Backer Hotwatt was founded in 1952 and has been a leader in the manufacture of resistance heating elements for over 65 years. The company began with the manufacture of a single product, an open coil heating element. Since then, Backer Hotwatt has expanded its product line to include cartridge, air process, immersion, strip, finned strip, tubular, finned tube, foil, flexible Glasrope®, crankcase and ceramic heaters.
The company has established itself from a major supplier to the household appliance industry to a quality supplier for a large number of original equipment manufacturers. Its products are used in the industrial, medical, commercial, packaging, instrumentation, aviation, transportation, refrigeration/air conditioning and military sectors. In addition, they can supply the compatible accessories so that they can offer a complete heating system.
On December 1, 2016, NIBE Industrier AB acquired the operations of Hotwatt, Inc. in Danvers, Massachusetts, USA. The company's operations were integrated into the NIBE Element North American Business Group. "The acquisition of Hotwatt adds another well-known brand to our North American element operations, bringing cost synergies and economic benefits to the NIBE Group. The market position and substantial customer base provide a further platform for profitable growth," says Gerteric Lindquist, President and CEO of NIBE Industrier AB. Operations and customer support will continue from Massachusetts under the name Backer Hotwatt, Inc.
The most popular product is the cartridge heater. They manufacture low, medium and high watt density cartridge heaters. Cartridge heaters provide localized heat for limited work areas that require tight thermal control. Dies, plates and a variety of other types of processing equipment are efficiently heated. Tightly controlled working temperatures of up to 760ºC (1400ºF) are achieved through a combination of heater location and proper wattage.