What Qei does

Qei (QEI, Inc., formerly Quindar Electronics Incorporated) is a privately held US industrial automation company founded in 1960 and headquartered in Springfield, New Jersey. The company provides integrated automation solutions for utility and industrial customers across five verticals: electric utilities, gas utilities, rail transportation, water/wastewater, and renewable energy. QEI's offering combines hardware (RTUs, gateways, data concentrators, capacitor controllers, distributed I/O, integrated control houses, custom control panels), proprietary software (QConnect ADMS platform, QSCADA, QVISION, OMS, DMS, GIS, EAM, DSS, DERMS modules), and lifecycle services (engineering, integration, training, field services, maintenance). The technology stack supports major industrial protocols including DNP3 SAv2/SAv5, Modbus, IEC 61850, and IEC 60870-5-101/104, with cybersecurity implementations aligned to NIST SP 800-82 and IEC 62351.

QEI operates a hybrid go-to-market combining direct enterprise field sales for large utility accounts with channel partners (CB Associates, SAMSCO, South Source Sales, TESCO Metering) for regional reach. Pricing is quote-based and customized per deployment due to the tailored nature of hardware-software-service implementations, with multi-year maintenance and support agreements providing recurring revenue. The company targets municipal utilities, utility cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and transit authorities, with documented long-tenured customers exceeding 20 years. Following the 2023 acquisition by HC Private Investments, QEI became fully American-owned and repositioned itself as the only 100% American-owned ADMS supplier after acquiring Energy Computer Systems (ECS) from Grupo Amper in July 2024. The 2024 launch of the QConnect software platform unified previously separate SCADA and ADMS functionalities, with subsequent additions including QConnect Mobile (2025) and DERMS (2025). QEI maintains ISO 9001:2015 certification and operates USA-based manufacturing for quick turnaround on integrated control house solutions.

Name

Qei

Legal name

QEI, Inc.

Website

https://qeiinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Qei is a US-based industrial automation company that designs, manufactures, and integrates SCADA, ADMS, and substation automation hardware and software for electric, gas, rail, water, and renewable utility customers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Revenue model

1. Hardware Products: Sale of automation hardware including Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), gateways, data concentrators, capacitor controllers, distributed I/O modules, power monitoring equipment, integrated control houses, and custom control panels. Products are designed and manufactured in the USA.
2. Software Licenses and Subscriptions: QSCADA software licenses with tiered options (Lite, Plus, Advanced) supporting different redundancy levels. QConnect ADMS software platform providing integrated utility management capabilities including OMS, DMS, GIS, EAM, DSS.
3. Maintenance and Support Services: Service agreements including hardware maintenance, software support, 24/7 support options, diagnostics, backup services, patch management for NERC/CIP compliance, and emergency storm assistance.
4. Engineering and Integration Services: Professional services for automation solutions from inception to implementation including system evaluation, integration design, custom automation programming, control house solutions, networking and security services.
5. Training Services: Training programs delivered via webinar, factory training at Springfield NJ facility, and onsite training. Quarterly ShopTalk Online workshops and annual User Group Conference provide ongoing education.
6. Field Services: Onsite technical support including startup and commissioning, troubleshooting, integration with existing systems, and end-to-end field testing services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

QEI (originally Quindar Electronics Incorporated, founded 1960) is a Springfield, NJ-based supplier of SCADA, distribution automation, and energy management software and hardware for utilities and adjacent infrastructure operators. The company sells integrated platforms (such as the QConnect ADMS suite) and field equipment including RTUs, gateways, capacitor controllers, and control houses to electric, gas, rail, water/wastewater, and renewable energy customers.

Product overview

QEI Automation Solutions provides a comprehensive portfolio of hardware, software, and service offerings for utility, transportation, and industrial automation. The software portfolio is built around QConnect, an advanced ADMS software platform that unifies multiple integrated applications including QSCADA (Windows-based SCADA system), QVISION (substation HMI), OMS (Outage Management System), GIS (Geographic Information System), RTPS (Real-Time Power Simulator), DMS (Distribution Management System), EAM (Enterprise Asset Management), and DSS (Decision Support System). The hardware portfolio includes ePAQ and MicroPAQ series Remote Terminal Units and gateways, DRT distributed terminals, STN substation RTUs, capacitor controllers (eCAP series), distributed I/O modules, power monitoring solutions, and turnkey Integrated Control Houses and Custom Control Panels. QEI serves electric utilities, gas utilities, rail transportation, water/wastewater, and renewable energy industries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• QConnect: Advanced software platform with multiple integrated applications for improved control, efficiency, and reliability for utility operations. Includes DMS, OMS, GIS, RTPS, EAM, DSS and DERMs modules.
• QSCADA
• QVISION

