What AEF does

AEF, s.r.o. is a Czech private limited company founded in 1992 and headquartered in Brno, with a secondary office in Prague. The company operates as the exclusive authorized distributor of HITACHI industrial automation products (frequency converters, programmable logic controllers across multiple series including HX, MICRO-EHV+, EH-150, EH-MICRO, EHV, EHV+, and WEB Controller; HMI operator panels including EH-TPS, EH-TP700, EH-TPJ, EH-TP500; remote I/O modules; servo drives) and SOLCON softstarters for Czech Republic and Slovakia, a position held since 1993 and 1996 respectively. It has additionally added Motortronics softstarter product lines. AEF serves industrial manufacturing customers across paper, chemical/pharmaceutical, food processing, energy, and transport verticals with named accounts including Papírny Olšany, BIOVETA, Synthesia Pardubice, Cukrovar Hrušovany, and Dopravní podnik města Brna.

The company generates revenue through three streams: (1) one-time sales of distributed HITACHI and SOLCON automation hardware, (2) engineering services including design, assembly, and commissioning of control cabinets primarily built around HITACHI frequency converters and PLCs, and (3) technical support, commissioning, and repair services for industrial electronics including legacy/obsolete equipment. Go-to-market is sales-led with a combination of direct enterprise sales through technically-trained representatives for complex engineering projects and a newer e-commerce storefront (frekvencni-menice.cz) targeting SMB and individual buyers. The company also runs annual product presentations and technical training sessions as demand-generation activities. No public pricing is disclosed, revenue figures are not available, and the company remains privately held with no external investment identified.

Name

AEF

Legal name

AEF, s.r.o.

Website

https://aef-hitachi.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AEF, s.r.o. is a Czech industrial automation distributor founded in 1992 that exclusively distributes HITACHI drives/PLCs/HMIs and SOLCON softstarters in Czech Republic and Slovakia, while also providing engineering, control cabinet assembly, and technical support services to industrial manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Equipment

NAICS

Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314), 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), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613)

akta.pro primary industry

Process & Batch Control Software (Recipe Management, ISA-88) (IMAGABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Control Cabinets & Power Distribution (Panels, Switchgear for Automation) (IMAHAHAK), Industrial I/O, Signal Conditioning & Remote Terminal Units (RTUs) (IMAGABAD), Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Industrial automation products
• Frequency converters
• Programmable logic controllers
• Softstarter motor control
• Industrial control systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Brno

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Industrial Automation Equipment Sales: Sale of HITACHI frequency converters, PLC systems, HMI panels, servo drives, and SOLCON softstarters as exclusive distributor for Czech Republic and Slovakia
2. Engineering Services: Technical solutions, design, delivery, assembly, and commissioning of control cabinets primarily with HITACHI frequency converters, softstarters and PLCs
3. Technical Support and Service: Technical support, commissioning, and repair services for industrial electronics as exclusive distributor

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

AEF, s.r.o. distributes HITACHI industrial automation products (frequency converters, programmable logic controllers, HMI operator panels, remote I/O modules, servo drives) and SOLCON softstarters exclusively across Czech Republic and Slovakia. The company also designs, assembles, and commissions control cabinets and provides technical support, repair, and engineering services for industrial motor control applications.

