Littleford Day

What Littleford Day does

Littleford Day, Inc. (DBA "LFD") is a privately held US industrial equipment manufacturer headquartered in Florence, Kentucky that designs and builds Ploughshare Atmospheric/Vacuum Dryers — including the FKM, VT and DVT series in capacities from 300L to 25,000L — used to convert liquid or slurry materials into free-flowing powder under both atmospheric and vacuum conditions. The underlying technology is a mechanically fluidized bed mixing action in a horizontal cylindrical vessel, augmented by independently operated high-shear choppers (3,600 RPM) that break agglomerates and expose particle surface area, yielding heat-transfer coefficients the company reports as 2–3x higher than ribbon/paddle dryers and 10x higher than tumble or tray dryers. The product portfolio is extended by patented add-on modules including the Filtorr liquids-solids separator (enabling mixing, reacting, filtering, washing and drying in a single vessel), Pulse Back Filters for vapor handling, and integrated Solvent Recovery Systems, with manufacturing to GMP and configurable compliance with FDA, 3A and USDA sanitary requirements.

The company serves three primary verticals: pharmaceutical manufacturers drying temperature-sensitive APIs and intermediates under FDA process validation; food processors (cocoa, decaffeinated coffee, vitamin mixes, protein modification, wheat stabilization) under FDA/USDA sanitary standards; and specialty chemical manufacturers handling flammable solvents, polymers, pigments, catalysts and resins. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time capital-equipment sales of engineered units, augmented by a rental fleet (lab, pilot and production sizes) and a Trial Demonstration Program that lets customers test FKM/VT/DVT units (130L, 800L, 1,200L) in their own facilities, supported by an in-house Technical Center offering hands-on testing from 5L to 1,200L. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales, with Sales Engineers managing the consultative sell and no third-party distribution, online purchasing or disclosed pricing.

Name

Littleford Day

Legal name

Littleford Day, Inc.

Website

https://vacuumdrying.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Littleford Day is a privately held Florence, Kentucky manufacturer of Ploughshare atmospheric and vacuum industrial dryers (FKM, VT and DVT series, 300L–25,000L) using mechanically fluidized bed mixing and high-shear choppers. It serves pharmaceutical, food and specialty chemical manufacturers through direct enterprise sales, a rental fleet and a Technical Center testing program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Drying Equipment

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Drying & Evaporation Equipment (Dryers, Evaporators, Crystallizers) (IMAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Drying & Dehydration Equipment (Grain Dryers, Fruit/Vegetable Dryers) (AFAAAJAB)

Keywords

• Industrial drying equipment
• Ploughshare mixers
• Vacuum dryers
• Process equipment manufacturing
• Specialty chemical equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Florence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Dryer Equipment Sales: Sale of Ploughshare dryers including FKM Series, VT Series, and DVT Series in various sizes ranging from 300L to 25000L for industrial manufacturing applications
2. Rental Equipment Fleet: Rental fleet consisting of lab, pilot plant, and production size dryers available for customer use, including FKM, VT, or DVT Series in 130L, 800L and 1200L sizes

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Littleford Day, founded in 1883, designs, engineers, and manufactures Ploughshare Dryers (FKM, VT, and DVT Series) along with complementary process equipment including Filtorr separators, Pulse Back Filters, and Solvent Recovery Systems. The company serves pharmaceutical, food, and specialty chemical manufacturers with custom-engineered drying and mixing solutions, supported by in-house Technical Center testing services, a Trial Demonstration Program, and an equipment rental fleet. Headquartered in Florence, Kentucky, the firm operates as a privately held industrial equipment manufacturer.

Product overview

Littleford Day is an industrial equipment manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of Ploughshare Dryers for thermal processing applications. The core product line consists of three dryer series: FKM Series (Atmospheric/Vacuum Dryers), VT Series (Vacuum Dryers for higher requirements), and DVT Series (Vacuum Dryers for pressure ratings above 50 p.s.i.g.). These dryers use mechanically fluidized bed mixing action augmented by high-shear choppers for efficient drying. Optional add-on modules include the patented Filtorr® liquids-solids separator, Pulse Back Filters for vapor filtration, and Solvent Recovery Systems. The company also provides Technical Center testing services and a Trial Demonstration Program for in-plant testing, along with a rental fleet of lab, pilot, and production-size dryers. Equipment is manufactured to GMP standards and can meet FDA, 3A, USDA, and pharmaceutical/food industry sanitary requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ploughshare: Ploughshare Dryers - mechanically fluidized bed mixing action technology for atmospheric and vacuum drying applications
• Filtorr
• FKM Series
• VT Series
• DVT Series

