What Controlled Automation does

Controlled Automation, Inc. is a privately held US manufacturer of CNC-controlled structural steel fabrication machinery, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Bauxite, Arkansas. The company designs, builds, and services a catalog of more than 30 machines spanning angle and flat bar processing lines (ABL-100HS, ABL-86T, ABL-74P, ADPL), multi-spindle structural drill lines (DRL-344, DRL-348TC), beam punching systems (BFC-530, BFC-Custom), combination plasma-and-drilling plate systems (GPF-10X, GPD+, BTD-8X), high-definition plasma cutters (PlasMAX, isoMAX, Zipper, Revolution, L3RP), laser layout marking (LLP-4824), pre-engineered building systems (Flange Line, Detail Line), bridge girder drills, tee straighteners, and automated material handling equipment. All systems run on Windows-based proprietary controls paired with the company's SICAM 3D nesting/processing software, and integrate with industry-standard detailing tools (Tekla, SDS2) and plasma hardware (Hypertherm) and tooling (Cleveland Punch and Die). Production occurs in a 30,800 sq ft manufacturing complex with 20-ton crane capacity, supplemented by wholly-owned subsidiary Apex Machining Inc. for in-house parts manufacturing and job-shop work.

The company monetizes through four streams: one-time capital equipment sales (custom-quoted, multi-year contract cadence), retrofit and remanufacturing services offering up to 30% cost savings versus new equipment, off-the-shelf parts sales, and lifetime field service and phone support. Distribution is direct — enterprise field sales via phone, email, and website request forms — with no dealer or reseller network. Customers are structural steel fabricators (the primary segment), bridge fabricators, pre-engineered metal building manufacturers, highway guardrail producers, and solar racking manufacturers across North America; named enterprise users include W&W/AFCO Steel, Hirschfield Steel, Industrial Steel Construction, Capone Iron, Basden Steel, Missouri Fabricators/OCCI, E&H Steel, and Screening Systems International. The firm employs 11–50 people and positions itself as the US-made, lifetime-supported alternative in a niche market it has occupied since 1986.

Name

Controlled Automation

Legal name

Controlled Automation, Inc.

Website

https://controlledautomation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Controlled Automation, Inc., founded in 1986 and based in Bauxite, Arkansas, designs and manufactures 30+ CNC-controlled structural steel fabrication machines — including drill lines, beam punchers, plasma cutters, and angle processors — sold direct to North American steel fabricators, bridge builders, and pre-engineered metal building manufacturers, with lifetime service and retrofit support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Structural Steel Fabrication Machinery

NAICS

Metalworking Machinery Manufacturing (33351)

SIC

Machine Tools, Metal Cutting Types (3541), Metalworkg Machinery & Equipment (3540)

akta.pro primary industry

CNC Machine Tools (Turning, Milling, Machining Centers) (IMAHADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Metal Forming & Fabrication Machines (Presses, Bending, Shearing, Stamping) (IMAHADAC), Motion & Machine Control (CNC, Robotics Controllers, Servo/Motion Controllers) (IMAGABAG)

Keywords

• Structural steel fabrication machinery
• CNC drilling equipment
• Plasma cutting systems
• Angle processing lines
• Structural steel automation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bryant

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Heavy Machinery Sales: Sale of new CNC-controlled structural steel fabrication machinery including plasma cutters, drill lines, punch lines, angle processors, and material handling equipment. One-time capital equipment purchases with potential for customization.
2. Retrofit & Remanufacturing Services: Retrofitting existing equipment with new software, Windows controls, and automation. Remanufacturing involves complete rebuild using only existing machine steel. Provides cost savings of up to 30% versus new equipment.
3. Parts Sales: Off-the-shelf and readily available machine parts for best uptime. Phone support and parts distribution through dedicated parts team (ext 2900).
4. Field Service & Support: In-house service technicians offering minimal downtime and free phone support for life of machine. Field service technicians available for on-site support across continental US.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Controlled Automation designs, manufactures, and services CNC-controlled structural steel fabrication machinery, including drilling lines, punching systems, plasma cutting machines, angle/flat bar processing lines, laser layout markers, and automated material handling equipment. The company also provides retrofit, remanufacturing, parts, and field service for its installed base of equipment.

