Primex Controls

What Primex Controls does

Primex Controls is a brand within SJE (S.J. Electro Systems, Inc.), a 100% employee-owned, privately held industrial controls company founded in 1975 and headquartered in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Primex specializes in engineered control solutions for water and wastewater applications, serving municipal water and wastewater utilities, industrial process water operators, and commercial customers across North America. The company's core offerings include custom control panels, a broad portfolio of pump controllers (PC-1000, PC-2000, PC-3000XC, VPAC series, and others), the icontrol web-hosted SCADA platform, Pump Watch remote monitoring systems, and proprietary safety and installation accessories such as the Arc Armor enclosure, KwikSwitch float connection system, and Rapid Set mounting system. Primex operates as part of SJE's nine-brand portfolio, supported by approximately 65 design and utility patents, 15 locations across the U.S., China, and Mexico, and a workforce of 800+ employees at the parent level.

Primex generates revenue through a project-based, direct enterprise sales model with no public pricing — customers request quotes and receive custom-engineered solutions priced on specification, complexity, and volume. Hardware sales (custom control panels, pump controllers, accessories) form the majority of revenue, supplemented by engineering and professional services (design, systems integration, programming, commissioning, field service) and emerging recurring revenue from the web-hosted icontrol SCADA and Pump Watch remote monitoring subscriptions. The company has pursued a sustained roll-up strategy, completing multiple acquisitions since 2021 (ICON Technologies in 2021, Revere Control Systems in 2024 being the fifth deal in that window) to broaden VFD, IIoT, and systems integration capabilities. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, supported by case-study content marketing, trade show presence, factory training programs, and a dedicated Latin America and Canada sales expansion effort under CEO Bjorn Haldorsen.

Name

Primex Controls

Legal name

S.J. Electro Systems, Inc.

Website

https://primexcontrols.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Primex Controls, a brand within 100% employee-owned SJE, designs and manufactures custom-engineered control panels, pump controllers, SCADA, and remote monitoring systems for North American municipal and industrial water and wastewater operators.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Water and Wastewater Control Systems

NAICS

Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613), Auto Controls For Regulating Residential & Comml Environments (3822)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Control Cabinets & Power Distribution (Panels, Switchgear for Automation) (IMAHAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH), Monitoring & Control (Dosing Systems, Remote Monitoring, Sensors) (BPABAJAK), Sensors & Feedback Devices (Pressure, Flow, Position, Encoders, Transducers) (IMAHAGAK), Controller/Timer & Smart Irrigation Setup (Wi‑Fi, Sensors) (HSAIAEAD)

Keywords

• Water wastewater controls
• SCADA telemetry systems
• Custom control panels
• Pump controllers
• Remote monitoring systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Detroit

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 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. Custom Control Panels: Sale of custom-engineered control panels for pump stations, lift stations, and water/wastewater applications. Panels are built to specification and sold as one-time purchases with pricing based on complexity and components.
2. Pump Controllers: Sale of various pump controller products including PC-1000, PC-2000, PC-3000XC, Station View, Level View, VPAC series, and others for different applications.
3. SCADA & Telemetry Solutions: Web-hosted icontrol SCADA platform providing remote monitoring and control capabilities, sold with associated hardware and software licensing.
4. Engineering & Professional Services: Services including systems integration, engineering, project management, fabrication, system testing and commissioning, and field service.
5. Accessories & Components: Sale of float switches, level sensors, transducers, mounting brackets, and other components for water/wastewater control systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Primex Controls designs, manufactures, and integrates engineered control solutions for water and wastewater applications, including SCADA & Telemetry systems, custom control panels (ACCEL Panel Program), pump controllers, and remote monitoring systems. The company sells these complete control solutions—along with related accessories—to municipalities, utilities, and industrial/commercial customers across North America.

