13 Thickener Manufacturers in 2024
This section provides an overview for thickeners as well as their applications and principles. Also, please take a look at the list of 13 thickener manufacturers and their company rankings. Here are the top-ranked thickener companies as of April, 2024: 1.McLanahan Corporation, 2.WesTech Engineering, LLC., 3.JINGJIN EQUIPMENT INC..
Table of Contents
What Is a Thickener?
A thickener is a device used to concentrate liquids by evaporating water, commonly seen in the concentration of fruit juice. This process enhances the liquid's flavor and quality by removing water under reduced pressure, which lowers the boiling point and allows evaporation at lower temperatures.
Thickeners have applications beyond the food industry, including chemical solution concentration, chemical manufacturing, paper and pulp production, waste liquid treatment, and reducing transportation costs.
Uses of Thickeners
In the food industry, thickeners concentrate liquids like sugar solutions, soup stocks, and fruit juices. This technology, combined with vacuum packaging and freezing, helps prevent moisture, oxygen, and temperature from degrading food, extending preservation. Thickeners also support industrial processes by concentrating recovered cleaning process liquids and other applications.
Principle of Thickeners
Thickeners utilize vacuum concentration, where reducing pressure lowers the boiling point of water in a solution, facilitating evaporation and concentration at reduced temperatures. The process involves placing the target liquid in a thickener, reducing pressure via a vacuum pump, and then evaporating water, often with agitation to prevent sudden boiling. Evaporated water vapor is collected, condensed, and discharged, while toxic substances removed during the process are handled separately.
Features of Thickeners
1. Preservation of Food Flavors
By concentrating at low temperatures under a high vacuum, thickeners retain the original food flavors, prevent oxidation, and avoid heat-induced deterioration.
2. Environmentally Friendly
Thickeners operate without significantly raising the temperature of the target liquid or the surrounding environment, minimizing odor and treating discharged water, making the process environmentally friendly.
3. Handling High-Viscosity Liquids
The system can process high-viscosity foods, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals, offering a broad range of applications.
4. Heating While Stirring
Thickeners concentrate the solution while agitating in the vacuum tank, which prevents sudden boiling and browning, with the capability for automatic liquid supply and compact design.
Types of Thickeners
Thickeners vary based on the evaporation tank method:
1. Natural Circulation Type
Separates the heating and evaporation chambers for natural circulation, advantageous in running costs and often used for sugar solutions and syrups.
2. Forced Circulation Type
Employs a pump to circulate liquid in the evaporation tank, suitable for high-viscosity solutions or when heat transfer is challenging, commonly used in chemical plant crystallization processes.
3. Thin-Film Flow Type
Concentrates liquids on a thin-film heat-transfer surface, ideal for heat-sensitive materials like food and pharmaceuticals, used for milk, fruit juices, enzymes, and pulp waste concentration.
List of 13 Thickener Manufacturers
*Including some distributors, etc.
Sort by Features
- Default
- Company Size: largest first
- Year Founded: oldest first
- Year Founded: earliest first
Sort by Area
- United States of America
- Austria
- China
- Japan
- Taiwan
-
-
-
WesTech Engineering, LLC.
HiFl High-Rate Thickener
Manufacturer Overview
WesTech Engineering, LLC., founded in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1972 is a manufacturer of water and wastewater treatment process equipment for mineral, industrial, and municipal applications. The company's product portfolio includes water filtration systems, including sand filters, multimedia filters, and activated carbon filters, Reverse Osmosis (RO) Systems, water softening systems that utilize ion-exchange technology to reduce the hardness of water, clarifiers and settlers are engineered to separate solids from liquids, and chemical dosing systems. Their products are used in industries such as Food and Beverage, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology, and Chemical and Petrochemical.
-
-
-
-
-
McLanahan Corporation
Paste Thickeners
Manufacturer Overview
McLanahan Corporation is a Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania-based manufacturer of process solutions for frac sand, coal, concrete, and aggregates. Founded in 1835, the company has been a long-standing partner and supplier for various industries including agriculture, minerals, C&D recycling, and mining. The company engineers a comprehensive line of processing products from screens, separators, and thickeners to crushers, hydrocyclones, and manure management systems. With a global presence across four continents, McLanahan Corporation also offers clients services ranging from testing and analysis of material samples to the design and prototyping of custom processing solutions.
