HVAC and refrigeration systems serving commercial, industrial, and government/defense customers. Overlaps with Hill's commercial refrigeration and defense HVAC offering.
• Thales Australia: Major defense prime in Australia with naval, air, and land platform exposure. Overlaps with Hill in defense equipment supply, integration, and through-life support for Australian Defence Force platforms.

Direct peers

• ASC (ASC Pty Ltd): Submarine builder and sustainer for the Collins Class program, a direct Hill customer. Closely intertwined through submarine program fit-out, sustainment, and ongoing naval defense work in South Australia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AJBakerAndSons
• Facebookfacebook.com/ajbakerandsons
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aj-baker-&-sons-pty-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/ajbakerandsons

Compliance1 record

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 Hill Equipment & Refrigeration