By-Cast

What By-Cast does

By-Cast N.V. is a privately-held Belgian engineering and manufacturing company headquartered in Tessenderlo, Flanders, specializing in the design, production, and aftersales servicing of cast-iron (DEKA) and glass air preheaters for industrial waste-heat recovery. Its products recover heat from flue gases of combustion processes to preheat combustion air, reducing fuel consumption by 10–25% in customer installations. The company sells three product platforms — DEKA cast-iron air preheaters (in HT, LT, and LLT tube variants across three generations), borosilicate-glass air preheaters using PTFE-lined tube sheets, and hybrid configurations staging glass preheating followed by cast-iron — all backed by in-house CFD analysis and proprietary engineering software.

The DEKA architecture is By-Cast's core technology: rectangular finned cast-iron plates assembled in pairs into tubes, stacked into modules with fiber-rope gaskets accommodating differential thermal expansion. A proprietary sealing system guarantees leakage below 0.4%, and the modular bolted construction allows individual tube replacement without dismantling whole modules. This design delivers a 20–30 year operational life under design conditions, materially longer than competitor offerings, and is supported by an installed base for which spare parts remain available even 30+ years after delivery.

By-Cast generates revenue through project-based sales of custom-engineered equipment, a recurring aftermarket services stream (spare parts, on-site engineer visits, performance studies), and revamping/modernization of legacy installations. The company operates a direct enterprise sales motion with engineering-led quoting and free performance studies; 100% of revenue is exported to customers across all continents, including Shell, BP, ExxonMobil, Total, Saudi Aramco, PetroChina, Reliance, Rosneft, Lukoil, Renault, SEAT, Heineken, Danone, and major EPC firms. Certifications include ISO 9001 (since 1994), ISO 14001 (2018), and ISO 45001 (2019), and revenue was €4 million in 2021.

Name

By-Cast

Legal name

By-Cast N.V.

Website

https://by-cast.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

By-Cast N.V. is a Belgian manufacturer of custom-engineered cast-iron (DEKA), glass, and hybrid air preheaters for industrial heat recovery. The company serves global energy, petrochemical, power-generation, and process-industry customers with 100% exported equipment.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Air Preheaters

NAICS

Heating Equipment (except Warm Air Furnaces) Manufacturing (333414)

SIC

Heating Equipment, Except Electric & Warm Air Furnaces (3433)

akta.pro primary industry

Heat Transfer Equipment (Heat Exchangers, Boilers, Condensers) (IMAHAEAC)

Keywords

• Industrial air preheaters
• Waste heat recovery
• Cast-iron heat exchangers
• Combustion air preheating
• Flue gas heat exchangers

Headquarters

HQ city

Tessenderlo

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Air Preheater Equipment Sales: Sale of custom-engineered cast-iron (DEKA), glass, and hybrid air preheaters for heat recovery in industrial combustion processes. Equipment is project-specific and designed to customer requirements.
2. Maintenance and After-Sales Services: After-sales engineering support, spare parts supply (available even for units over 30 years old), on-site engineer visits, and revamping/upgrading services for existing installations.
3. Revamping and Modernization: Performance studies and modernization options including tube replacement, module upgrades, and complete air preheater replacements to restore or improve efficiency.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

By-Cast designs, manufactures, and maintains custom-engineered cast-iron (DEKA), glass, and hybrid air preheaters used to recover waste heat from industrial flue gases and preheat combustion air. The equipment serves refineries, petrochemical plants, power stations, waste treatment facilities, breweries, and other industrial combustion processes worldwide.

Product overview

By-Cast is a global market leader in the design, production, and maintenance of industrial air preheaters for heat recovery applications. The product portfolio consists of three core air preheater types: cast-iron DEKA air preheaters (available in HT, LT, and LLT tube configurations across three generations), glass air preheaters using borosilicate glass tubes, and hybrid systems combining both technologies. The DEKA cast-iron product features a modular construction with rectangular finned cast-iron plates assembled into tubes and stacked into modules, guaranteeing leakage below 0.4%. Glass units use PTFE-lined tube sheets and are suitable for acidic gas applications. The hybrid configuration stages glass preheating followed by cast-iron to maximize heat recovery while preventing condensation. Beyond equipment supply, By-Cast offers comprehensive services including custom engineering using proprietary software and CFD analysis, aftersales support with spare parts availability for legacy units, and revamping services for upgrading existing installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DEKA Cast-Iron Air Preheater

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces fuel consumption by 10-25% in industrial combustion processes
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers21 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• KU LeuvensupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniversity of Leuven research partnership for continuous improvement of product efficiency. Supports experimental research and product development efforts.
• SirrissupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBelgian research center for technology and innovation. Collaboration partner in improving product efficiency and supporting experimental research.
• VitosupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlemish Institute for Technological Research partnership for product efficiency improvements and experimental research support.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Thermax Limited: Thermax designs and manufactures industrial boilers, heat exchangers, and air pollution control equipment for process industries; overlapping with By-Cast in industrial heat recovery, with primary strength in India and similar emerging markets.

Emerging players

• Optimus Air Preheaters / Holtec Industrial: Smaller regional and project-engineered air preheater suppliers serving biomass, waste-to-energy, and industrial combustion, comparable to By-Cast's engineering-led, project-based delivery model in adjacent geographies.

Direct peers

• API Heat Transfer (formerly APV): API Heat Transfer manufactures industrial heat exchangers including air-cooled and shell-and-tube units serving refining, petrochemical, power, and process industries, making it a comparable peer to By-Cast in industrial heat recovery.
• Hamon: Hamon designs and supplies air preheaters, heat exchangers, and cooling systems for power, refinery, and industrial plants worldwide, competing head-to-head with By-Cast on cast-iron and rotary regenerative air preheaters in the same end-markets.
• Vogt Power International: Vogt Power supplies heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) and heat-transfer equipment for power and industrial plants, comparable to By-Cast as a custom-engineered industrial heat-recovery equipment manufacturer.
• SPX Heat Transfer / ENEXIO: ENEXIO (formerly SPX Heat Transfer) designs and builds air-cooled heat exchangers, dry cooling, and air preheater solutions for power generation and industrial process plants, directly comparable to By-Cast's air preheater business.
• Holtec (Gas Cooling Technology): Holtec manufactures industrial air-cooled heat exchangers and gas cooling/air preheating equipment for petrochemical, metallurgical, and waste-to-energy applications, directly overlapping with By-Cast's industrial air preheater portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Alfa Laval: Alfa Laval is a global leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, manufacturing industrial heat exchangers widely used in refineries, petrochemical, and power generation - a clear adjacent incumbent in the industrial heat recovery market where By-Cast operates.
• Balcke-Dürr (SPX Technologies): Balcke-Dürr (now part of SPX Technologies) is a long-established supplier of air preheaters, heat exchangers, and process gas cooling/heating equipment for power plants and industrial combustion processes, directly comparable to By-Cast's DEKA and glass air preheater offering.
• GEA Group (Heat Exchangers): GEA Group is a major manufacturer of industrial heat exchangers and process equipment for food, beverage, dairy, and chemical industries, comparable to By-Cast's heat recovery solutions serving food & beverage customers such as Heineken and Danone.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/by-cast

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 By-Cast