-
-
-
-
-
SANSHIN MFG.CO.,LTD.
Vacuum evaporator
Manufacturer Overview
Sanshin MFG.CO., LTD., established in 1948 and headquartered in Aichi, Japan, is a manufacturer that specializes in manufacturing and sales of filters and filtering equipment for filtration. The company's products include filters and filtering equipment for filtration, wastewater treatment, chemicals, metals, and water resource recovery recycling systems. It also provides filtration services and wastewater treatment services Its filter press treats concentrated slurry and recovers a clear liquid by filtering, pressing, and dehydrating. The company has achieved ISO 14001 international environmental management system standard certification. It serves various industries such as surface finishing, electronics, machinery, chemicals, and more.
-
-
-
-
-
ANDRITZ AG
Thickeners and flocculant systems
Manufacturer Overview
Andritz AG was initially founded as a much smaller company back in 1852 as an iron foundry, but today the company is a manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of industrial machinery, chemicals, fuels, and textiles, among many more. The company's product portfolio includes over 20 core areas: pulp and paper, metals, cyber security, feeds, and biofuels. Examples include decanter centrifuges, mechanical separation extractors, contact and paddle dryers, and batch helix dryers used in the environment, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining industries. Secondary services include the supply of spare parts, rentals, process consulting, and on-site repairs and upgrades.
-
-
-
-
-
HISAKA WORKS, LTD.
Evaporation concentrator
Manufacturer Overview
HISAKA WORKS, LTD., a company established in May 1942 and based in Osaka, Japan, is a manufacturer of industrial machinery. The company specializes in providing a wide range of products and services for various industries, including petrochemicals, oil and gas, power generation, and food processing. The company provides products such as heat exchangers, pressure vessels, and other related equipment used for efficient heat transfer and fluid control. Their products play a crucial role in processes such as cooling, heating, condensation, and evaporation. The company also offers comprehensive customer support, including pre-sale consultation, product selection assistance, and after-sales support.
-
-
-
-
-
Andritz AG
Thickeners and flocculant systems
Manufacturer Overview
Andritz AG was initially founded as a much smaller company back in 1852 as an iron foundry, but today the company is a manufacturer and supplier of a wide range of industrial machinery, chemicals, fuels, and textiles, among many more. The company's product portfolio includes over 20 core areas: pulp and paper, metals, cyber security, feeds, and biofuels. Examples include decanter centrifuges, mechanical separation extractors, contact and paddle dryers, and batch helix dryers used in the environment, chemicals, food and beverage, and mining industries. Secondary services include the supply of spare parts, rentals, process consulting, and on-site repairs and upgrades.
-
-
-
-
-
BELLMER GmbH
DISC THICKENER – AKSE
Manufacturer Overview
Bellmer GmbH, established in 1824 and headquartered in Niefern-Öschelbronn, Germany, is a manufacturer and supplier developing paper and separation technology. The company’s portfolio includes paper and board machines, notably the TurboLine series, producing mass, fine, and specialty papers, along with packaging boards. It also offers separation technology to separate solids from liquids, catering to diverse applications such as process water, sludge, and wastewater treatment. The company further provides food processing equipment, including the WinklePress belt press for fruit juice extraction, as well as screw presses for coconut milk production.
-
-
-
-
-
Yenchen Machinery Co., Ltd.
Extraction Equipment
Company Overview
Yenchen Machinery Co., Ltd., established in 1967, is based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, as a manufacturer and supplier of pharmaceutical machines. It specializes in manufacturing pellet and coating machines, high-shear mixers, and solid dosage lines. Its products are equipped with HEPA filters and thermal ristribution instruments to ensure product quality. Its manufactured products are utilized in pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, chemical, and cosmetic sectors across Europe, America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The company has partnered with several companies, such as Pfizer, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Daiichi-Sankyo. It acquired ISO 9001:2015 certification and received the Honorable Mention Award in Intelligent Product Competition in 2023.
