Van Houten

What Van Houten does

Van Houten SRL is an Argentine privately-held industrial fabrication company headquartered in San Lorenzo, Santa Fe, operating from a 20,000+ m2 site with a 1,800+ m2 covered facility equipped with cranes and specialized stainless steel processing machinery. Founded in 1960 by Dutch engineer Conrado Van Houten and currently in its third generation of family ownership, the company specializes in custom stainless steel fabrications — primarily AISI 304 and AISI 316L grades — for pharmaceutical, chemical, food and beverage, energy, and agro-export clients. Its product portfolio spans two lines: (1) custom industrial equipment including process vessels, reactors, heat exchangers, CIP systems, modular skid-mounted process plants, piping prefabrications, and solid-handling equipment (conveyors, mixers, dust filters); and (2) the STRAAT sub-brand of standardized catalog products such as urban furniture, architectural stainless steel elements, and industrial safety equipment.

The business operates on a project-based, quote-driven revenue model with multi-year contract cadence for major clients, supplemented by hardware catalog sales under STRAAT. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supported by a website with product catalog, social media presence (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram), and selective participation in industry events such as the 1st Technological SME Forum (October 2024) and educational outreach at technical institutes. Quality is anchored by ISO 9001:2015 certification and ASME vessel fabrication capabilities. Named enterprise customers include Dow Agrosciences (modular agrochemical plant), Secco (ASME vessels and biogas filtration scrubbers), Crown Iron Works/CPM (oilseed processing expansion), LAFEDAR (pharmaceutical reactor), Bionutrir (animal feed extruder), and the National University of Rosario (laboratory equipment). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is determined per project specification.

The company has no public listing, no disclosed institutional investors, and no acquisition or merger activity in the record. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Recent product activity includes delivery of process vessels for a bioethanol plant (2024) and a probiotic reactor/fermenter, indicating measured vertical expansion into renewable fuels and biotech-adjacent fermentation equipment while maintaining the custom stainless steel fabrication core.

Name

Van Houten

Legal name

Van Houten SRL

Website

https://vanhouten.com.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Van Houten is an Argentine family-owned stainless steel fabricator serving pharmaceutical, chemical, food, energy, and agro-export clients with custom process equipment, modular skid plants, and the STRAAT catalog line of urban and industrial safety products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Stainless Steel Fabrication and Process Equipment

NAICS

Ventilation, Heating, Air-Conditioning, and Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (33341), Machine Shops; Turned Product; and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (3327)

SIC

Fabricated Plate Work (Boiler Shops) (3443), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

Process Skids & Modular Process Systems (Packaged Units) (IMAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Stainless steel fabrication
• Industrial process equipment
• Modular skid plants
• Heat exchangers manufacturing
• Pharmaceutical stainless equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

San Lorenzo

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Industrial Equipment Fabrication: Van Houten generates revenue through custom fabrication of stainless steel industrial equipment, including process vessels, reactors, piping systems, and modular plants. Projects are tailored to specific client requirements across pharmaceutical, chemical, food, and energy industries. Revenue is project-based with custom pricing per order.
2. STRAAT Product Catalog Sales: Sales of standardized catalog products under the STRAAT brand including urban furniture, industrial safety equipment, and architectural elements. These products are manufactured in stainless steel with low maintenance characteristics for public administrations, industry, and architecture sectors.
3. Industrial Services and Engineering: Engineering services including detail engineering, plant design, and modular construction. Also includes installation and commissioning services for skid-mounted plants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Van Houten SRL is a third-generation Argentine industrial fabricator that designs and manufactures custom stainless steel (AISI 304 and AISI 316L) equipment for industrial process plants, including reactors, heat exchangers, storage and process vessels, CIP cleaning systems, modular skid-mounted plants, and prefabricated piping systems for pharmaceutical, chemical, food, energy, and agro-export clients. The company also sells a STRAAT-branded catalog of stainless steel products for architecture, industrial safety, and urban furniture (railings, bollards, signage, safety showers, hand-wash basins, electrical cabinets). Projects are quoted and built-to-order with in-house engineering, fabrication, and installation.

Product overview

Van Houten is an Argentine industrial manufacturing company specializing in stainless steel fabrications. The company operates two main product lines: (1) Industrial Solutions (Soluciones Industriales) covering liquid and solid processing equipment including reactors, heat exchangers, piping, aspiration systems, and skid-mounted process plants for pharmaceutical, food, chemical, energy, and agro-export industries; and (2) STRAAT sub-brand offering catalog products for architecture, industrial safety, and urban furniture including railings, safety devices, electrical cabinets, hygiene equipment, industrial furniture, signage, and public space furnishings. All products emphasize low maintenance and durability in stainless steel.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• STRAAT: A Van Houten segment offering catalog articles for industrial hygiene and safety, urban furniture for public administrations, and architectural stainless steel products. Products include emergency showers/eyewash stations, hand-washing basins, industrial furniture, fire safety niches, signage, and urban furniture such as benches and bollards.