Products and services

• QConnect
• QSCADA
• QVISION Energy management/visualization software for utility operations.
• Remote Terminal Units (RTUs)
• Capacitor Controllers and Gateways
• Control Houses

Quantifiable outcome

• Grid reliability improvement through real-time monitoring and control
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TEKNO PLUSminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 3 December 2025Partnership with TEKNO PLUS to deliver comprehensive three-day technical training program as part of SCADA User Conference 2025, extending QEI's training delivery capabilities.
• Energy Computer Systems (ECS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2024QEI acquired Energy Computer Systems (ECS) from Grupo Amper to expand its ADMS capabilities. ECS brought advanced software including market's fastest OMS and DMS, plus plug-and-play GIS. This acquisition enables QEI to deliver full turnkey solutions as the only 100% American-owned ADMS supplier.
• CB AssociatesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional channel partner of QEI that exhibits at industry events including MEUA National and TVPPA conferences to extend QEI's market presence.
• SAMSCOminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partner exhibiting alongside QEI at TVPPA Engineering, Operations & Technology Conference to expand regional market coverage.
• South Source SalesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional sales partner exhibiting with QEI at TVPPA Engineering, Operations & Technology Conference for extended market reach.
• TESCO MeteringminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChannel partner exhibiting alongside QEI at TVPPA Engineering, Operations & Technology Conference for complementary metering solutions integration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Siemens Smart Infrastructure: Siemens Spectrum Power ADMS is a global incumbent in utility control-center software, paired with Siemens' massive grid hardware portfolio. Comparable in target customer (large and mid-market utilities) and product scope (SCADA, OMS, DMS) to QEI's QConnect platform.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider's EcoStruxure ADMS and Resource Advisor compete with QEI's QConnect across electric utility and rail/transit customers. Schneider bundles these with a much broader portfolio of grid hardware, RTUs, and enterprise energy management software.
• Hitachi Energy: Hitachi Energy's Lumada Network Manager ADMS and Enterprise Asset Management offerings represent one of the largest ADMS portfolios globally, bundled with the company's broader grid hardware, HVDC, and transformer businesses. Direct overlap with QEI's SCADA/ADMS modules in large utility RFPs.
• Hubbell (Aclara): Hubbell's Aclara division provides utility automation including AMI/AMR metering, distribution automation, and SCADA-adjacent software. Comparable customer base (municipal and cooperative utilities) and overlapping distribution automation product surface with QEI.
• GE Vernova (GridOS): GE Vernova's GridOS ADMS and PowerOn Advantage platform target the same utility control-center segment as QEI's QConnect. As a global incumbent with deep utility relationships and bundled grid hardware, GE represents both a competitor and a potential channel partner in larger RFPs.

Direct peers

• ETAP: ETAP provides power system modeling, simulation, and real-time (eOTS) software for utilities and industrial customers. Directly comparable to QEI's RTPS (Real-Time Power Simulator) and DMS modules, including state estimation, load flow, and contingency analysis functionality.
• Survalent Technology: Survalent is a direct SCADA/ADMS peer for electric and water utilities, offering a similarly mid-market-focused utility operations platform with OMS, DMS, and SCADA modules targeting municipal and cooperative utilities in North America — closely overlapping with QEI's core customer base and product stack.
• S&C Electric Company: S&C Electric manufactures distribution automation equipment (capacitor controls, reclosers, IntelliRupter) and integrates similar Volt/VAR and FLISR solutions for electric utilities — directly comparable to QEI's eCAP capacitor controllers and MicroPAQ/ePAQ distribution automation products.
• Open Systems International (OSI, now Emerson): OSI Monarch is a leading ADMS/SCADA platform serving transmission and distribution utilities worldwide. It directly competes with QEI's QConnect ADMS in utility control-center deals, particularly for mid-to-large investor-owned utilities, and shares similar OMS/DMS functionality.

Emerging players

• Aspen Technology: AspenTech's asset performance management and grid optimization software competes with the analytics layer of QEI's DSS and EAM modules. Both target utility operational decision-making and predictive maintenance, though AspenTech historically leans more into process-industrial customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/QEIAutomationSolutions

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Qei