Food processing and packaging equipment appraisals.
A food processing appraisal from Lukes & Lukes is an independent, USPAP-compliant opinion of value for the plant floor: mixers, ovens and fryers, fillers and depositors, labelers and case packers, sanitary conveyors, and refrigeration. Each is valued by category, age, condition, sanitary construction and throughput, and by the active resale market for its class. Whether a line is custom-integrated or a set of standalone machines changes both the number and how easily it sells. Built to withstand lender, SBA, IRS, audit and legal review.
What we appraise
The plant floor, line by line.
We value the full plant, from a single packaging line to a multi-building facility, and we value each class on its own market. Sanitary construction and how easily an asset relocates drive both value and salability.
- Processing: mixers, blenders, cookers, ovens, fryers, kettles and extruders.
- Filling and packaging: fillers, cappers, baggers, labelers, case packers and palletizers.
- Material handling: sanitary conveyors, elevators and accumulation tables.
- Refrigeration and thermal: chillers, blast freezers, walk-ins and ammonia or glycol systems.
- Utilities and support: compressors, boilers, water treatment and CIP systems.
What drives the number
Sanitary build, and in-place vs liquidation.
Stainless, washdown-rated, food-grade equipment holds value because it can move into another food plant; non-sanitary gear cannot, and trades accordingly. Throughput, format flexibility and documented condition matter. Integration cuts both ways: a custom continuous line is highly productive in place but costly to relocate, so its orderly liquidation value can sit well below its contribution to a working plant, while standalone machines from known builders have a deeper buyer pool. Ammonia refrigeration carries de-install and compliance considerations a buyer prices in.
Read the full breakdown: what food processing equipment is worth →
Which value applies
The right premise for the situation.
The same line carries different numbers depending on why you need the appraisal. We determine and defend the premise your situation requires.
Common questions
Answers, up front.
What makes food processing equipment hold its value?
Sanitary, stainless, washdown-rated construction that can move into another food plant, common formats from known builders, flexibility across product sizes, and documented condition and maintenance. Non-sanitary or single-purpose gear trades at a discount.
Why is an integrated line worth less at liquidation than in place?
Because a custom, automated line is productive where it sits but can be costly to remove and re-commission elsewhere. That lowers its orderly liquidation value relative to standalone machines, which have a deeper buyer pool and are easier to relocate.
Which value premise applies?
Lending, SBA collateral and wind-downs usually use orderly or net orderly liquidation value; a sale or acquisition uses fair market value; estate and partnership matters use fair market value as of a date.
Are these appraisals accepted by lenders, the SBA and the courts?
Yes. Reports are USPAP-compliant, prepared by a NEBB-certified Machinery & Equipment Appraiser (CMEA), and built to withstand lender, SBA, IRS, audit and legal review.