Product overview

Controlled Automation designs and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of structural steel fabrication machinery and handling systems, all engineered and built in the USA. The product line spans 30+ distinct machines organized into core categories: angle and flat bar processing lines (ABL-100HS, ABL-86T, ABL-74P, ADPL), structural drilling systems (DRL-344, DRL-348TC, Bridge Girder Drill), beam punching lines (BFC-530, BFC-Custom), plasma and plate processing (GPF-10X/8X, GPD+, BTD-8X, PlasMAX, isoMAX, Zipper), thermal structural processing (Revolution, L3RP), laser marking (LLP-4824), and pre-engineered building systems (Flange Line, Detail Line). The portfolio also includes material handling equipment (MHE) and a retrofit/rebuild service program. All machines run on proprietary Windows-based CNC controls and SICAM 3D software, and are backed by in-house service, off-the-shelf parts, and free phone support for the life of the equipment. The company, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Bauxite, Arkansas, also operates Apex Machining Inc. for in-house precision parts manufacturing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABL-100HS Angle/Flat Bar/Channel Processing Line High-speed large angle, flat bar, and channel processing line featuring 143-ton punch frames, servo-driven operation, and probe measuring for high-accuracy positioning, used by structural steel fabricators.
• ABL-86T Angle/Flat Bar Punching and Shearing Machine High-speed angle and flat bar punching and shearing machine processing up to 6" x 6" x 5/8" angle and flat bar up to 5/8" x 6", with 86-ton punch frames and continuous material probing.
• ABL-74P Small Angle/Flat Bar Processing Line Entry-level small angle and flat bar processing line with single-cut shear (zero kerf), punching on both legs, probe measuring, and 74-ton punch capacity for materials up to 6" x 6" x 1/2".
• DRL-344 3-Spindle Structural Drill Line 3-spindle high-speed structural drill line with three independent 20 hp spindles for simultaneous drilling, handling material up to 44" wide and 1,000 lbs/ft with no material repositioning required.
• DRL-348TC Drill Line with Automatic Tool Changer 3-spindle drill line with automatic 5-station tool changers per axis, precision ball-screw feed, and capacity for the largest 48" wide, 1,000 lb/ft structural material, with automatic worn-tool detection and replacement.
• ADPL Angle/Flat Bar Drilling Line Largest capacity angle and flat bar drilling line capable of processing material up to 1-1/2" thickness using high-speed carbide drilling and combination high-speed saw for cut-to-length, designed for bridge fabrication and seismic work.
• BFC-530 Beam Punching System Beam punching system with 115-ton punch frames for single, dual-gag, or double-punch operations on structural steel shapes up to 36" wide, featuring the Slug Sucker for automatic slug removal.
• BFC-Custom Beam Multi-Hole Punching System Custom beam multi-hole punching system for processing multiple hole patterns simultaneously, designed for solar beams, rack manufacturing, and highway guardrails with 175-ton punch frames and material up to 1" thick.
• GPF-10X / GPF-8X Combination Plasma and Drilling System Best-selling large combination plasma and drilling system for plate processing, combining drilling (CAT40/20HP spindle), high-definition XPR plasma cutting, and oxy-fuel capability on a rigid gantry design with automatic tool-changer.
• GPD+ Combination Plasma and Drilling System Largest capacity combination plasma and drilling system with CAT50/35HP spindle, high-definition XPR plasma, and contour bevel-cut capability for plate processing, fully customizable with multiple drilling operations.
• BTD-8X Plasma and Drill Combination Plate Machine Standard plasma and drill combination plate machine with high-speed carbide drilling, laser-measuring, and thermal cutting capabilities, supporting up to 8' width and oxy-fuel piercing to 6" thickness.
• PlasMAX High-Definition Plasma System Unitized high-definition plasma system with aluminum tubular bridge, 1,400 IPM traverse speeds, contour bevel capability, and Hypertherm True Hole support for precision plate thermal cutting.
• isoMAX Large Capacity Plasma Cutting System Gantry-style large capacity plasma cutting system with dual AC servo motors, contour bevel capability via HPR Orbital Bevel or XPR BevelMAX, oxy-fuel torches, and capacities up to 23' wide and 153' long.
• Zipper Compact Dual-Side Drive Plasma Cutting System Most compact unitized dual-side drive plasma cutting system for plate, available in 6' or 8' widths with 12' cutting length, designed for small footprints with high-definition plasma accuracy.
• Revolution Thermal Processing and Coping System Large capacity thermal processing and coping system for structural shapes up to 48" wide and 1,000 lb/ft, featuring cartesian-style design, automatic plasma/oxy-fuel tool-changer, and laser scanning for 60%+ faster processing than probing machines.
• L3RP Compact Structural Plasma Cutting System Most compact structural plasma cutting system processing structural shapes up to 48" wide and 1,000 lb/ft, with cartesian-style design and laser scanning for over 60% faster processing than probing, handling copes, cut-to-length, and AISC bolted-hole connections.
• LLP-4824 Laser Layout Printer Fastest structural laser layout marking system with four independent 100-watt fiber optic lasers on four 3-axis Cartesian robots, marking layout and welding information at up to 400 IPM without consumable cost.
• BSP-2000 Portable Beam Splitting Machine Portable beam splitting machine that rides along beam flanges without a guide track, splitting beams up to 44" deep using plasma or oxy-fuel torch, constructed of lightweight aluminum for shop or field use.
