EST

What EST does

EST (Elektrosteuerungstechnik GmbH) is a privately held, second-generation German industrial automation services company founded in 1989 and headquartered in Wallenhorst, Lower Saxony. The company delivers end-to-end electrical control and automation solutions across industrial verticals including chemical, building materials, cement, water and wastewater, food and beverage, and general manufacturing. Service lines span needs analysis and consulting, automation technology (including SPS/PLC programming and visualization), drive technology (direct starters, soft starters, frequency converters), custom switchgear construction, process automation, industrial electrical assembly, and IT infrastructure setup for plants. EST has been a Siemens Solution Partner since 2004 (valid through 2026) and has held ISO 9001 TÜV Nord certification continuously since 1997, which underpins its work with both municipal utilities (e.g., Wasserversorgung Wallenhorst, Stadt Bramsche Abwasserbeseitigung) and industrial enterprises (e.g., Remondis, Herforder Pils, Indulor, ABC Klinker).

Under the hood, EST builds projects around established industrial automation technology platforms rather than proprietary software products: switchgear is assembled in-house from components of well-known manufacturers in the company's own workshop, PLC programs are developed using Siemens TIA and related tooling, and process data is archived via the PC/server infrastructure the company configures for customers. Profinet networking, plant circuit diagram development, and remote-control / process visualization complete the technical surface. The firm has historically executed multi-million-euro reference projects, including an ARGE consortium contract in the cement and building materials industry (2000) and an EU wastewater contract (IWPW, 2008), with corresponding physical expansions to the Wallenhorst facility.

The business model is sales-led, project-based professional services with custom quoting per engagement and multi-year contract cadence. EST operates with 51-100 employees, relying on a long-tenured workforce, individual project managers, on-site customer delivery, and workshop-based switchgear manufacturing. Go-to-market is rooted in direct relationships, an informative company website, and an Instagram-driven employer brand, with WhatsApp used as a recruiting channel. In 2017 the founders retired and leadership passed to Tanja Börste-Wosnjuk (daughter of co-founder Jürgen Wosnjuk). EST has no public funding, no disclosed revenue figures, and no subsidiaries; the current operating footprint is regional within Germany.

Name

EST

Legal name

Elektrosteuerungstechnik GmbH

Website

https://est.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

EST (Elektrosteuerungstechnik GmbH) is a privately held German industrial automation services company in Wallenhorst delivering custom switchgear, PLC programming, drive technology, process automation, and IT infrastructure to chemical, building materials, water/wastewater, food, and manufacturing clients in Germany.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Services

NAICS

Switchgear and Switchboard Apparatus Manufacturing (335313), Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation (DCS/PLC/SCADA, SIS, Metering) (EUAEAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Automation Software (SCADA, HMI, MES, Historian) (IMAHAHAJ)

Keywords

• Industrial automation services
• Switchgear manufacturing
• PLC programming
• Process automation solutions
• Drive technology integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Wallenhorst

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Automation Projects: Project-based professional services for industrial automation including needs analysis, consulting, planning, switchgear construction, industrial assembly, programming, and maintenance. Each project is individually scoped and priced based on customer requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

EST provides custom industrial automation and electrical control engineering services from initial needs analysis and consulting through switchgear construction, SPS/PLC programming, process visualization, drive and process automation, industrial assembly, commissioning, and ongoing maintenance. Projects are individually scoped and built around components from well-known manufacturers, with full A-to-Z documentation and quality assurance, serving chemical, building materials, cement, water/wastewater, food, and municipal infrastructure clients.

