What DAYTON does

DAYTON (Dayton Group Oy) is a privately held Finnish family-owned business that supplies, installs, designs, and maintains professional food-industry equipment and weighing solutions across Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The group's origins date to 1923, when Leino Molander founded Dayton Vaaka Oy in Helsinki to import mechanical scales from the United States; more recently the firm has been led by Chairman Rasmus Molander and CEO Pekka Tiainen. Operations are organized through wholly owned national subsidiaries (Dayton OY in Finland, Dayton OÜ in Estonia, Dayton SIA in Latvia, and UAB Dayton in Lithuania) with approximately 300-400 personnel.

Name

DAYTON

Legal name

Dayton Group Oy

Website

https://daytongroup.ee

Company type

Private

Founded year

1923

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

DAYTON is a Finnish family-owned distributor and service provider of professional food-industry equipment (scales, ice cream machines, ovens, ice makers, stainless-steel furniture) and consumables, serving food retailers, fast food/HoReCa operators, and food processors across Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Food Industry Equipment Distribution

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (33331), Refrigeration Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers (423740)

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084)

akta.pro primary industry

Restaurant & Commercial Kitchen Equipment Wholesale (AFAIALAB)

Keywords

• Commercial food equipment
• Weighing solutions
• HoReCa equipment supply
• Food processing equipment
• Retail equipment distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Dayton generates revenue primarily through the sale of professional food industry equipment including scales, ice cream machines, bake-off ovens, combi steamers, ice makers, and stainless steel furniture. Equipment sales are complemented by packaging materials.
2. Service and Maintenance: Comprehensive after-sales service including spare parts supply, maintenance, repairs, and installation services. The company guarantees comprehensive access to spare parts for all appliances sold through service agreements and ad-hoc requests.
3. Planning and Concept Creation: Dayton provides planning services from concept to installation for cafés, ice cream outlets, pizza restaurants and other food businesses, creating customized plans based on customer needs and budget.
4. Spare Parts: Sale of spare parts for all equipment sold, with guaranteed comprehensive access to spare parts for appliances.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DAYTON supplies, installs, designs, and maintains professional commercial food industry equipment and weighing solutions — including scales, slicers, labelers, ice cream machines, ovens, combi steamers, ice makers, grills, fryers, display cases, dishwashing systems, food processing production lines, and stainless steel furniture — for grocery retail chains, fast food/HoReCa operators, and food processing manufacturers across Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. The offering combines a portfolio of leading international equipment brands with in-house stainless steel furniture manufacturing, supported by full planning, installation, and nationwide after-sales service networks.

Product overview

DAYTON is a B2B equipment supplier specializing in professional food industry equipment and supplies. The offering consists of multiple product categories: weighing and labeling equipment (scales, slicers), cooking equipment (ovens, grills, fryers), ice production (ice makers, ice cream machines), food presentation (display cases, stainless steel furniture), and consumables (biodegradable bags, marinades, packaging materials). The portfolio includes proprietary manufactured stainless steel furniture and distributes internationally recognized brands including Bizerba, Taylor, Eloma, Scotsman, Frymaster, Zumex, Winterhalter, Henny Penny, and others. The company operates across retail, fast food/HoReCa, industry, and consumer sectors, providing complete production lines for the food processing industry alongside nationwide service and maintenance networks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Scales, Labelers, and Meat Slicers Weighing, labeling, and slicing equipment for retail weighing of fruits, vegetables, and other products and printing labels onto fruit bags; also includes meat slicers for cutting and portioning food products in retail and food service settings.
• Ice Cream Machines Taylor soft-serve ice cream machines and gelato ice cream machines for producing ice cream and frozen yogurt products year-round in food service establishments.
• Bake-off Ovens and Combi Steamers Eloma-branded professional ovens and combi steamers for baking, cooking, and steaming in professional kitchens and food processing facilities.
• Ice Makers Scotsman commercial ice cube machines for producing ice in food service establishments.
• Ecobags and Biodegradable Materials Biodegradable bags and packaging materials made from renewable raw materials, EN 13432 compliant, certified for both industrial and home composting.
• Ice Cream and Yogurt Primary Goods Primary goods (raw materials and consumables) for producing ice cream and frozen yogurt in food service and retail operations.
• Nordic Spice Marinades Nordic Spice marinade products for professional food preparation in food service and retail operations.
• Custom-Manufactured Stainless Steel Furniture Custom-manufactured stainless steel fixed furniture for food service establishments, produced at DAYTON's own Robiga factory in Lithuania.
• Commercial Grills (Taylor) Taylor commercial grills for hamburger restaurants with programmable cooking times and automatic lid operation for consistent cooking results.
• Commercial Fryers (Frymaster) Frymaster professional fryers for fast food and commercial cooking operations.
• Fresh Juice Equipment (Zumex) Zumex fresh juice equipment and solutions for food service and retail operations.
• Commercial Dishwashing Systems (Winterhalter) Winterhalter commercial dishwashing and cleaning systems for professional kitchens.
• Vacuum Packaging Equipment (Henkovac) Henkovac vacuum packaging equipment for food service and food processing operations.
• Industrial Food Processing Production Lines Complete industrial food processing production lines including control scales for quality control and product safety, labeling lines for product identification, packing lines for packaging, metal detectors for food safety in food processing and large kitchens, industrial dishwashers, and industrial cooking pots/kettles.
• Professional Coffee Machines (Jura) Jura Swiss premium coffee machines for consumer and professional use, distributed through DAYTON's retail channel partners in Finland and the Baltics.
• Planning and Concept Creation Service Planning services from concept to installation for cafés, ice cream outlets, pizza restaurants, and other food businesses; customized plans built around customer needs and budget, including tailored equipment packages for new entrepreneurs or upgrading operators.
• After-Sales Service and Maintenance Comprehensive after-sales service including equipment installation, maintenance, repairs, and spare parts supply with nationwide service networks in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, including central service points in major cities (e.g. Tallinn, Tartu) and regional service partners across each country.
• Spare Parts Supply Sale of spare parts for all DAYTON-supplied equipment, with comprehensive spare parts access guaranteed via service agreements and ad-hoc requests.

