Ludell was founded by Bill Lutzen and Jack Odle in 1948, originally as a custom fabricator of engineered heat transfer energy saving equipment serving local industries. The company soon developed its own line of proprietary heat exchangers and pressure vessels engineered to ASME Code design and heat recovery equipment, industrial laundry equipment, and direct contact water heaters. In 1953 the company moved to its present location at 5200 West State Street in Milwaukee, WI. In 1961 Lutzen bought out Odle, and the company continued to expand operations, serving the laundry, food processing, chemical, tannery and concrete industries and others needing large supplies of hot water and water conservation equipment.  On July 1, 1996 Ludell was sold to Ellis Corporation out of Itasca, IL. Today, Ludell continues to produce hot water energy conservation equipment and has expanded its line of direct contact water heaters, as well as became a fabricator of parts for Ellis and other industrial manufacturers.