Product overview

AEF is an industrial automation and power electronics distributor based in the Czech Republic, established in 1992. The company operates as the exclusive distributor of Hitachi industrial electronics (frequency converters, PLCs, HMI panels, remote I/O modules, servo drives) and Solcon/Motortronics softstarters for the Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1993 and 1996 respectively. The product portfolio centers on four core categories: (1) Hitachi frequency converters (frequency changers) for speed regulation of asynchronous electric motors across various power ratings, (2) Hitachi programmable logic controllers (PLC) in multiple series including HX, MICRO-EHV+, EH-150, EH-MICRO, EHV, EHV+, and WEB Controller, (3) Hitachi operator panels (HMI) including EH-TPS, EH-TP700, EH-TPJ, EH-TP500, and graphical key-based models, and (4) Solcon and Motortronics softstarters for motor starting protection. Additional offerings include remote I/O modules, servo drives, and accessories such as filters, reactors, and resistors. The company also provides engineering services including project design, control cabinet manufacturing, testing equipment electrical systems, and technical support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frequency Converters (Frekvenční měniče) - Hitachi
• Programmable Logic Controllers (PLC) - Hitachi HX, MICRO-EHV+, EH-150, EH-MICRO, EHV, EHV+ series
• WEB Controller - Hitachi
• HMI Operator Panels - Hitachi EH-TPS, EH-TP700, EH-TPJ, EH-TP500 series
• Graphical Key-based HMI Panels - Hitachi
• Remote I/O Modules - Hitachi EH-RIO3, EH-RIO2
• Servo Drives (Servopohony) - Hitachi
• Solcon Softstarters - iStart, Solbrake, RVS-AX, Solstart, RVS-DN, RVS-DX series
• Solcon RVS-AXO Softstarter
• Solcon HRVS-DN High-Voltage Softstarter
• Motortronics Softstarters - VMX-Synergy, VMX-Synergy Plus, VMX-agility, VMX-PFE
• Frequency Converter Accessories (Příslušenství k měničům)
• Engineering Services

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SOLCON (Izrael)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1996AEF is the exclusive distributor of SOLCON products from Israel for Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1996. SOLCON manufactures a complete range of softstarters including high-voltage models.
• HITACHIcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 1993AEF is the exclusive authorized distributor of HITACHI group products including frequency converters, programmable logic controllers (PLC), and operator panels (HMI) for Czech Republic and Slovakia since 1993. They provide technical support, spare parts, and complete solutions using HITACHI products.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Danfoss Drives: Global manufacturer of VLT frequency converters and soft starters that compete directly with Hitachi frequency converters and SOLCON softstarters in AEF's target markets.
• Phoenix Contact: Global industrial automation, connection technology, and control components manufacturer with broad portfolio overlap to AEF's distributed products (PLCs, I/O, HMI, drives) and direct presence across CEE markets.
• WAGO Kontakttechnik: Major manufacturer of automation technology, I/O systems, and industrial interconnection with overlapping PLC, HMI, and remote I/O product categories — competes with and complements AEF's distributed portfolio.
• Siemens (Digital Industries): Dominant global industrial automation manufacturer with deep CEE presence, offering SIMATIC PLCs, SINAMICS drives, and HMI that directly overlap with Hitachi products distributed by AEF — represents the principal competitive threat in the CZ/SK automation market.
• ABB (Motion / Process Automation): Global automation and drives manufacturer whose ACS drives and PLC portfolio competes directly with Hitachi/SOLCON offerings distributed by AEF, with a strong CEE sales and channel footprint.
• Schneider Electric: Global industrial automation and energy management company whose Modicon PLCs, Altivar drives, and HMI products compete head-on with AEF's distributed portfolio across CEE industrial customers.
• Rockwell Automation: Global industrial automation manufacturer with Allen-Bradley PLC and drive lines that compete with Hitachi products distributed by AEF, with growing CEE presence through direct sales and channel partners.

Direct peers

• ELVAC: Czech industrial automation distributor and engineering services provider serving a similar CEE customer base with comparable portfolio breadth (PLCs, drives, sensors) and engineering/system-integration capabilities — most directly comparable peer to AEF in CZ market.
• Transfer Multisort Elektronik (TME): Central European electronic components and industrial automation distributor headquartered in Poland with strong CEE reach, offering VFDs, PLCs, and related automation products to industrial customers — overlapping GTM model and customer segments as AEF.
• SOS electronic: Czech-origin electronic components and automation distributor with regional CEE coverage, offering competing automation brands and engineering support — operates a comparable regional distribution-plus-services model to AEF.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 AEF