Product overview

PRIMEX Controls is a brand of SJE (S.J. Electro Systems, Inc.) that provides engineered control solutions for water and wastewater clients. The offering is a comprehensive portfolio of products and services that work together as an integrated water management system. The core products include SCADA & Telemetry solutions (icontrol® web-hosted SCADA), Custom Control Panels (including ACCEL® Panel Program for rapid deployment), and various Pump Controllers. Remote Monitoring capabilities center around Pump Watch™ Express and iControl® cloud-based solutions. These products integrate with each other through PRIMEX's engineering, programming, and systems integration services to deliver end-to-end water and wastewater control solutions for municipal, industrial, and commercial applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• icontrol: Full-featured web-hosted SCADA solution for water industry control and monitoring.
• ACCEL Panel Program
• Pump Watch Express
• Arc Armor Enclosure
• Eco Smart Station
• KwikSwitch
• Rapid Set Mounting System
• Endura Pressure Booster Control Panels
• ServiceFlex

Products and services

• SCADA & Telemetry Systems Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and telemetry systems used by municipalities, utilities, and industrial operators to remotely monitor and control distributed water and wastewater infrastructure.
• ACCEL Panel Program (Custom Control Panels) Custom-engineered control panels designed and built to specification for water/wastewater treatment plants, pump stations, and lift stations, sold to municipal, utility, and industrial customers.
• Pump Controllers Dedicated pump control products used to automate and protect pumping equipment in water, wastewater, and process applications for municipal and industrial operators.
• Remote Monitoring Systems Remote monitoring systems that provide visibility into distributed water/wastewater assets, used by municipalities, utilities, and industrial operators to track performance and respond to alarms.
• Accessories Supporting accessories for Primex Controls' SCADA, telemetry, control panel, pump controller, and remote monitoring systems, sold to municipal, utility, and industrial customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of installations across North America
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature6 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• ABB (Water & Wastewater): Global automation and electrification supplier with a dedicated water/wastewater segment offering drives, instrumentation, and control systems. Targets the same municipal customers but at a larger scale and with broader product breadth.
• Rockwell Automation: Major U.S. industrial-automation incumbent (Allen Bradley PLCs) whose hardware PRIMEX integrates. Competes for large municipal and industrial control-system projects where customers want direct OEM relationships rather than integrator-led deployments.
• Xylem (formerly ITT Water Technology): Large global water-technology company offering pumps, treatment, and intelligent networked solutions (including SmartBall and Pure Technologies) for water utilities. Overlaps with PRIMEX on the water-vertical and remote-monitoring dimension but operates at substantially larger scale.
• Schneider Electric (Water/Wastewater division): Global industrial-automation leader with a substantial water/wastewater portfolio (PLC, SCADA, VFDs, control panels) sold to similar municipal and industrial customers. Competes with PRIMEX on integrated automation projects but with far broader scope and scale.
• Eaton: Diversified power-management company whose electrical and control-panel products are specified into municipal water projects alongside PRIMEX. Overlaps in switchgear, motor controls, and power distribution rather than full systems integration.

Emerging players

• Badger Meter: U.S. manufacturer of flow measurement and smart-water-metering solutions increasingly adding analytics and remote-monitoring SaaS to water utilities. Comparable municipal customer overlap, with stronger recurring-revenue economics than PRIMEX's project-based model.
• Itron: Provider of smart utility meters, network communications, and analytics for water, gas, and electric utilities. Competes in adjacent remote-monitoring and SCADA-related decision support for municipal water customers.

Direct peers

• Revere Control Systems: U.S. turnkey systems integrator for water and industrial automation (acquired by SJE in November 2024). Direct competitor peer; explains SJE's strategic interest and the strong post-acquisition product/market overlap with PRIMEX.
• Mueller Water Products: U.S. listed provider of water infrastructure products and intelligent monitoring/control solutions for water utilities. Comparable customer base and end-market exposure, with a broader cast-iron and valve footprint that complements rather than overlaps PRIMEX's control-panel core.
• RACO Manufacturing and Engineering: Long-standing U.S. manufacturer of control panels, alarm dialers, and SCADA/telemetry products for water/wastewater applications. Closely comparable to PRIMEX in product mix (custom panels + remote monitoring) and customer base (municipal water utilities).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PRIMEX_Controls

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Primex Controls