Hydro-Thermal Corp.

A global leader in steam solutions

Hydro-Thermal Corporation’s products include the Hydroheater, ensuring reliable temperature control.

Waukesha-baesd Hydro-Thermal Corp. has been pioneering heat solutions for decades. Founded in 1927, when inventors John White and Roy Miller patented heating equipment using steam that could control water temperature, the company still uses these original components in the direct steam injection heating and cooking systems it makes for industries including food and beverage, dairy, energy, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy.

Their Hydroheater, for heating liquids and slurries, ensures reliable temperature control by mixing steam into the process fluids. According to the company, this achieves 100% thermal efficiency, and this can also reduce energy consumption by as much as 25%, making it key for industrial heating.

“Hydro-Thermal is a proud, third-generation-owned, Wisconsin-based company,” says Jim Zaiser, the company’s president and CEO. “We’ve been in business for over 90 years and have always called Southeast Wisconsin home.”

Of the company’s 95 total employees, 77 are in Wisconsin. What’s more, the company prioritizes sourcing products within a 30-mile radius of our Waukesha location, purchasing about 90% of their supplies from local companies.

The state’s manufacturing ecosystem has created a diverse network of companies whose partnerships “foster continuous innovation and reinforce the quality our global customers expect,” says Zaiser, noting that the company relies on local providers of castings, steel, seals, grinding, academic insight, consulting, and banking.

Building a global presence

The company began with U.S. pulp and paper plants; successes in that industry were then applicable to the global starch market. As a supplier to multinational companies, when they worked with domestic divisions, “We were able to get inroads into their international offices,” says Zaiser.

Today, Hydro-Thermal has installed the Hydroheater on six continents. They also have the Jetcooker, considered the industry benchmark for grain-ethanol conversion and starch processing.

“We’ve been told by customers that Hydro-Thermal products deliver consistent and repeatable results providing optimal uptime, superior product quality and temperature accuracy, resulting in energy efficiency at the highest value,” says Zaiser.

The company has seven full-time international staff members in countries including France, Ethiopia, Thailand, Germany, and Brazil. With more than 25,000 installations, their direct steam injection technology is used in facilities in more than 90 countries.

Hydro-Thermal was one of the winners of the 2025 Governor’s Export Achievement Awards, which honor businesses in the state with impressive success in growing exports, as well as advancing the state’s reputation in international markets. The company was previously honored in this competition in 2011 and 2016.

Zaiser says the honor reflects their international efforts to contribute to their strategic growth plan and commitment to grow the brand internationally.

“Hydro-Thermal heaters and systems fill a niche within the process fluid heating market,” he says. “It didn’t happen overnight that we were able to penetrate the global market.”

Hendrickson says they have been able to use grant money primarily to enhance the company’s presence at international scientific conferences and trade shows. For example, they attended ELRIG Drug Discovery, a leading drug and life sciences conference in Europe, which covers topics ranging from biophysics and oncology.

“Before the grant, we rarely did non-domestic events,” he says, adding that the company has also hired a larger European distributor.

Wisconsin business environment benefits

The company points to state support as contributing to its success. It has made use of WEDC’s International Market Access Grant Program, which covers some costs associated with export growth, and has participated in trade missions to countries including Germany, Poland, and Australia. In 2015, the company completed the ExporTech™, an export acceleration program with the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the UW-Stout Manufacturing Outreach Center.

Zaiser says the company also benefits from Wisconsin’s workforce; machine operators bring specialized training and experience to production of the engineered heaters and systems, with an average shop team tenure of more than 15 years.

Wisconsin’s overall manufacturing economy has been a boon to the company. “In Wisconsin, manufacturing is one of the state’s largest industries and has been a driving force in the economy for generations,” says Zaiser. “This rich manufacturing heritage directly benefits our company, providing access to the expertise, supply chain, and collaborative network that enable us to design and deliver some of the industry’s most reliable and effective heating solutions.”