Power Electronics International

What Power Electronics International does

Power Electronics International, Inc. (trading as PE®) is a privately-held US manufacturer of variable frequency drives (VFDs), soft-starts, motor control products, and electrical control panels specifically engineered for the overhead crane and hoist industry. The company designs, engineers, and manufactures its full product portfolio at a single facility at 561-8 Plate Drive, East Dundee, Illinois, USA. Its branded product platforms include Micro-Speed® VFDs, Smooth-Move® reduced torque control units, and Multi-Vector® heavy-duty closed-loop hoist speed control drives, complemented by regen resistors, encoders, standard and custom control panels for travel motion, hoist, and multiple-motion applications, and add-on products (PE-SAM, PE 360, PLC Automation, PE© Mobi-Power). The Upgrade-Path™ philosophy guarantees backward compatibility across drive generations, enabling field upgrades of an installed base the company cites at over 250,000 crane/hoist motions.

The company operates exclusively in the overhead crane and hoist vertical, serving technicians, mechanics, and industrial end-users through direct e-commerce on peinfo.com with a quote-based, consultative sales motion. Pricing is non-public and project-specific; quotes are non-binding until accepted in a definitive order. Revenue is entirely hardware-based (one-time equipment sales) with no observable recurring service, subscription, or aftermarket revenue stream. Distribution is US-domestic only, although marketing collateral positions the firm as a "world leader" in its niche.

The business is mature (founded 1969 per firmographics; the company has operated for decades and references "over a quarter of a million" installed motions), privately held with no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds, acquisitions, or executive leadership transitions in the source data. The firm holds UL and cUL approved-manufacturer certifications for control panels and automation systems and has built a broad registered-trademark portfolio (PE®, Micro-Speed®, Smooth-Move®, Multi-Vector®, Upgrade-Path™) that supports brand-driven differentiation in its narrow industrial niche.

Name

Power Electronics International

Legal name

Power Electronics International, Inc.

Website

https://peinfo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Power Electronics International is a US private manufacturer of variable frequency drives, soft-starts, custom control panels, and crane automation components serving overhead crane and hoist technicians and industrial end-users, with all products designed and manufactured at its East Dundee, Illinois facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Motor Control and Crane Automation Equipment

NAICS

Electrical Equipment Manufacturing (33531), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314), Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313)

SIC

Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613)

akta.pro primary industry

Motion Control Controllers & CNC/Robot Drives (Motion Controllers, Multi-axis) (IMAGACAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Low-Voltage Switchboards & Panelboards (LV distribution panels, MCCs, switchboards) (IMAGAEAA)

Keywords

• Crane variable frequency drives
• Hoist motor control
• Industrial control panels
• Soft-start motor starters
• Crane automation equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Dundee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Variable Frequency Drives and Soft-Starts Sales: One-time hardware sales of variable frequency drives, soft-starts, encoders, and regeneration resistors for crane and hoist systems. Products are sold directly through the company's website with quote-based pricing. The company manufactures all equipment in their Illinois facility.
2. Control Panels and Automation Systems: Custom and standard control panels for crane motion control including travel motion panels, hoist control panels, and multiple-motion control panels. UL and cUL approved manufacturing. Sold as one-time hardware with potential for custom engineering services.
3. Add-On Products and Accessories: Additional products including PE-SAM, PE 360, PLC Automation, and PE© Mobi-Power sold alongside core VFD and control panel offerings to provide complete motion control solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Power Electronics International designs, engineers, and manufactures variable frequency drives (VFDs), soft-starts, encoders, regeneration resistors, and custom electrical control panels engineered specifically for overhead crane and hoist applications. All products are built in the company's East Dundee, Illinois facility and sold under the proprietary Micro-Speed®, Smooth-Move®, and Multi-Vector® drive families, along with control panels for travel, hoist, and multi-motion crane systems.

Product overview

Power Electronics International offers a comprehensive portfolio of variable frequency drives (VFDs), soft-starts, motor control products, and electrical control panels specifically designed for overhead crane and hoist applications. The core product line includes Micro-Speed® VFDs, Smooth-Move® reduced torque control units, and Multi-Vector® heavy-duty closed-loop hoist speed control drives. These core products are complemented by a range of components including encoders and regeneration resistors, as well as custom and standard control panels for travel motion, hoist, and multiple-motion applications. Add-on products such as PE-SAM, PE 360, PLC Automation, and PE© Mobi-Power extend the system's capabilities. The portfolio follows an Upgrade-Path™ philosophy, ensuring all past and present programming methods are subsets of future drive models, allowing quick and easy field upgrades.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Micro-Speed®: Variable frequency drives
• Smooth-Move®
• Multi-Vector®
• PE-SAM
• PE 360
• PLC Automation
• PE© Mobi-Power
• Regeneration Resistors