Product overview

EST (Elektrosteuerungstechnik GmbH) is a German industrial automation company offering a portfolio of integrated services rather than packaged software products. Its core service lines — Automatisierungstechnik, Antriebstechnik, Schaltanlagen, Prozessautomation, Industriemontagen, and Bedarfsanalyse & Beratung — are supported by specialized capabilities in Programmierung & Prozessvisualisierung and IT-Infrastruktur. The company operates as a full-lifecycle provider: from needs analysis and consulting through project planning, switchgear construction, industrial assembly, programming, commissioning, and maintenance. Projects span the chemical, building materials, cement, water/wastewater, and food industries, with clients ranging from municipalities to large corporations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bedarfsanalyse & Beratung (Needs Analysis & Consulting) Consulting and requirements analysis services where EST's experienced project managers work with customers to identify optimization potential across processes and define individual automation solutions with optimal cost-benefit ratios, with an eye to future challenges.
• Automatisierungstechnik (Automation Technology) Full-lifecycle automation services covering needs analysis, project planning, development, implementation, programming, and commissioning of automated systems for monitoring, controlling, and continuously optimizing production processes, including integration of innovative sensors and actuators, data acquisition, machine/process/robot control, and IT systems for plant networking and monitoring.
• Antriebstechnik (Drive Technology) Drive technology services from development through implementation for the economical automation of manual production processes and modernization of existing plants, covering direct starters, soft starters, frequency converters, and linear and radial applications with maximum repeatability, force, and speed transmission.
• Schaltanlagen (Switchgear Systems) Switchgear system design, construction, production, commissioning, and maintenance with complete A-to-Z documentation, ranging from initial consultation and project planning through construction in EST's own manufacturing facility to full in-house documentation backed by quality guarantees, using components from well-known manufacturers.
• Prozessautomation (Process Automation) Process automation services across the chemical, building materials, water/wastewater, and food industries, including process control systems (PLS), safety and emergency systems, and real-time monitoring to ensure high quality standards and optimal efficiency of complex production processes.
• Industriemontagen (Industrial Assembly) Industrial assembly services for electrical installations, machine and plant installations, performed by experienced in-house teams, installed precisely per customer specifications, commissioned, and available for follow-up maintenance.
• Programmierung & Prozessvisualisierung (Programming & Process Visualization) Programming of switchgear systems per customer requirements, development of control programs and visualization, remote control solutions, and development of plant circuit diagrams and visualizations, including use of Siemens TIA software.
• IT-Infrastruktur (IT Infrastructure) Setup of PC and server architecture and secure archiving of process data, including Profinet networking solutions, as part of customer automation projects.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30+ years of experience in automation technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SiemenscoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2004EST has been a Siemens Solution Partner since 2004, providing access to Siemens automation technologies including TIA software, SPS/PLC systems, and related components. This partnership enables EST to deliver cutting-edge automation solutions using Siemens technology platforms. The partnership certificate is maintained and publicly available on the EST website.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Phoenix Contact: Phoenix Contact is a German market leader in electrical engineering, automation, and connection technology with a strong focus on industrial control cabinets and PLC/I/O systems. It is a broader incumbent comparable to EST in switchgear-adjacent and PLC/integration domains, particularly for industrial automation customers.
• Festo: Festo is a major German industrial automation specialist focused on pneumatic and electric automation components and factory automation solutions. While significantly larger than EST, it is highly comparable as a German-headquartered automation provider with deep presence in process and factory automation across DACH industries (chemical, food, water).
• ABB: ABB is a global broad incumbent in industrial automation, robotics, and electrification, with strong offerings in DCS, PLC, and process automation across the same verticals EST serves. As a much larger peer, it competes for the same automation projects but does not match EST's boutique, project-led, Mittelstand service model.
• Siemens: Siemens is a global broad incumbent and EST's most important technology partner (Siemens Solution Partner since 2004). Siemens' Digital Industries and automation portfolios overlap directly with EST's PLC, drive, and process automation offerings, while also supplying the platform EST builds upon — a classic incumbent/partner dynamic.
• Weidmüller: Weidmüller is a German family-owned industrial connectivity and electronics specialist serving switchgear and automation applications. As a broader incumbent, it overlaps with EST in control cabinet engineering, electrical connectivity, and industrial automation solutions for process and factory customers.

Direct peers

• WAGO Kontakttechnik: WAGO is a German family-owned company specializing in electrical interconnection, automation, and interface electronics, including PLC and I/O systems. It is comparable to EST as a German Mittelstand player with deep switchgear, control, and automation expertise serving industrial and process customers.
• Rittal: Rittal is a German Mittelstand manufacturer of enclosures, power distribution, and climate-control solutions used heavily in industrial switchgear and control systems. It is comparable to EST as a German industrial specialist in switchgear-adjacent products serving the same automation and process-industry customers.
• ifm electronic: ifm is a German family-owned automation company specializing in sensors, control systems, and connectivity for industrial automation. It is comparable to EST as a German Mittelstand automation specialist serving process and factory industries, with overlapping customer profiles in food, chemical, and water/wastewater.
• Bürkert: Bürkert is a German family-owned manufacturer of fluid control and process automation systems used heavily in chemical, food/beverage, and water/wastewater applications. It is comparable to EST as a German Mittelstand process-automation specialist with overlapping verticals and a project/solution-oriented selling motion.
• Schunk Group: Schunk is a German Mittelstand company specializing in automation technology, including clamping, gripping, and drive systems for industrial automation. Like EST, Schunk is a family-influenced German industrial automation specialist with deep engineering heritage and exposure to factory and process automation customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/est_elektrosteuerungstechnik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/est-elektro-steuerungstechnik-gmbh

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 EST