Fortifi Food Processing Solutions has announced the acquisition of I.J. White Systems (IJW), a designer and builder of spiral cooling, freezing and conveying systems for the food industry, adding spiral cooling and freezing to its thermal-processing range. IJW supplies the bakery, dairy, prepared foods, protein and seafood markets, among others, and designs and manufactures its equipment in Farmingdale, New York.
IJW’s Ultra Series Systems combine integrated refrigeration, heating, hydrothermal and steam technologies for controlled product heat transfer from +210°F down to -40°F (about +99°C to -40°C). Besides spiral cooling and freezing systems, the range covers proofing, hot/hold, pouch and hydro-chilling and in-pan cooling systems, together with cleaning and sanitation packages.
The acquisition expands Fortifi’s thermal-processing portfolio and broadens its capabilities in bakery, where frozen formats allow centralised production of products that can ship farther and be finished closer to the point of sale. IJW has a substantial installed base in North America, and Fortifi intends to bring its systems to processors in Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand through its commercial presence and in-region service.
IJW has designed and manufactured vertical processing systems since 1965 and was owned by the White family for three generations, most recently under Peter White. Its employees join Fortifi’s broad-based employee ownership programme, and Nunn & Associates Advisors acted as exclusive financial adviser to I.J. White Systems.
Mark Dowdle, Executive Vice President of Strategy and Business Development for Fortifi, links the deal to demand: “Demand for specialty bakery and diverse ready-to-eat products is increasing the need for reliable cooling, freezing and product-handling systems.”
