Portland Kettle Works

Experience and track record

• Over 5,000 stainless steel vessels and systems installed worldwide.
• Hundreds of state-of-the-art craft breweries installed globally.
• More than 400 complex systems installed across beverage, industrial/chemical and life science facilities.
• PKW clients regularly see, meet or exceed their growth expectations after implementing PKW systems.

What PKW builds

PKW designs, engineers and manufactures:

• Stainless steel mixing and storage vessels (atmospheric and pressurized)
• Process piping and flow systems
• Heating, cooling and control systems for liquid processing
• Complete skid-mounted process and batching systems

Systems are engineered to:

• Optimize operations
• Minimize labor
• Reduce inventory
• Maximize throughput
• Provide flexibility for future innovation

Manufacturing and ownership

• PKW equipment is manufactured in the United States.
• Portland Kettle Works is an award-winning manufacturer of domestically made liquid processing systems for the beverage and related industries.
• Portland Kettle Works is a registered business of Tern Industries LLC.
• PKW contracts exclusively with PKW Manufacturing, an independently owned manufacturing business based in Portland, Oregon.

Client partnership approach

PKW positions itself as a creative partner to its clients by:

• Investing time to understand goals and operational intent
• Touring production facilities to understand real-world constraints
• Designing and engineering systems tailored to specific processes
• Supporting installation and integration of complex systems

This holistic approach is intended to transform production challenges into opportunities for improved performance and growth.

PKW specializes in premium quality, corrosion-resistant stainless steel (and other specialty alloys such as Hastelloy) for:

• Mixing and agitation
• Storage (atmospheric and pressurized)
• Heating and cooling
• Flow, piping and control systems

PKW systems are used by clients worldwide to improve efficiency, consistency and throughput in liquid processing operations.

Beverage industry

PKW has earned a global reputation for high-performance stainless steel beverage equipment, including:

• Batching systems
• Process vessels
• Storage tanks
• Fermenters

Representative beverage applications include:

• Craft beer
• Wine
• Kombucha
• Coffee
• Dairy products
• Distilled spirits
• Other ready-to-drink beverages

PKW beverage systems are designed to meet stringent sanitary and performance requirements for modern beverage production.

Industrial and chemical industries

For industrial and chemical manufacturers, PKW directly engineers, manufactures and tests fully controlled:

• Storage vessels
• Mixing and agitation vessels
• Integrated hardware and control systems

Typical liquid process applications include:

• Liquid chemicals and petrochemicals
• Lubricants
• Adhesives
• Paints and coatings
• Fertilizers
• Ceramics processing
• Other industrial processes with liquid handling needs

Solutions are designed to help minimize labor, reduce inventory and maximize throughput.

Life science industry

PKW is a trusted partner for sanitary, precision-controlled mixing systems in life science applications, including:

• Precision fermentation
• Bioreactors
• Sanitary mixing and agitation
• Skid-mounted batch systems for highly sanitary processes

Systems focus on accuracy, repeatability and hygienic design for demanding life science environments.

Custom product innovation

PKW also collaborates with clients on custom product and process innovation. Example applications include:

• Lotions and personal care products
• Protein products
• Vitamin-infused beverages
• Other emerging liquid products

PKW offers complimentary white board design sessions to help clients refine concepts, align stakeholders and develop engineered solutions before moving into production.

• Address: 2401 NW 22nd Ave., Portland, Oregon 97210, USA
• Region: West-side industrial district of Portland, in the Pacific Northwest

Phone and website

• Main phone: 503-236-4500
• Website: https://portlandkettleworks.com

How to get in touch

Prospective and current clients can reach PKW by:

• Using the contact forms on the website to:
• Ask a general question
• Request a sales consultation or quote
• Reach customer service
• Contact logistics/purchasing, accounting or human resources
• Requesting a complimentary white board design session to explore new projects and process improvements.

PKW serves clients across the beverage, industrial/chemical and life science industries worldwide from its headquarters in Portland, Oregon.

• Food processing
• Beverage manufacturing
• Biopharma production
• Life sciences
• Agricultural processing
• Industrial chemical applications

Types of work and roles

At PKW, teams collaborate across disciplines to design and build real-world production equipment. Work typically involves:

• Mechanical and process engineering
• Stainless steel fabrication and assembly
• Precision manufacturing
• System integration and testing

Representative roles include engineering, design, fabrication, technical sales and production coordination.

Culture and values

PKW describes its culture as collaborative, craftsmanship-driven and focused on practical engineering. The company values people who:

• Think creatively about engineering and manufacturing challenges
• Take pride in building high-quality equipment
• Collaborate across teams and disciplines

Core values include:

• Innovation through engineering – constant improvement of system performance and efficiency.
• Craftsmanship and quality – precision engineering and durable manufacturing.
• Client partnership – designing solutions that solve real production challenges.
• Continuous learning – applying lessons from production environments worldwide.
• Integrity and accountability – delivering reliable, high-performance equipment.

Manufacturing location

• PKW manufactures its award-winning liquid processing systems in the United States.
• Portland Kettle Works is a registered business of Tern Industries LLC and works exclusively with PKW Manufacturing, an independently owned manufacturing company based in Portland, Oregon.

Open positions

PKW periodically lists open roles on its careers page, which may include positions such as:

• Technical sales roles supporting mixing and processing systems
• Engineering production coordination and related roles

Openings change over time. For current opportunities and application instructions, candidates should refer to the careers section of the PKW website or contact PKW through the website forms.

White board sessions are intended to:

• Explore your production goals, new ideas and current operational challenges
• Discuss potential process improvements and system designs
• Sketch out concepts that can be refined into engineered solutions
• Help you build stakeholder consensus before moving into detailed engineering and production

Format and duration

• Sessions are typically structured as one-hour design conversations.
• Discussions focus on your products, processes, space constraints and future growth plans.

Who they are for

Complimentary sessions are available for:

• New clients exploring PKW systems for the first time
• Existing PKW clients considering process expansions, upgrades or new product lines

How to request a session

To request a complimentary white board session:

1. Visit the PKW website.
2. Use the relevant contact or request form to share basic information about your company, products and goals.
3. A PKW representative will follow up to schedule the session and gather any additional information needed.

There is no cost for the white board design session itself; any subsequent engineering, manufacturing or project work is scoped separately.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.