Products and services

• FKM Series Ploughshare Dryer Ploughshare-style vacuum dryer from Littleford Day's flagship FKM Series, designed for industrial drying, mixing, and reaction applications in pharmaceutical, food, and specialty chemical processing.
• VT Series Ploughshare Dryer Vacuum-tight Ploughshare Dryer from the VT Series engineered for low-temperature drying of heat-sensitive materials in pharmaceutical, food, and chemical applications.
• DVT Series Ploughshare Dryer Dual vacuum Ploughshare Dryer from the DVT Series built for industrial drying, blending, and reaction processes in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Filtorr Separator Liquid-solid separator used in conjunction with Littleford Day's Ploughshare Dryers to separate solvents and recover product from dryer discharge in chemical and pharmaceutical processes.
• Pulse Back Filters Filtration units designed to recover fine particulates and product fines from process exhaust streams in industrial drying operations.
• Solvent Recovery Systems Integrated systems for capturing and reclaiming solvents used during industrial drying and mixing operations, supporting pharmaceutical and specialty chemical manufacturing.
• Technical Center Testing Services In-house laboratory and pilot testing services that allow customers to validate drying, mixing, and reaction processes on Littleford Day equipment before purchase.
• Trial Demonstration Program Customer trial program enabling manufacturers to run production-scale or pilot-scale demonstrations of Littleford Day drying equipment with their own materials.
• Equipment Rental Fleet Rental program that provides customers access to Littleford Day Ploughshare Dryers and process equipment for short-term production or trial needs without capital purchase.

Quantifiable outcome

• 2-3x faster drying compared to ribbon or paddle dryers
• +4 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Charles Ross & Son Company: Charles Ross manufactures industrial mixing, drying, and blending equipment including vacuum dryers and ploughshare-style mixers. It competes with Littleford Day in chemical and food process equipment markets with similar agitated drying technology.
• Freund-Vector Corporation: Freund-Vector manufactures granulation, drying, and coating equipment for the pharmaceutical industry. Its vacuum and fluid bed dryers directly overlap with Littleford Day's Ploughshare vacuum dryers for pharmaceutical intermediates.
• Hosokawa Micron: Hosokawa Micron manufactures drying, mixing, and size-reduction equipment for chemical, pharmaceutical, and food applications. Its vacuum and agitated dryers compete directly with Littleford Ploughshare dryers, particularly for heat-sensitive pharmaceutical and specialty chemical drying.
• Bühler Group: Bühler is a global process technology provider for food and feed industries, offering drying and thermal processing equipment. It competes with Littleford Day in food industry drying applications, particularly for cocoa, coffee, and protein processing.
• Glatt Group: Glatt is a specialist in fluid bed and spray granulation/drying technology serving pharmaceutical and food industries. Its integrated process equipment for granulation, drying, and coating directly competes with Littleford Day's multifunctional Ploughshare dryers.
• Lödige Process Technology: Lödige is a German manufacturer of mixers, dryers, and reactors using ploughshare mixing technology very similar to Littleford Day's. It directly competes in pharma, chemical, and food drying applications using mechanically fluidized bed principles.
• GEA Group: GEA is one of the largest global suppliers of process equipment for food, dairy, and pharmaceutical industries, including a broad portfolio of spray dryers, fluid bed dryers, and vacuum dryers. It directly competes with Littleford Day's Ploughshare dryers in pharma and food drying applications, but at significantly larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• SPX FLOW: SPX FLOW provides broad process equipment solutions for food, beverage, and industrial markets including drying and thermal processing components. It competes with Littleford Day in select food and chemical drying applications as part of a larger portfolio.
• IMA Life (IMA Group): IMA is a global leader in pharmaceutical processing and packaging machinery, including drying, granulation, and containment solutions. It competes with Littleford Day in pharmaceutical drying as part of a much broader processing equipment portfolio.
• Pfaudler (GMM Pfaudler): Pfaudler is a major supplier of glass-lined reactors and process equipment for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Its drying and reactor technologies overlap with Littleford Day's specialty chemical industry customer base at a much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Littleford Day