Panatrol

What Panatrol does

Panatrol Co. Inc., doing business as Panatrol Automation & Controls, is a privately held industrial controls integrator founded in 1978 and headquartered in the Kansas City, Missouri / Chicago, Illinois corridor. The firm designs, engineers, programs, and commissions PLC-based control systems, HMI/SCADA interfaces, network architectures, and drive configurations for industrial customers across North America, with a notable reference base in movable bridge and transportation infrastructure projects for government clients (Minnesota Slip Bridge, North Hero-Grand Isle Drawbridge, Hood Canal, Sarah Mildred Long, Coleman bridges). Its technology stack is conventional industrial automation rather than proprietary software IP, and its differentiation rests on 40+ years of engineering bench depth and standardized commissioning methodology applied across infrastructure, energy, food & beverage, and pharmaceutical verticals.

The business operates a project-based, direct sales motion. Pricing is quote-based with a milestone payment structure on equipment (10% down, 20% submittal approval, 30% release to production, 30% ready to ship, 10% commissioning) and hourly field engineering rates of $204 weekday, $304 after-hours, and $406 Sunday, with travel and living billed at cost plus 15%. Revenue streams comprise hardware sales (control panels, PLCs, HMIs) and professional services across engineering, commissioning, training, and integration. Panatrol does not use resellers or distributors; each engagement is staffed by an assigned controls engineer who runs the project end-to-end.

Since September 2022, Panatrol has operated as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Preston Refrigeration, Co., a Kansas City-based industrial refrigeration contractor with 75+ years of history and 150+ employees, following an acquisition facilitated by Generational Equity. The acquisition created a cross-sell channel into Preston's meat processing, food & beverage, and cold storage customer base. Post-acquisition, Panatrol relocated its operating office from Burr Ridge, IL to Oak Forest, IL while maintaining its legal address at Preston's Kansas City headquarters. Listed headcount is 1-10 employees, suggesting heavy reliance on contracted engineering capacity to deliver project work.

Name

Panatrol

Legal name

Panatrol Co. Inc.

Website

https://panatrol.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Panatrol is a privately held industrial controls integrator founded in 1978, designing and commissioning PLC, HMI/SCADA, and network control systems for North American infrastructure, energy, food & beverage, and pharmaceutical customers. It operates as a subsidiary of Preston Refrigeration following a September 2022 acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Controls Integration

NAICS

Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313), All Other Industrial Machinery Manufacturing (333248)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Control Panels & Enclosures (Panel Building, MCCs, Integration) (IMAGABAJ), Industrial Control Cabinets & Power Distribution (Panels, Switchgear for Automation) (IMAHAHAK), Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM)

Keywords

• Industrial controls integration
• PLC system engineering
• HMI SCADA design
• Drive configuration commissioning
• Industrial network design

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of industrial control hardware including control panels, PLC systems, HMIs, and other control hardware components. Equipment sales follow a milestone payment structure: 10% down-payment, 20% upon submittal approval, 30% upon release to production, 30% when ready for shipment, and 10% upon commissioning.
2. Professional Services - Engineering: Engineering services including hardware engineering, software engineering, HMI/SCADA design, network design, and system integration. Billed at standard field engineering rates when additional time beyond fixed allowances is required.
3. Commissioning Services: System commissioning services following a standardized approach to ensure systems perform as designed. Commissioning is a critical step in the lifecycle of industrial control systems.
4. Training and Support: Comprehensive training programs covering hardware and software operation, troubleshooting techniques, and best practices, along with ongoing support to ensure clients leverage the full capabilities of control technologies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Panatrol designs, engineers, builds, programs, and commissions custom industrial control systems including PLC-based hardware panels, HMI and SCADA software, industrial network architectures, and drive configuration tools. The firm delivers full-lifecycle integration services tailored to infrastructure, energy, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical customers across North America, assigning a dedicated controls engineer to each project from concept through commissioning.