-
-
-
-
-
SIBATA SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY LTD
Evaporator‐Concentrator system
Company Overview
Sibata Scientific Technology Ltd, founded in 1921 at Saitama, Japan is a manufacturer of environmental measurement and occupational health measurement equipment. The company with global clientele produces various scientific measurement and analysis equipment that can range from lab glassware to synthetic reactors. The products line comprise of general lab equipment, extractor, synthetic reactor, Rotary Evaporator and Glass tube oven. These products are used in applications such as occupational safety, food hygiene, water hygiene, hospital and chemical plants as well. The products are ideal for testing quality, measuring dust, precise heating & cooling, personal exposure measurements and many more with more reliability.
-
-
-
-
-
FLSmidth, Inc.
CCD thickeners
Company Overview
Important Papers, Inc. was founded by Ruth Barnett in South Jersey in the early 1990s. Important Papers is a distributor of promotional items and custom apparel for company promotion. Examples of Important Papers, Inc. promotional items include: apparel such as t-shirts, office wear, outerwear, bottoms, sunglasses, and activewear; headwear such as caps, hats, beanies, visors, safety items, and bandanas; bags such as tote, backpacks, office & school, outdoor & fitness, and travel; drinkware, fun, health, office, tech, writing, and other miscellaneous items.
-
-
-
-
-
JINGJIN EQUIPMENT INC.
Thickener
Company Overview
Founded in 1988, with their Head Quarter in Dezhou, Shandong, China, Jingjin Equipment Inc, formerly Jingjin Environmental Protection Co Ltd is an environmental protection service provider of filter outfit production, filter technology overall plan solution, and environmental protection project contraction and operation. The company produces filter presses, filter press cloths and plates, accessory equipment, multi-disk screw press, and plunger pump. Their products have applications in mining operations, sewage treatment & sludge treatment, “Ready-mix” concrete washout water recovery, food & beverage production, marble, and stone cutting
-
-
-
-
-
HUBER SE
HUBER Disc Thickener S-DISC
-
-
-
-
-
Sülzle Klein GmbH
Gravity-Belt-Thickener
-
-
Thickener Manufacturer Ranking
*Including some distributors, etc.Ranking as of April 2024
Derivation Method| Rank | Company | Click Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLanahan Corporation |
26.5%
|
| 2 | WesTech Engineering, LLC. |
22.4%
|
| 3 | ANDRITZ AG |
10.2%
|
| 4 | JINGJIN EQUIPMENT INC. |
8.2%
|
| 5 | FLSmidth, Inc. |
8.2%
|
| 6 | SANSHIN MFG.CO.,LTD. |
8.2%
|
| 7 | Sülzle Klein GmbH |
4.1%
|
| 8 | SIBATA SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY LTD |
4.1%
|
| 9 | HISAKA WORKS, LTD. |
4.1%
|
| 10 | HUBER SE |
2.0%
|
Derivation Method
The ranking is calculated based on the click share within the thickener page as of April 2024. Click share is defined as the total number of clicks for all companies during the period divided by the number of clicks for each company.Number of Employees
- JINGJIN EQUIPMENT INC.: 4,873
- HISAKA WORKS, LTD.: 919
- SANSHIN MFG.CO.,LTD.: 110
Newly Established Company
- JINGJIN EQUIPMENT INC.: 1988 (36 years ago)
- WesTech Engineering, LLC.: 1973 (51 years ago)
- Yenchen Machinery Co., Ltd.: 1967 (57 years ago)
Company with a History
- McLanahan Corporation: 1835 (189 years ago)
- SIBATA SCIENTIFIC TECHNOLOGY LTD: 1921 (103 years ago)
- HISAKA WORKS, LTD.: 1942 (82 years ago)
Thickener Manufacturers in United States
*Including some distributors, etc.
Global Distribution of Thickener Manufacturers by Country
*Including some distributors, etc.
| Country | Number of Companies | Share (%) |
|---|---|---|
Japan
|
3 | 33.3% |
United States of America
|
2 | 22.2% |
|
Austria
|
2 | 22.2% |
Taiwan
|
1 | 11.1% |
China
|
1 | 11.1% |
