HCS Engineering

What HCS Engineering does

HCS Engineering is an engineering and design firm founded in 1992 and headquartered in Decatur, Alabama, providing multi-discipline engineering consulting services to industrial clients. Its core offerings span mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, civil, and structural engineering, applied primarily to process equipment and facility design in the chemical, petrochemical, consumer products, and process manufacturing sectors. Featured projects include a dual-frequency refinery desalter design with higher treatment capacity and a catalyst recovery unit for the world's only commercial producer of a specialty polyester polymer compound.

The firm operates a project-based, professional services revenue model, delivering engineering design and consulting work to enterprise industrial customers through direct sales engagement, phone outreach, and digital contact forms. Following a 2024 merger with Salas O'Brien, HCS Engineering continues to serve clients from Decatur, Alabama with the same team, while gaining access to a broader service portfolio — including industrial automation, turnkey robotic solutions, digital twins, industrial cybersecurity, sustainability consulting, and forensic engineering — and an expanded North American geographic footprint under the Salas O'Brien brand. The firm does not disclose pricing, operates with 11-50 employees, and shows no proprietary technology, software product, or AI/ML capabilities in the source data.

Name

HCS Engineering

Legal name

HCS Engineering

Website

https://hcseng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

HCS Engineering is a Decatur, Alabama-based engineering and design firm providing multi-discipline mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, civil, and structural engineering services to industrial clients in chemical, petrochemical, consumer products, and process manufacturing sectors. Since 2024, it has operated as part of Salas O'Brien.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Engineering Consulting Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial & Process Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)

Keywords

• Engineering design services
• Process engineering consulting
• Mechanical electrical engineering
• Industrial automation services
• Petrochemical facility design

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Engineering Consulting Services: HCS Engineering generates revenue through professional engineering consulting services, providing design and engineering expertise for industrial projects in chemical, petrochemical, and process manufacturing sectors. Revenue is likely project-based or contract-based for engineering deliverables.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

HCS Engineering provides multi-discipline engineering consulting and design services for industrial clients, including mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, civil, and structural engineering. The firm supports chemical, petrochemical, consumer products, and process manufacturing clients with project-based engineering deliverables such as process equipment design (e.g., desalters, catalyst recovery units) and facility upgrades. Following its 2024 merger with Salas O'Brien, the same team now serves clients from Decatur, Alabama with expanded resources and North American reach.

Product overview

HCS Engineering, now part of Salas O'Brien, operates as an engineering services firm rather than a software product company. The company provides professional engineering consulting services including mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, civil, and structural engineering. Services are delivered through Salas O'Brien's integrated service lines spanning Built Environment (MEP/FP, Structural, Civil, Technology, Acoustics, Architecture & Interiors, Lighting, Building Envelope, Asset Management, Safety & Security, Commissioning, Theatre Consulting), Process Design & Integration (Process Engineering & Design, Digital, Automation, & Robotics, Facility Design Operations & Maintenance, Industrial Construction Management), Energy & Resiliency (Advanced Energy Systems & Renewables, Decarbonization Strategy, Power Infrastructure & Modernization, Resilience & Energy Security, Energy Optimization & Efficiency), Sustainability (Sustainability Consulting, LEED Consulting, WELL Building Consulting, ESG Consulting, Environmental, Energy Modeling, Indoor Air Quality, Environmental Product Declarations), and Forensic Consulting (Forensic Engineering & Architecture, Forensic & Materials Testing, Building Consulting, Fire Origin & Cause Investigation, Construction Disputes & Litigation Support, Forensic Meteorology). The company serves industrial clients across chemical & petrochemical, consumer products, and process and manufacturing sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation & Controls Engineering Core engineering design services providing mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, and controls engineering for industrial clients across the Southeast.
• Civil & Structural Engineering Civil and structural engineering services supporting industrial facility design and construction projects.
• Industrial Automation Industrial automation solutions as part of the Digital, Automation, & Robotics service line, enabling clients to modernize manufacturing and process operations.
• Turnkey Robotic Solutions Comprehensive robotic solutions for industrial automation, providing end-to-end integration from design through implementation.
• Digital Transformation Strategy Strategic consulting services helping clients plan and execute digital transformation initiatives across their operations.
• Data Analytics, Visualization, & Digital Twins Advanced data analytics and visualization capabilities including digital twin technology for industrial process modeling and optimization.
• Industrial Cybersecurity & Resilience Cybersecurity services designed specifically for industrial environments, protecting operational technology and control systems.
• Process Engineering & Design Process engineering and design services for chemical, petrochemical, and manufacturing facilities.
• Sustainability Consulting Sustainability consulting services including LEED certification, WELL building standards, ESG strategy, and environmental compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Higher treatment capacity desalter design that will reduce capital and operating expenses

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Salas O'BriencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024HCS Engineering merged with and became part of Salas O'Brien in 2024. This merger expanded HCS's capabilities across mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, controls, civil, and structural engineering while providing access to Salas O'Brien's broader network of expertise and expanded geographic reach across North America. The same team continues to serve clients from Decatur, Alabama under the Salas O'Brien brand.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with industrial and process-sector capabilities; competes for multi-discipline engineering design and consulting engagements across chemical and process manufacturing.
• Black & Veatch: Engineering, procurement, and consulting firm with deep process industries and energy expertise; competes for industrial design, controls, and process-engineering projects of the type HCS delivers.
• WSP: Large professional services firm providing engineering and design across industrial, chemical, and infrastructure markets; competes for multi-discipline process and industrial design work that overlaps HCS's portfolio.
• KBR: Engineering, government services, and technology solutions firm with a strong process and refining heritage; competes for engineering design and project execution work in HCS's core verticals.
• Burns & McDonnell: Employee-owned engineering, architecture, and consulting firm with substantial process and manufacturing, chemical, and oil & gas practices. Highly comparable in serving industrial clients with multi-discipline design and EPC-adjacent services.
• Stantec: Global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm serving industrial clients including chemicals, petrochemicals, and process manufacturing with multi-discipline engineering services comparable to HCS's offering.
• Salas O'Brien: HCS's parent company since 2024; a large multi-discipline engineering firm with deep chemical, petrochemical, and process-manufacturing practices. Operates broadly across built environment, process design, energy, and sustainability, providing the integrated platform HCS now sells into.
• Jacobs Solutions: Global engineering and technical services firm with significant process, chemical, and refining practices; a natural competitor for the same industrial design and consulting engagements HCS pursues.

Direct peers

• CRB Group: Engineering, architecture, and construction services firm focused on life sciences, food & beverage, and advanced technology/process manufacturing — closely comparable in multi-discipline industrial design services to HCS.
• Hargis Engineers: Mid-sized U.S. mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and process engineering firm with a similar Southeast/regional industrial footprint and multi-discipline design offering to HCS Engineering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/salasobrien

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 HCS Engineering