Products and services

• Micro-Speed® Variable Frequency Drives World-renowned variable frequency drives designed for high reliability and quality in overhead crane and hoist applications, covering travel, hoist, and motion control use cases.
• Smooth-Move® Reduced Torque Control Units Reduced torque control units engineered for precise motor control and smooth movement in crane and hoist systems.
• Multi-Vector® Heavy-Duty Closed-Loop Hoist Speed Control Drives Heavy-duty closed-loop hoist speed control drives marketed as world-leading technology for demanding crane and hoist applications.
• Soft-Starts Motor starting solutions designed specifically for crane and hoist applications to reduce inrush and mechanical stress.
• Encoders Encoder products designed to be paired with PE® VFDs for closed-loop position and speed feedback in crane and hoist systems.
• PE® Regeneration Resistors Resistors engineered to safely dissipate excess energy generated during motor braking in crane and hoist systems, converting regenerative energy into heat and preventing overvoltage conditions on the DC bus; available in a wide range of power ratings and resistance values for travel, hoist, and dynamic braking.
• Standard Travel Motion Control Panels Custom-engineered electrical control panels specifically designed to manage the precise movement and operation of crane systems, including bridge cranes, trolley systems, monorails, and gantry cranes, with options for Bridge, Trolley, Jib, Monorail, Gantry, and more.
• Hoist Control Panels Control panels engineered for hoist motion control in crane systems, integrating PE® VFDs and soft-starts.
• Multiple-Motion Control Panels Control panels designed to manage multiple motion axes simultaneously in complex crane systems.
• Custom Control Panels Custom-engineered electrical control panels built to exact customer specifications for crane and hoist applications, with a comprehensive range of upgrade options.
• PE-SAM Add-On Product Add-on product for the PE® VFD ecosystem that extends drive and motion control capabilities.
• PE 360 Add-On Product Add-on product extending PE® VFD capabilities to deliver a more complete motion control solution.
• PLC Automation Add-On Product Programmable Logic Controller automation add-on for system integration with PE® drives and control panels.
• PE© Mobi-Power Add-On Product Mobile power solution add-on designed for field operations involving PE® drive and crane systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250,000 crane/hoist motions utilize PE equipment, demonstrating proven reliability in demanding industrial applications

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric's Altivar drives and Lexium motion products are commonly deployed in crane and hoist systems. As a broad industrial automation incumbent, it competes with PE® in both retrofit and OEM crane-builder accounts.
• ABB: ABB is a global leader in industrial drives and motion control (e.g., ACS880 series) with a significant crane/hoist segment presence. It competes with PE® on heavy-duty hoist drives but as part of a much wider portfolio serving process industries, marine, and discrete manufacturing.
• Siemens: Siemens offers SINAMICS drives and motion-control systems that are widely used in crane and hoist applications globally. It competes with PE® at the higher end of crane automation projects where integrated drive-controller-software stacks are specified.
• Yaskawa America: Yaskawa is a global industrial drives and motion-control incumbent that sells general-purpose VFDs (e.g., GA800, A1000) used in crane and hoist applications. While broader in scope than PE®, it is a frequent head-to-head competitor when crane OEMs or end users evaluate non-specialized drive platforms.

Emerging players

• KEB Automation: KEB Automation produces drives and motor controllers used in elevators, cranes, and material handling. It overlaps with PE® on closed-loop hoist control applications, particularly in custom-engineered drive solutions.
• Invertek Drives: Invertek Drives manufactures general-purpose VFDs (Optidrive series) with growing material-handling and hoist applications. It is comparable to PE® as a focused drives manufacturer but lacks PE®'s deep crane/hoist specialization.

Direct peers

• Magnetek (Columbus McKinnon): Magnetek, now part of Columbus McKinnon, is one of the closest direct competitors to PE®, designing and selling VFDs, motor controls, and automation products explicitly for overhead crane and hoist applications. Their product lines (e.g., IMPULSE drives) compete head-to-head with Micro-Speed® and Multi-Vector® in the same end market.
• Danfoss Drives: Danfoss Drives (formerly Vacon) manufactures general-purpose and application-specific VFDs (VACON® and VLT® platforms) used in crane, hoist, and material-handling applications. It is a comparable drives-focused manufacturer with overlapping customer profiles in industrial motion.
• Bonfiglioli: Bonfiglioli manufactures industrial gear drives, motors, and inverters used in crane, hoist, and material-handling equipment. Its VFD product line competes with PE® in integrated drive-gear-motor solutions for crane builders.

Regional players

• Crane 1 / Drive Source International: Crane 1 (and affiliated Drive Source International) is a US-focused crane service and parts specialist that also refurbishes and supplies drives for overhead cranes. It competes with PE® in the US retrofit/service channel for crane drive replacement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/peinfocom

Compliance2 records

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 Power Electronics International