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• BizerbaminorOthersBizerba is one of the brands in Dayton's product portfolio. Bizerba provides weighing equipment, slicers, and labeling systems for the food retail and food processing industries.
• TaylorminorOthersTaylor (established 1926) is the world's leading ice cream machine manufacturer. Dayton represents Taylor equipment including soft ice cream machines, gelato machines, and grills. Taylor equipment has been used at major events including London Olympics.
• ElomaminorOthersEloma provides bake-off ovens and combi steamers included in Dayton's product offering for professional kitchens and food service operations.
• ScotsmanminorOthersScotsman is a leading ice maker manufacturer whose products are distributed by Dayton across the Baltic and Finnish markets.
• EcobagminorOthersEcobag provides biodegradable bags and materials made from renewable raw materials. These compostable fruit bags and shopping bags are part of Dayton's sustainable packaging offerings, compliant with EN 13432 standard.
• Mannerheim Children's Welfare Association (MLL)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical partnership from the 1930s when Dayton acquired, installed and maintained slot machines as a service to MLL. In 1933, Dayton donated all its machines to MLL. This is a historical partnership from Dayton's early years.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Electrolux Professional: Italo-Swedish manufacturer of professional kitchen and laundry equipment, listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. Comparable as a broad incumbent in food service equipment with overlapping customer base in food retail and HoReCa across the same Nordic/Baltic geography.
• Middleby Corporation: US-listed global commercial food equipment conglomerate with a broad portfolio spanning ovens, fryers, ice, and beverage — directly overlapping Dayton's distributed-brand catalog across many of the same retail, HoReCa, and food-processing customers.
• Ali Group: Italian-headquartered global conglomerate and the largest commercial food equipment manufacturer/distributor in the world, owning brands that overlap Dayton's portfolio (Hoshizaki/Scotsman, Winterhalter, Henkovac). Comparable as a global incumbent that bundles manufacturing, distribution, and service across the same customer segments Dayton serves.

Direct peers

• Hoshizaki Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of commercial refrigeration and ice machines; parent company of Scotsman — one of Dayton's anchor distributed brands. Directly comparable because Dayton distributes Scotsman across the Baltics and Finland, putting Hoshizaki in the same product category and customer relationships.
• Eloma GmbH: German manufacturer of bake-off ovens and combi steamers, distributed by Dayton in the Baltics and Finland. Comparable as a premium European equipment maker whose products Dayton bundles into HoReCa and food-processing solutions — a direct category overlap.
• Bizerba SE & Co. KG: German family-owned manufacturer of weighing, slicing, and labeling equipment — Dayton's anchor distributed brand for retail and food processing. Comparable because Bizerba and Dayton sell into the same product category and customer segments, with overlapping in-country sales coverage.
• Henny Penny Corporation: US-based global manufacturer of commercial cooking equipment (fryers, holding cabinets) — a brand Dayton distributes into fast-food chains. Comparable because Henny Penny and Dayton both serve the same fast-food/QSR enterprise customers with similar equipment offerings.
• Rational AG: German market leader in combi steamers for professional kitchens, competing head-to-head with Eloma — a brand Dayton distributes. Comparable because Rational and Dayton (via Eloma) sell overlapping equipment into the same HoReCa and food-processing customers in Europe.

Emerging players

• Unox S.p.A. Italian manufacturer of combi ovens and smart ovens for professional kitchens; direct competitor to Eloma (a Dayton-distributed brand). Comparable because Unox sells the same equipment category into the same European HoReCa customers that Dayton serves.

Regional players

• Ahlsell AB: Nordic technical wholesale distributor covering Finland, the Baltics, and the broader Nordics across industrial supplies and equipment. Comparable as a regional Nordic/Baltic distributor with overlapping geography and similar multi-category distribution model, though broader than food service.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries4 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 DAYTON