1949-2000
Freezing Equipment Sales, Inc. (FES) was formed in 1949 to design, build and install automatic freezing systems for the Ice Cream and Frozen Food industries.  Initial success resulted from a joint effort with the Fuller Company to redesign the Fuller rotary air compressor for use as a refrigeration booster compressor. During this redesign, FES developed and patented the oil cooling system currently used on FES Fuller Rotary Boosters.

The Engineering Contracting Division of FES was formed in 1954 to handle complete turn-key installations and offer competent engineering, installation, and service facilities. Until 1958, FES designed, built and installed individual quick freezing (IQF) food freezing systems with capacities from 2,000 to 6,000 pounds per hour and ice cream hardening from 1,200 to 3,000 gallons per hour.

Marketing of GEA FES Fuller Boosters and the automatic freezing systems plus the trends in engineering contracting led to greater emphasis on design and build engine room packages using rotary and reciprocating compressors. In 1965, FES began field tests on ammonia oil injected rotary screw compressors with their first high stage screw compressor installed in 1968.

Since 1970, GEA FES has developed several innovations in packaging of oil injected rotary screw compressors with firsts in the development of: high efficiency oil separation with guaranteed oil usage, elimination of water for oil cooling by substituting built-in refrigerant cooling, and two stage screw compressor packages without need for inter-stage gas cooling.

Packaged screw compressors for refrigeration in food, chemical and ultra low temperature created the need for a single facility to manufacture screw compressor packages. In 1973, GEA FES designed and built a production facility to produce packaged engine room equipment to fit specific applications.

Since then, GEA FES, Inc. has continually expanded in all areas, such as facilities, personnel, and product lines. Today, GEA FES offers a diversified line of screw compressor technologies including reciprocating, rotary vane, screw, or centrifugal compressors, run by electric motors, gas or diesel engines or steam turbines. Among some of our other products are: Liquid Recirculation Packages, Pressure Vessels, Evaporative Condensers, Plate Heat Exchangers, and a family of Stand-Alone Microprocessor Controls Panels, which offers "smart" local control for compressors, evaporators and condensers.

GEA FES is also armed with a comprehensive team of service technicians working out of facilities based in York, PA, Houston, TX, and Stockton, CA, Montgomery, AL,  Springvale, AR, as well as China and the United Kingdom. These operations provide initial start-up service, field trouble-shooting and maintenance service for customers world-wide, and are equipped to repair or completely rebuild rotary vane, reciprocating and screw compressor units regardless of the brand.

In 1985, the privately held company was purchased by The Carrier Corporation and remained part of the United Technologies Family of companies until 1992. FES was then acquired by Thermo Electron Corporation, a $3 billion conglomerate including 22 public subsidiaries. GEA FES, along with Tecogen, Crusader Engines, NuTemp, Thermo Lyte and Peek PLC make up the public subsidiary known as Thermo Power Corporation (AMEX THP). 
In 2000 FES was purchased by GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, and is now part of the GEA Refrigeration Technologies Segment, headquartered in Bochum, Germany.