History and Facts

APV was founded by Dr Richard Seligman in 1910 as the Aluminium Plant & Vessel Company Limited, a specialist fabricating firm supplying welded vessels to the brewery and vegetable oil trades. Over the years the company grew through many acquisitions and expanded from a total staff of seven to an international engineering business with a workforce of more than 2,750.

Carefully planned growth over the years brought new process plant and automation technologies for the dairy, food, brewery, beverage, phamaceutical and healthcare industries. Through acquisition, APV was able to exploit and develop the knowledge and expertise of companies such as Gaulin and Rannie; experts in homogenisation technology.

APV was itself taken over in June 1997 by Siebe plc. Founded in London in 1819 by Augustus Siebe, an immigrant Austrian artillery officer, Siebe developed, through organic growth and acquisition into one of the United Kingdom's largest diversified engineering companies.

In February 1999, Siebe merged with BTR plc, also a major international industrial manufacturing and engineering company, to form Invensys plc a global leader in the Automation and Controls industry. With its head office in London, England, and approximately 35,000 employees, the company operates in all regions of the world.

APV's history

1972: Gaulin
1973: Crepaco
1986: Rosista
1987: Baker Perkins
1987: Pasilac - Danish Turnkey Dairies
1987: Rannie
1993: Technohoy
1993: Gadan Group
1996: Steridose
1997: APV acquired by Siebe plc
1999: Siebe plc merged with BTR plc to form Invensys plc
2008: APV acquired by SPX

Throughout its long history APV has pioneered many of the technologies that are today's process industry standards.

Dr Richard Seligman invented the plate heat exchanger in 1923 revolutionising the methods for the indirect heating and cooling of fluids.

This history of innovation continues through our strong research and development policy. We pride ourselves on our ability to work in partnership with customers to identify and provide equipment specifically tailored to individual needs.