Products and services

• Industrial Liquid Processing Equipment Custom stainless steel (AISI 304 / AISI 316L) machines and electromechanical devices for efficient handling of liquids in industrial plants, including reactors, heat exchangers (shell-and-tube and agitated film), storage/process containers, wet-jacketed vessels, CIP cleaning systems, and complete solutions for brewery, pharmaceutical, and fluid lecithin applications.
• Industrial Solid Processing Equipment Custom stainless steel machines and devices for efficient handling of solids in industrial plants, including aspiration ducts, dust filters, mixers, dosing systems, big bag loading/unloading systems, conveyor belts, chain conveyors, roller beds, bucket elevators, Redlers, screw conveyors, and industrial valves.
• STRAAT Stainless Steel Catalog Products STRAAT branded catalog of stainless steel products for architecture, industry, safety, and urban furniture including railings, openings, grates, floor drains, access equipment, fall protection devices, electrical cabinets (IP55), hygiene equipment (emergency showers, eye wash, hand-wash basins), industrial and laboratory furniture, signage, bollards, benches, waste bins, and three-dimensional letters. Leverages stainless steel expertise for low-maintenance, durable public and commercial installations.
• Modular Skid-Mounted Process Plants Design and fabrication of modular process plants that can be manufactured in workshops and transported to client sites, achieving greater construction efficiency, higher quality finishes, and better costs. Includes metal structure, vessels, piping, and electrical installation for agrochemical, chemical, and bioethanol applications.
• Piping and Prefabricated Pipe Systems Specialist stainless steel piping and prefabricated piping systems with backed or internally polished welds, designed for sanitary and industrial applications in pharmaceutical, food, and chemical plants.
• Pharmaceutical and Food Industry Equipment Design and manufacturing of equipment and hygienic parts with surface roughness below Ra<0.4 μm for pharmaceutical and food applications, including reactors with integrated weighing systems, sanitary vessels, and hygienic accessories.
• Process Vessels and Storage Containers Detail engineering and fabrication of storage and process vessels for industrial applications, including ASME code vessels and gas scrubbers for biogas filtration for the energy sector.
• Engineering, Installation, and Commissioning Services Detail engineering, plant design, modular construction, and on-site installation and commissioning services for skid-mounted plants and bespoke industrial projects, including electrical installation and integration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Greater efficiency in modular plant construction with higher quality finishes and better costs
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Dow AgrosciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVan Houten provided engineering detail and fabrication of a modular plant for the formulation of Intrepid agrochemical at Dow Agrosciences facility in Pto. Gral San Martín. The project included metal structure, vessels, piping, and electrical installation.
• SeccomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFabrication of ASME vessels and piping systems with gas scrubbers for biogas filtration for Secco plants located in Ensenada and G. Catan.
• Crown Iron Works/ CPMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpansion of oil extractor by solvent (Crown Iron Works/ CPM technology) for OSL plant in San Lorenzo. Material used was Carbon Steel ASTM A36.
• National University of Rosario (UNR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSupplied experimental workbenches, extraction hoods, and emergency showers/eye wash stations for the new Biochemistry Laboratory at UNR.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Alfa Laval: Global leader in heat transfer, separation, and fluid handling, including shell-and-tube and plate heat exchangers used across food, pharma, chemical, and energy. A large incumbent whose heat exchanger portfolio overlaps directly with Van Houten's industrial heat exchanger business, though Alfa Laval is far broader and more international.
• SPX FLOW: Global supplier of process equipment for food, beverage, pharma, and industrial markets, including heat exchangers, mixers, and engineered process systems. Overlaps with Van Houten's heat exchanger, mixing, and process equipment offerings but at much larger scale and broader product portfolio.
• GEA Group: Global process technology group supplying equipment, plants, and services to food, dairy, pharma, and chemical industries. Comparable across Van Houten's full industrial solutions stack (reactors, heat exchangers, separators, modular plants) but at vastly greater scale and global footprint.
• Tetra Pak: Global food and beverage processing and packaging solutions provider, including process equipment, heat exchangers, and modular plant design. Comparable on stainless steel process equipment for food/dairy customers, though Tetra Pak operates globally with a far larger installed base.

Direct peers

• Pfaudler: Global supplier of process vessels, reactors, and corrosion-resistant equipment for chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Comparable in pressure vessel fabrication and pharmaceutical-grade process equipment, though Pfaudler is significantly larger and globally diversified.
• Praj Industries: India-based process engineering and equipment company serving ethanol/bioethanol, brewery, pharmaceutical, and chemical customers with vessels, heat exchangers, and modular process plants. Strong overlap with Van Houten's bioethanol vessel, brewery solutions, and skid-mounted plant work.
• W.M. Sprinkman: US fabricator of stainless steel process equipment and turnkey process systems for dairy, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical customers. Directly comparable on custom stainless steel vessels, sanitary finishing, and skid-based plant construction for regulated industries.
• Paul Mueller Company: US-based stainless steel fabricator of process vessels, heat exchangers, and custom equipment for dairy, food, beverage, and pharmaceutical customers. Directly comparable on stainless steel vessel fabrication, sanitary finishing, and project-based industrial equipment delivery.
• INOXPA: Spanish-headquartered manufacturer of stainless steel process equipment (pumps, valves, mixers, heat exchangers) for food, pharma, and chemical industries. Closely comparable to Van Houten in material focus (AISI 316L), regulatory-grade finishing, and project-based custom fabrication, though larger in scale and global reach.

Regional players

• Frisa: Mexico-based manufacturer of stainless steel forged products and fabricated equipment for industrial customers. Regional Latin American stainless steel fabricator comparable to Van Houten on material focus and project-based industrial equipment, though Frisa is forged-products-focused rather than process-skids-focused.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/vanhoutensrl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-houten/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/vanhoutensrl

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 Van Houten