What IPA does

IPA SA (formerly Institut de cercetare-proiectare pentru automatizări) is a privately held Romanian joint-stock company founded in 1960 and headquartered in Bucharest, operating as a systems integrator for industrial automation, IT solutions, and engineering services. The company designs, produces, installs, and services automation equipment and control systems for industrial clients in chemical, petrochemical, energy, construction materials, metallurgy, and machinery sectors, and provides environmental monitoring, safety, and infrastructure automation systems to public and government clients. Its technology stack combines proprietary automation solutions with third-party SCADA, PLC-based control systems, CAD design tools, and IT applications targeted at healthcare, energy, administration, education, agriculture and business use cases.

The business runs on six revenue streams: project-based automation equipment sales, engineering and technical services, IT solutions and software, professional vocational training under its CFPA brand, EU-funded research project participation (Horizon, Erasmus+, H2020, FP7, COSME, LEONARDO, Interreg Danube, EEA/Norway Grants), and SME technical consulting delivered through the Enterprise Europe Network. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and quotes are issued on a project-by-project basis. Distribution is entirely direct, through three regional branches — IPA-CIFATT Craiova, CIFATT Cluj, and IPA Galați — alongside the Bucharest headquarters.

IPA SA's competitive position rests on a dense regulatory certification footprint (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 27001; ANRE E1/Be attestations; ISCIR crane and lifting authorizations; Transelectrica supplier status; RNFFPA vocational training authorization) and on privileged access to EU program pipelines and EEN/CIFATT channels. Leadership comprises Ing. Florian Udrescu (Director General), Ec. Mihaela Epure (Director Economic), and Dr. Ing. Gabriel Spiridon (Director Științific). The firm is currently investing in vocational training as an adjacent growth vertical, exemplified by the 2024 EU-funded 'Construiește-ți viitorul!' project (SMIS 311387) targeting 260 students.

Name

IPA

Legal name

IPA SA

Website

https://ipa.ro

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

IPA SA is a privately held Romanian systems integrator, founded in 1960 and headquartered in Bucharest, that designs, installs and services industrial automation, SCADA, and IT solutions for industrial, public-sector, and SME clients across Romania, supplemented by EU-funded research and vocational training.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Systems Integration

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), PLC, HMI & SCADA Automation (EDAOAHAD)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• SCADA control systems
• Process automation services
• IT systems integration
• Vocational training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bucharest

HQ country

Romania

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Automation systems and equipment sales: Design, production, and installation of automation equipment and systems for industrial clients. Includes control systems, sensors, transducers, and turnkey solutions.
2. Engineering and technical services: Electrical installation design and execution (0.4 kV), electrical stations, hydroelectric construction automation, CAD design services for automation.
3. IT solutions and software: IT applications integrated into industrial processes, e-control systems, custom software development for industrial clients.
4. Professional training services: Authorized vocational training programs including 'Social Economy Entrepreneur' and 'Social Enterprise Manager' courses, generating revenue from course fees.
5. EU-funded research projects: Participation in EU programs (Horizon, Erasmus+, H2020, FP7, COSME, Interreg Danube, etc.) providing funding for collaborative R&D initiatives.
6. Technical consulting for SMEs: Technical consulting and support services for small and medium enterprises and startups.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IPA SA is a Romanian systems integrator that researches, designs, produces, installs, services, and consults on industrial automation equipment and IT installations. It delivers turnkey automation solutions (real-time process control, SCADA, PLC-based systems) for industrial sectors (chemistry, petrochemical, energy, metallurgy, machinery) and public infrastructure (environmental monitoring, safety, security, dam and seismic monitoring). The company also operates IT systems/applications for healthcare, administration, education, agriculture, and business, plus an authorized vocational training center (CFPA) and innovation/incubation centers (CIFATT).

