MINDS Automation Group

What MINDS Automation Group does

MINDS Automation Group Inc., founded in 1994 and headquartered in Kelowna, Canada, is an industrial automation and data management vendor specializing in the asphalt and aggregates sector. The company designs and builds proprietary plant control systems (PM3, DrumTronic, BatchTronic), burner controls (BC3, Intelliflex, DrumTronic Burner Control), liquid processing and storage controls (EmulTronic, LoadOut), and supporting hardware (XIO Controller) used by asphalt producers and highway contractors to operate drum plants, batch plants, blending systems, tank terminals, emulsion facilities, and burner systems with vendor-agnostic interoperability and standardized fleet architecture.

In 2022, MINDS was acquired by ASTEC Industries and integrated into a newly formed ASTEC Digital division, which combines the Minds platform with ASTEC's existing software to deliver the ASTEC Digital Data Suite and Signal Connectivity Suite. The expanded portfolio extends beyond stationary plant controls into plant telematics (PlantManager, MixManager, MaintenanceManager, LiveTank, LiveJob, LiveLoader, TicketManager), mobile telematics (Guardian, Peterson+), and robotics and extended reality (SiloBot, Extended Reality). Go-to-market is enterprise field sales, quote-based for automation projects, with one-time hardware/license revenue supplemented by attached software and telematics offerings, distributed globally through ASTEC's direct sales force and regional offices.

Name

MINDS Automation Group

Legal name

MINDS Automation Group Inc.

Website

https://mindsinc.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MINDS Automation Group builds proprietary industrial automation and telematics software for asphalt plants and highway contractors. Acquired by ASTEC Industries in 2022, it now operates as the ASTEC Digital division serving the Rock to Road value chain.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation & Process Control Software

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)

Keywords

• Asphalt plant controls
• Industrial automation systems
• Plant telematics software
• Burner control systems
• Mobile equipment telematics

Headquarters

HQ city

Kelowna

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Revenue model

1. Automation Control Systems Sales: Sale of industrial automation control systems, plant controls, burner controls, and related hardware to asphalt producers and construction companies. Systems are scalable and customizable to suit specific operational needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MINDS Automation Group designs and sells industrial automation control systems and cloud-based data management platforms for the asphalt and aggregates industry. Its offerings include plant controls (PM3, DrumTronic, BatchTronic), burner controls, liquid processing and storage controls, plant telematics, mobile telematics, and robotics/XR solutions, all integrated into the ASTEC Digital Data Suite following its 2022 acquisition by ASTEC Industries.

Product overview

MINDS Automation Group, acquired by ASTEC Industries in 2022, now operates as ASTEC Digital, offering a unified platform-plus-modules architecture called the ASTEC Digital Data Suite and Signal Connectivity Suite. The portfolio spans Industrial Automation (PM3, DrumTronic, BatchTronic controls; BC3, DrumTronic Burner Control, Intelliflex burner controls; EmulTronic, LoadOut liquid processing; XIO Controller hardware), Plant Telematics (PlantManager, MixManager, MaintenanceManager, LiveTank, LiveJob, LiveLoader, TicketManager), Mobile Telematics (Guardian, Peterson+), and Robotics & XR (SiloBot, Extended Reality). The platforms are designed for the Rock to Road value chain in the asphalt/construction industry, combining time-tested ASTEC software with the cutting-edge Minds platform integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PM3 Dependable, accurate, reliable, and customizable asphalt plant control system providing comprehensive total plant control for asphalt producers.
• DrumTronic Asphalt drum plant control system designed for dependable, accurate, and customizable total plant control.
• BatchTronic Asphalt batch plant control system featuring powerful and easy-to-use visual software combined with dedicated hardware.
• BC3 Burner Controls Multi-actuator, multi-fuel, precision burner control system for asphalt plants.
• DrumTronic Burner Control Burner control system integrated with drum plant controls for asphalt plants.
• Intelliflex Precision burner control system for industrial applications.
• EmulTronic

Segments2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ASTEC IndustriesflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022MINDS Automation Group was acquired by ASTEC Industries in 2022 to advance digital solutions for the asphalt sector. The acquisition enabled the formation of the ASTEC Digital division, combining MINDS' automation control platform with ASTEC's existing software to create the ASTEC Digital Data Suite for the Rock to Road value chain.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockwell Automation: Rockwell Automation's Allen-Bradley PLCs, FactoryTalk software, and process control solutions are a comparable industrial automation stack to MINDS' plant controls and XIO Controller across discrete and process industries.
• Wirtgen Group (John Deere): Wirtgen Group specializes in road construction equipment (cold milling, paving, compaction) and increasingly integrates digital/process automation — closely adjacent to MINDS' asphalt plant automation and field telematics.
• Siemens: Siemens' SIMATIC PLCs and industrial automation software compete with MINDS' plant and burner controls across heavy industrial customers, with much broader geographic and vertical reach.
• Caterpillar (Cat Connect / VisionLink): Caterpillar's Cat Connect telematics and VisionLink fleet monitoring compete with MINDS' Guardian and Peterson+ mobile telematics, with deep hooks into road construction and aggregates equipment customers.
• ABB: ABB is a global industrial automation leader whose PLC, SCADA, and process control offerings overlap with MINDS' plant controls, burner controls, and XIO Controller hardware across industrial customers.
• Trimble: Trimble offers a broad portfolio of construction telematics, fleet management, and worksite automation (e.g., Trimble Viewpoint, Trimble Siteworks) that overlaps with MINDS' plant and mobile telematics (Guardian, Peterson+, PlantManager) across the construction value chain.
• Komatsu (Smart Construction): Komatsu's Smart Construction initiative bundles construction equipment with telematics, drone surveying, and digital workflow — directly comparable to ASTEC Digital/MINDS' combined plant + mobile telematics and XR offerings for road construction.

Direct peers

• Command Alkon: Command Alkon provides software and automation solutions for the heavy building materials supply chain, including asphalt, concrete, and aggregates — directly comparable to MINDS' plant automation and loadout/ticketing offerings such as TicketManager and LoadOut.

Emerging players

• B2W Software (Trimble Construction One): B2W Software (now part of Trimble Construction One) provides estimating, field operations, and fleet management software for heavy civil and highway contractors — overlapping with MINDS' LiveJob, TicketManager, and Mobile Telematics products.

Regional players

• Haver & Boecker: Haver & Boecker (Haver Niagara) provides screening, washing, and automation solutions for aggregates and mining — adjacent to MINDS' automation focus in the Rock to Road value chain, particularly aggregates processing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 MINDS Automation Group