Digital Control

What Digital Control does

Digital Control Inc., operating under the DigiTrak brand, designs and manufactures locating and navigation systems for the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) industry. Its core technology — the DigiTrak platform — provides real-time pitch, roll, and underground drill-head tracking that allows HDD contractors to install underground utilities, pipelines, and cables without open-cut excavation. The company has been operating since 1990 and is headquartered in Kent, United States, with a headcount in the 101-250 range.

The business model is centered on hardware sales of navigation receivers, transmitters, and integrated locating systems, delivered primarily through an OEM/embedded channel. Digital Control's longest-standing and most strategically important commercial relationship is with Vermeer, a leading manufacturer of HDD drill rigs; since 1991, Vermeer has integrated Digital Control's pitch and roll navigation systems into its equipment, giving Digital Control embedded access to the contractor end market via Vermeer's rig sales globally. The company also serves HDD contractors directly and works with HDD equipment manufacturers more broadly, addressing industry pain points around labor shortages and the demand for greater drilling precision and automation. No public pricing, revenue figures, or detailed geographic footprint were disclosed in the available sources, and there are no public AI/ML, software-as-a-service, or recurring-revenue product lines documented — the company presents as a focused industrial hardware specialist rather than a diversified technology business.

Name

Digital Control

Legal name

Digital Control Inc.

Website

https://digital-control.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Digital Control Inc. (DigiTrak) designs and manufactures locating and navigation systems for horizontal directional drilling contractors and OEMs, with its technology embedded in Vermeer HDD rigs since 1991.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HDD Locating Equipment

NAICS

Oil and Gas Field Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing (333132), Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment (3533), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

Directional Drilling & MWD/LWD Services (EUALABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cable Installation & Construction Services (trenching, duct banks, HDD, pulling, cable laying) (EUADADAI)

Keywords

• HDD locating systems
• Directional drilling navigation
• Underground drilling tracking
• Pitch roll navigation
• Trenchless drilling equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Kent

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. HDD Locating Equipment Sales: Digital Control manufactures and sells DigiTrak locating systems to HDD equipment manufacturers and contractors. Revenue is generated through the sale of navigation hardware and integrated systems for horizontal directional drilling equipment.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Digital Control manufactures and sells DigiTrak horizontal directional drilling (HDD) locating systems, including pitch and roll navigation hardware that allows operators to track the position and orientation of a drill head underground in real time. The systems are supplied both directly to HDD contractors and as OEM-integrated navigation technology inside drilling rigs produced by equipment manufacturers such as Vermeer, enabling trenchless installation of utilities, pipelines, and cables without open-cut excavation.

Product overview

Digital Control Inc. offers DigiTrak HDD Locating Systems as its core product portfolio. The company provides pitch and roll navigation systems for horizontal directional drilling equipment, enabling operators to track and guide drill heads underground without open-cut excavation. The homepage references DigiTrak as the primary product brand, with navigation system integrations available for industrial drilling partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DigiTrak HDD Locating Systems DigiTrak HDD Locating Systems are hardware products that provide pitch-and-roll navigation and downhole tracking for horizontal directional drilling operations, enabling contractors and equipment manufacturers to guide drill heads underground in real time and install utilities, pipelines, and cables without open-cut excavation.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• VermeercoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1991Vermeer and Digital Control established a partnership for the integration of pitch and roll navigation systems into Vermeer's horizontal directional drilling equipment. This partnership dates back to Vermeer's early HDD operations in 1991 when the technology was first developed. Vermeer is a leading manufacturer of underground construction equipment and uses Digital Control's locating technology to enhance its drill rig offerings.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Vermeer Corporation: Vermeer is Digital Control's largest OEM partner and a leading HDD rig manufacturer. It bundles DigiTrak locating systems into its rigs and also owns competing brand Subsite, making Vermeer simultaneously Digital Control's biggest customer, channel, and competitive threat.
• Radiodetection (SPX): Radiodetection, part of SPX Technologies, supplies utility-locating and cable-avoidance instruments used in the same underground-construction workflow as DigiTrak. It competes in adjacent locating use cases and has greater scale and global reach.
• Hexagon AB (Leica Geosystems): Hexagon, via Leica Geosystems, supplies positioning, GNSS, and machine-control technologies. Its positioning stack could be integrated into HDD rigs as an alternative locating source, making it a long-term competitive threat to walkover-only systems like DigiTrak.
• Herrenknecht AG: Herrenknecht is a global leader in tunnel boring and trenchless technology, including HDD rigs. As a major rig manufacturer, it is a potential OEM partner and indirect competitor for the HDD locating and guidance technology Digital Control provides.
• Tracto-Technik: Tracto-Technik is a European manufacturer of trenchless technology equipment, including HDD rigs and moles. It operates in the same underground-construction market and is a competitor to Vermeer, indirectly competing for the OEM integration of locating systems.

Emerging players

• DCI (Digital Control's brand in some markets) / Sharewell HDD: Sharewell HDD supplies downhole tools, transmitters, and locating accessories for the HDD industry. It is partially adjacent to Digital Control's locating systems via the drill-head/transmitter side of the workflow.

Direct peers

• Subsite Electronics: Subsite manufactures walkover HDD locating systems that directly compete with DigiTrak. Now owned by Vermeer, it is both the closest functional competitor and a strategic threat embedded within Digital Control's largest OEM partner.
• Underground Magnetics: Underground Magnetics produces HDD locating and guidance systems for horizontal directional drilling contractors, directly competing with DigiTrak in walkover locating technology for the same end users.

Others

• McElroy: McElroy is a leading manufacturer of pipe fusion and welding equipment used in HDD pipeline installations. It serves the same contractor base but in a complementary workflow step, making it an ecosystem-adjacent peer.

Regional players

• TT Technologies: TT Technologies manufactures trenchless equipment including HDD rigs and pipe-bursting tools, primarily serving North American underground-construction contractors. It competes with Vermeer for rig sales where DigiTrak locating systems are embedded.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/digitrak
• Facebookfacebook.com/digitrak.dci
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/digital-control-incorporated

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Digital Control