Product overview

IPA SA is an industrial automation and IT services company founded in 1960 as a research institute, now a fully private joint-stock company serving multiple industries. The company operates as a solution integrator offering turnkey "livrare la cheie" deliveries combining its core Automatizari industriale (Industrial Automations) division for real-time process control with its IT Systems and Applications unit for sector-specific software solutions. Supporting these core operations are professional training services through CFPA, international project coordination under Horizon/Erasmus+/EUREKA programs, and EU structural fund project management. The vocational training platform provides hands-on internships using circuit simulators and educational materials, completing a portfolio that spans from industrial hardware integration to digital solutions and workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Centrul de Formare Profesională Continuă – CFPA: Vocational training center within IPA SA structure, providing professional training services authorized by RNFFPA.
• CIFATT

Products and services

• Automatizari industriale (Industrial Automation Systems) Real-time control and monitoring of industrial technological processes using proprietary automation solutions combined with top-tier third-party automation equipment. Delivered as turnkey systems for chemical, petrochemical, energy, construction materials, metallurgy, and machinery industries.
• Sisteme și aplicații informatice (IT Systems and Applications)

Quantifiable outcome

• 260 students to be trained with 235 expected professional certifications through EU-funded program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Liceul Tehnologic Auto Curtea de ArgeșcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2024IPA SA partners with Liceul Tehnologic Auto (Vocational High School) in Curtea de Argeș for vocational training programs. IPA SA serves as a practice partner for students, providing internship opportunities in automation field. The partnership involves EU-funded Project 311387 'Construiește-ți viitorul!' supporting 260 students in technical internships with 235 expected professional certifications. IPA SA's Bucharest headquarters coordinates training activities.
• European Commission / EU ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPA SA actively participates in multiple EU funding programs including Horizon, Erasmus+, H2020, FP7, COSME, LEONARDO, Interreg Danube, and EEA and Norway Grants. These partnerships span 2005-2024 and cover research in energy efficiency, urban mobility, innovation support for SMEs, digital transformation, and environmental sustainability.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPA SA operates EEN Romania consulting centers at IPA Craiova (RO 4 EUROPE) and IPA Galați (ERBSN), providing innovation consulting and internationalization support services to SMEs across Romania.
• CIFATT (Centru de Inovare, Transfer Tehnologic și Incubare în Afaceri)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPA SA operates CIFATT centers in Craiova and Cluj for innovation, technology transfer and business incubation in automation fields. These centers support regional economic development and technology commercialization.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rockwell Automation: Industrial automation leader (ControlLogix, FactoryTalk) with focus on discrete and process manufacturing; relevant peer to IPA's PLC/SCADA integration work for industrial customers across Eastern Europe.
• Siemens: Global automation, SCADA (SIMATIC) and digital industries giant with longstanding local presence in Romania; competes with IPA for the same industrial and infrastructure automation projects from a much broader portfolio and scale.
• Emerson: Process automation and control major (DeltaV, PACSystems) serving chemicals, energy and manufacturing — verticals where IPA is active — making it a relevant incumbent peer for automation system integration projects.
• ABB: Global leader in industrial automation, robotics and process control with active Romanian operations; overlaps directly with IPA's automation/SCADA/integrator offerings for energy, chemicals and manufacturing clients.
• Schneider Electric: Major provider of industrial automation (EcoStruxure) and process control solutions with a strong Romanian footprint; competes with IPA for SCADA/HMI and electrical integration work in industrial and public-sector projects.
• Honeywell: Process automation and industrial software provider (Experion) with global reach and Eastern European presence; competes with IPA for control systems work in energy and process-industry plants.
• AVEVA: Industrial software vendor for process industries (historization, MES, SCADA) whose plant digitalization stack increasingly overlaps with IPA's industrial IT applications portfolio for energy and process clients.
• Yokogawa Electric: Process automation specialist (CENTUM VP) strong in chemicals, petrochemicals and power — precisely IPA's core verticals — and increasingly active in Europe with similar integrator-based delivery models.

Emerging players

• Inductive Automation: Independent SCADA/MES software vendor (Ignition) increasingly used by system integrators worldwide; represents the modern, software-led automation stack that IPA partners/integrators may either adopt or compete against in future industrial modernization projects.
• COPA-DATA: SCADA/HMI software specialist (zenon) focused on energy and industrial automation; comparable to IPA's SCADA-related offerings as a niche software-focused competitor in IPA's core verticals.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/s-c-ipa-s-a-

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 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 IPA