• Tee Straightening Machines World's first tee straightening machines in small and large models for removing bow from cambered tees up to 1" thick in a quick pass-through method, available for tees split from beams up to W24.
• Bridge Girder Drill Portable gantry-style drilling machine available in horizontal or vertical spindle configurations for multi-ply structural girders without pre-drilled templates, with 20hp spindle and laser dot position verification.
• Detail Line Connection and Base Plate Production Machine Connection and base plate production machine for flat bar or plate up to 12" wide and 1" thick, featuring 250-ton double-punch and 215-ton single-punch frames with zero-kerf single-cut shear and Windows CNC control.
• Flange Line Pre-Engineered Building System Machine Pre-Engineered Building system machine for producing welded beam flanges from flat bar or plate 4" to 12" wide and 3/16" to 1" thick, featuring squaring shear, punch stations, weld milling cutter, and sub-arc auto welding station.
• Structural Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Automated conveyors and transfer systems for structural shapes in 300lb, 500lb, 800lb, and 1,000lb per foot capacities, including drag-style transfers, air-lift buggy systems, and chain-arm transfers for heavy members and tube structures.
• Retrofits and Rebuilds Service Retrofitting and remanufacturing services for existing structural steel fabrication equipment, including Windows control upgrades, software automation, and complete rebuilds using only the original steel, offering up to 30% cost savings versus new machines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4x faster hole processing with punching vs drilling at fraction of tooling cost
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• HyperthermcoreTechnology or IntegrationPlasma system provider for Controlled Automation's thermal processing machines including Revolution, L3RP, and isoMAX systems. Hypertherm XPR series torches utilized for high-definition plasma cutting. Partnership enables integration of Hypertherm's plasma technology into CA's structural steel fabrication equipment.
• Cleveland Punch and DiecoreTechnology or IntegrationPreferred tooling supplier for punch and die components. Cleveland Punch and Die products are used in ABL-74P and other punching machines, offering affordable tooling that processes faster than more expensive drill tooling.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Peddinghaus: Peddinghaus manufactures structural steel fabrication equipment including drill lines, plate processing systems, and angle/section punching machines. It is the closest head-to-head competitor to Controlled Automation in the North American structural steel fabrication machinery market.
• Voortman Steel Machinery: Voortman produces CNC drilling, coping, cutting, and plate processing machines for structural steel and plate fabricators globally. Overlapping product categories include drill lines, plate processing, and beam coping systems, making it a direct comparable.
• Ficep Group: Ficep manufactures CNC structural steel drilling, cutting, punching, and material handling systems for the structural steel industry. It is a major direct competitor with comparable product lines targeting structural steel fabricators.
• HGG Profiling Equipment: HGG specializes in 3D profiling machines for structural steel, including robotic plasma cutting and coping systems. Overlaps with CA's Revolution and L3RP thermal processing/coping product lines.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Electric: Lincoln Electric is a large global manufacturer of welding, cutting, and automation products. While broader in scope than CA, it competes in adjacent structural steel cutting/fabrication equipment markets and has substantially greater scale and distribution.
• ESAB: ESAB is a global welding and cutting equipment manufacturer offering thermal cutting systems, automation, and structural fabrication solutions. As a broad incumbent, it serves overlapping customer segments in structural steel with greater scale.
• Bystronic: Bystronic is a large manufacturer of metal processing machinery including laser cutting, bending, and automation systems. While primarily focused on sheet metal, it represents broad-incumbent competitive pressure in industrial metal-cutting capital equipment.
• Mazak: Yamazaki Mazak is a global manufacturer of CNC machine tools including machining centers, turning centers, and multi-tasking machines. While focused on general precision machining rather than structural steel, it represents the broader competitive landscape for CNC-controlled metalworking machinery.

Others

• Hypertherm: Hypertherm is a leading manufacturer of plasma and waterjet cutting systems and a core technology partner of Controlled Automation (CA integrates Hypertherm XPR torches). Hypertherm is both a supplier/partner and an indirect ecosystem participant with overlapping customer reach in structural steel cutting.

Emerging players

• Vern Lewis Welding & Manufacturing: Vern Lewis Welding designs and builds custom structural steel fabrication machinery including drill lines, coping systems, and plate processing equipment. It is a smaller, niche-focused competitor with partial overlap to CA's product line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ControlledAutom
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/ControlledAutomation/featured
• Facebookfacebook.com/ControlledAutomation
• Instagraminstagram.com/controlledautomation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/controlled-automation-inc-

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&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Controlled Automation