What Automation NTH does

Automation NTH is a US-based custom automation equipment provider and system integrator specializing in life sciences and medical device manufacturing. Founded in 1999 in La Vergne, Tennessee by Brent Thomas and Denis Jones, the company designs and builds turnkey automation cells, electrical control panels, and validated SCADA systems for FDA-regulated production environments. Core technology platforms include the proprietary FLEXBASE modular automation cell, LyoFeeder and Tray Handler material handling systems, OEE Optimizer analytics tool, and digital twin simulation services, supported by integrations with Cognex ViDi for AI-driven vision inspection and Ignition by Inductive Automation for HMI/SCADA. The firm holds ISO 9001:2015, CSIA, and SOC 2 certifications and serves enterprise customers including Hamilton Medical, global medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers, a Fortune 50 consumer products company, and the eye care device sector.

The company operates an enterprise field sales motion through consultative engagements involving automation architecture, conceptual design, scoping, and execution phases, with multi-year project cycles. Revenue is generated through four streams: custom automation equipment (hardware sales), automation consulting (professional services), automation optimization and post-deployment services (professional services), and control system integration including HMI/PLC programming, machine vision, robotics, and AMR integration (professional services). Pricing is quote-based with no publicly disclosed tiers, and project cycles can extend across multiple years. Following founder Brent Thomas's retirement in December 2023, internal successors Jeff Buck and Greg Young were appointed as Co-Presidents.

Automation NTH maintains a dual-site operating model with its Nashville-area headquarters and a Poway, California West Coast operations office established in 2019 under Director Dan Barber. The company also operates NTH University, an internal and customer-facing training program developing controls engineering talent in PLC, HMI, robotics, and vision systems. Recent strategic activity includes the 2022 launch of AMR Integration services, the 2024 introduction of the DTAC (Diagnostic Test Assembly Cell), and the 2024 integration of Beckhoff XPlanar and Rockwell MagneMover LITE motion technologies targeting medical device and diagnostic applications.

Name

Automation NTH

Legal name

Automation NTH

Website

https://automationnth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Automation NTH is a US-based custom automation equipment and system integrator serving life sciences and medical device manufacturers with turnkey validated automation cells, SCADA systems, and proprietary platforms like FLEXBASE, operating from Tennessee and California under ISO 9001, CSIA, and SOC 2 certifications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Systems Integration

NAICS

Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Measuring & Controlling Devices, Nec (3829)

akta.pro primary industry

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lab Automation, Instrument Control & Workflow Orchestration Software (HLAGAJAG), Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Custom automation equipment
• Medical device automation
• Industrial control systems
• SCADA integration services
• Manufacturing system integration

Headquarters

HQ city

La Vergne

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Custom Automation Equipment: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of custom turnkey automation equipment for complex assembly and inspection applications. Includes electrical control panels, robotic systems, and integrated automation solutions sold as capital equipment projects.
2. Automation Consulting Services: Industrial automation consulting including automation architecture, conceptual design & scoping, risk & safety assessment, and strategic planning for manufacturing automation.
3. Automation Optimization Services: Post-deployment services including machine analytics, site support, and automation training to help manufacturers maximize equipment performance and ROI.
4. Control System Integration: Integration services including HMI programming, PLC programming, machine vision integration, robotics programming, and AMR integration for connecting automation systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Automation NTH designs, engineers, and integrates custom turnkey automation equipment and control systems for life sciences, medical device, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Services span automation consulting, custom equipment design and build, and post-deployment optimization, supported by proprietary platforms such as the FLEXBASE modular automation cell and validated SCADA systems for FDA-regulated environments.