Product overview

Panatrol is an industrial controls integrator offering a portfolio of services rather than a single software product. Their core offerings include Hardware Engineering, Software Engineering, HMI and SCADA Design, Network Design Services, Drive Configuration and Commissioning, Systems Commissioning, Integration Services, and Training and Support. These services are designed to work together as a comprehensive controls solution, enabling businesses to optimize operations, enhance productivity, and maximize efficiency through innovative control technologies across industries including manufacturing, energy, transportation, infrastructure, food & beverage, and pharmaceuticals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hardware Engineering Design and development of custom industrial control hardware including control panels, PLC systems, and Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs), tailored to each customer's physical system requirements.
• Software Engineering Systematic software development for industrial control systems including process control logic, industrial automation routines, and data acquisition solutions for plant operators.
• HMI and SCADA Design Design of Human Machine Interface (HMI) and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems for real-time monitoring and intelligent control of industrial operations across multiple locations.
• Network Design Services Tailored industrial network architecture solutions aligned to specific business and industry requirements, emphasizing security, scalability, and seamless connectivity for control systems.
• Drive Configuration and Commissioning Configuration and commissioning of industrial drives using software that reads, saves, and recognizes smart data to modify drive configurations, leveraging analytics to enhance performance and support continuous improvement.
• Systems Commissioning Standardized commissioning process that verifies industrial control systems perform as designed, meet all requirements, and comply with industry standards.
• Integration Services Comprehensive integration services ensuring seamless compatibility and interoperability between different control systems, enabling data exchange and centralized management across industrial operations.
• Training and Support Training programs and ongoing support covering hardware and software operation, troubleshooting techniques, and best practices for industrial control technologies.
• Industrial Control Equipment Sales Sale of industrial control hardware including control panels, PLC systems, HMIs, and related control hardware components, delivered against a 10/20/30/30/10 milestone payment schedule.

Quantifiable outcome

• Minnesota Slip Bridge reliability: Upwards of 20 smooth, fault-free openings and closings per day in challenging high-wind harbor conditions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Preston RefrigerationcoreOthers · 23 September 2022Panatrol Corporation was acquired by Preston Refrigeration, Co. in September 2022. Preston Refrigeration, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is a full-service industrial refrigeration contractor with over 75 years of experience serving meat processing, food & beverage, and cold storage sectors. The acquisition represents a strategic fit enabling synergistic opportunities between the companies, with Panatrol providing controls expertise to complement Preston's refrigeration capabilities.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avanceon: Avanceon is an industrial automation and control systems integration provider operating in process industries including F&B, pharma, and energy — directly comparable verticals to Panatrol. Comparable in business model and integration services breadth.
• Wunderlich-Malec Engineering: Wunderlich-Malec is a U.S. control systems integrator offering PLC, SCADA, and engineering services very similar to Panatrol. It is among the closest direct competitors in scope (industrial automation systems integration) and customer type (industrial and infrastructure end users).
• Matrix Technologies: Matrix Technologies is an industrial control systems integrator delivering automation, process control, and MES/SCADA solutions across food & beverage, chemicals, and manufacturing. It is a direct functional peer to Panatrol in systems integration depth and vertical reach.
• Hargrove Controls & Automation: Hargrove Controls & Automation is a control systems integrator delivering PLC, DCS, and SCADA services to industrial customers. It is a direct functional peer to Panatrol for engineering and commissioning scope.
• MAVERICK Technologies: MAVERICK Technologies is a large independent systems integrator focused on industrial automation, MES, and digital transformation. It directly competes with Panatrol in delivering PLC/SCADA integration for industrial customers across North America.

Broad incumbents

• Emerson Automation Solutions: Emerson's Automation Solutions business (including DeltaV DCS and PACSystems) targets process and infrastructure customers with controls, instrumentation, and lifecycle services that overlap Panatrol's energy and infrastructure work.
• ABB Process Automation: ABB's Process Automation division offers control systems (including 800xA) plus integration services across infrastructure, energy, and process industries. It competes with Panatrol in programmable control and DCS-adjacent projects.
• Schneider Electric Industrial Automation: Schneider Electric provides PLCs (Modicon), SCADA, drives, and EcoStruxure platform integration. It is a broad incumbent whose products Panatrol engineers and whose solutions arm competes for large industrial automation projects.
• Siemens Digital Industries: Siemens Digital Industries is a broad industrial automation incumbent offering PLCs (SIMATIC), SCADA, drives, and integration services that overlap with Panatrol's full-lifecycle offerings. It competes both as a vendor whose platforms Panatrol engineers against and as a solutions provider.
• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell Automation is the largest pure-play industrial automation vendor and the dominant supplier of PLCs (Allen-Bradley/ControlLogix) that Panatrol integrates. It competes broadly with Panatrol via its own Solutions organization and partner integrator network, and anchors the technology stack Panatrol engineers around.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/panatrol-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Panatrol