Product overview

Automation NTH provides turnkey custom automation equipment and system integration services for life sciences and medical device manufacturing. Their product portfolio centers on modular automation platforms (FLEXBASE) and specialized equipment (LyoFeeder, Reel Feeder, Tray Handler, OEE Optimizer, Heat Stake machines) designed for regulated environments. Services include automation consulting, custom equipment design, electrical control panels, SCADA systems, and specialized integration services for robotics, machine vision (Cognex), AMR, digital twins, and joining technologies. The company operates as both equipment provider and system integrator, combining proprietary platforms with engineering services to deliver complete automation solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FLEXBASE A modular automation cell platform that serves as the foundational technology for building customized automation solutions across various production environments.
• LyoFeeder An automated feeding system designed for handling delicate components in regulated manufacturing environments such as lyophilized pharmaceutical products.
• Reel Feeder An automated reel feeding solution for high-speed component feeding in assembly applications.
• Tray Handler An automated tray handling system designed for material handling and transfer operations in regulated manufacturing environments.
• OEE Optimizer An analytics tool designed to identify and address the most significant issues impacting Overall Equipment Effectiveness in manufacturing operations.
• Heat Stake Machine A thermal staking machine designed for plastic joining applications in regulated manufacturing environments.
• Turnkey Automation Equipment Custom design, engineering, and manufacturing of complete turnkey automation equipment systems delivered ready for installation in customer facilities.
• Electrical Control Panels Design, fabrication, and integration of electrical control panels for industrial automation systems.
• SCADA for Intelligent Manufacturing SCADA system design, integration, and validation tailored for FDA-regulated and GMP-compliant manufacturing environments.
• Automation Consulting Consulting services including automation architecture assessment, conceptual design, feasibility analysis, and digital twin simulation to support automation investment decisions.
• Automation Optimization Post-deployment optimization services aimed at maximizing equipment effectiveness, reliability, and return on automation investment.
• PLC Programming Programmable Logic Controller programming services across multiple platforms including Allen-Bradley, Siemens, and Beckhoff.
• HMI Programming Human-Machine Interface design and programming for operator control of automated manufacturing systems.
• Machine Vision Integration Integration of machine vision systems for inspection, quality assurance, and process control in automated manufacturing lines.
• Robotics Programming Robotics programming and integration services for assembly, handling, and inspection applications across multiple robot platforms.
• AMR Integration Integration of Autonomous Mobile Robots to support flexible material handling and intralogistics within customer manufacturing facilities.
• Digital Twin Simulation

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CognexcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for machine vision integration using Cognex ViDi deep learning software. Cognex ViDi tools (Red for anomaly detection, Green for classification) enable complex visual inspection and quality control applications that traditional rule-based systems cannot handle.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JMP Solutions (now Averna): Averna (which acquired JMP Solutions) is one of the largest North American control system integrators serving regulated industries including life sciences. It directly competes with Automation NTH on PLC, SCADA, robotics, and vision system integration for manufacturers requiring FDA-validated automation, and has comparable proprietary platforms and multi-site engineering teams.
• Genesis Integration & Automation: Genesis Integration is a CSIA-certified control system integrator providing custom automated machinery, SCADA, and PLC integration for regulated manufacturing. It is highly comparable to Automation NTH as a mid-sized, full-service SI with similar certification credentials and a focus on complex assembly/inspection applications.
• StoneRidge Automation: StoneRidge Automation is a specialty control system integrator with deep experience in life sciences and medical device manufacturing. It directly competes on validated automation projects for medical device OEMs, mirroring Automation NTH's core vertical focus and project-based delivery model.
• Sage Automation: Sage Automation is a CSIA-certified control system integrator with a sizable engineering workforce delivering custom automation, robotics, and SCADA solutions to manufacturers. It overlaps heavily with Automation NTH's service offering and customer verticals, and is one of the larger peers in the same U.S.-based SI competitive set.
• Huffman Engineering: Huffman Engineering is a CSIA-certified control system integrator specializing in SCADA, PLC, HMI, and robotics integration for industrial manufacturers including life sciences. Like Automation NTH, it pairs system integration with control panel fabrication and serves regulated manufacturing customers.
• RedViking: RedViking is a custom automation system integrator with strong manufacturing solutions capabilities including robotic systems, control panels, and digital manufacturing. It directly competes with Automation NTH for custom turnkey automation projects in regulated and complex assembly applications.

Broad incumbents

• Cognex Corporation: Cognex is the dominant machine vision vendor whose ViDi platform Automation NTH integrates into customer solutions. As a partner/overlap, Cognex's own vision-enabled automation offerings compete for a portion of the AI-driven inspection work that Automation NTH delivers via Vision Inspection Systems.
• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell Automation is the dominant PLC/automation platform vendor with its own integrator ecosystem and increasingly packaged automation solutions. Automation NTH's PLC programming and MagneMover LITE integration (per its 2024 milestones) directly tie into Rockwell's stack, and Rockwell's broader automation offerings create indirect competitive overlap in larger enterprise programs.
• Beckhoff Automation: Beckhoff provides PC-based control and motion/automation hardware whose XPlanar technology Automation NTH integrated in 2024 for medical diagnostic assembly. As a key vendor whose platforms Automation NTH implements, Beckhoff's expanding turnkey automation and TwinCAT offerings overlap with Automation NTH's integration services.

Others

• Inductive Automation (Ignition): Inductive Automation makes the Ignition SCADA platform that Automation NTH explicitly uses as the foundation for its HMI and SCADA offerings. As a complementary vendor (not a competitor), it is highly comparable as part of Automation NTH's technology stack that defines its SCADA for Intelligent Manufacturing service line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/automationnth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/automation-nth

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Automation NTH