Control Engineering

What Control Engineering does

Control Engineering is a B2B trade media brand covering industrial automation, control, and instrumentation technologies, established in 1954 and operated as part of WTWH Media, LLC's engineering and industrial automation publication network. The company publishes a bimonthly magazine (print and digital), 12+ topic-specific email newsletters, the Ctrl+Alt+Mfg podcast, on-demand video content, eBooks, whitepapers, and annual research reports including the Future of Industrial Automation study and salary surveys. It also operates a portfolio of awards and ranking programs — Product of the Year, System Integrator Giants (top 100 integrators by revenue), System Integrator of the Year, Leaders Under 40, and the System Integrator Hall of Fame — alongside the Global System Integrator Database and an Automation Notebook sub-brand. International editions are published for Europe, China, Poland, and Czech Republic through regional publisher partnerships.

The company's underlying technology is a digital publishing and content management platform delivering editorial content through web, email, podcast, video, and digital magazine channels. Its core products are content products rather than software products, supported by the Global System Integrator Database as a proprietary data asset. Control Engineering serves a dual-sided audience: automation engineers, system integrators, and plant/facility management professionals consume content free of charge, while automation vendors (Inductive Automation, Siemens, Cisco, Hawkridge Systems, AutomationDirect, and others) pay for advertising, sponsored content, webcasts, eBook sponsorships, and event/awards participation. Subscription to the magazine is free for qualified automation professionals; revenue is generated entirely through advertising, sponsorships, and event/awards programs rather than subscription fees. The business model is therefore classic B2B ad-supported trade media, monetizing audience attention across multiple content formats and recurring annual programs.

Name

Control Engineering

Legal name

WTWH Media, LLC

Website

https://controleng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Control Engineering is a B2B trade media brand owned by WTWH Media that publishes magazines, newsletters, podcasts, videos, eBooks, and research reports covering industrial automation, control, and instrumentation for engineering professionals, monetizing its audience through advertising, sponsored content, and industry awards programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Trade Media

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Technology & B2B PR (MPAAADAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK), Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Industrial automation media
• Trade publishing services
• Engineering editorial content
• Automation industry research
• System integrator rankings

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorship: Primary revenue stream from advertisers seeking to reach automation engineers. Includes display advertising, sponsored content, and product showcases. Advertisers can target readers involved in specifying control systems, PLCs, drives, networking, and other automation components.
2. Subscription (Free Magazine): Free magazine subscription (print and digital) for qualified engineering professionals. Qualification requires verification of job function and industry involvement. Revenue generated from advertising rather than subscription fees.
3. Event and Awards Programs: Revenue from events including Product of the Year voting, System Integrator Giants rankings, and System Integrator of the Year awards. Companies pay for visibility and participation in these programs.
4. Sponsored Content and Webcasts: Sponsored articles, webcasts, and multimedia content from technology partners and vendors. Includes dedicated content hubs like those for Inductive Automation and other sponsors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Control Engineering publishes a multi-format B2B trade media portfolio covering industrial automation, control systems, and instrumentation technologies, anchored by the long-running Control Engineering Magazine (est. 1954). Offerings extend to email newsletters, podcasts, videos, eBooks, annual research reports, and the Global System Integrator Database, with revenue generated primarily through advertising, sponsored content, webcasts, and awards program participation sold to automation technology vendors and system integrators. The brand also operates recognition programs including Product of the Year, System Integrator Giants, System Integrator of the Year, and Leaders Under 40.

Product overview

Control Engineering is a media and publishing company operating as part of WTWH Media's DesignWorld and Industrial Automation Network. The company offers a portfolio of content products including Control Engineering Magazine (print and digital, established 1954), the Ctrl+Alt+Mfg Podcast, newsletters, eBooks, videos, and research reports covering automation, control, and instrumentation technologies. Additionally, Control Engineering operates several award and ranking programs including the System Integrator Giants (top 100 integrators ranked by revenue), System Integrator of the Year Award, Product of the Year Program, and Leaders Under 40 recognition. The company also publishes the Automation Notebook as an engineer's technical guide and offers international editions for Poland, China, Czech Republic, and Europe.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Control Engineering Magazine: Print and digital magazine covering automation, control, and instrumentation technologies
• Global System Integrator Report
• System Integrator Giants
• System Integrator of the Year
• Control Engineering Product of the Year
• Leaders Under 40
• Ctrl+Alt+Mfg Podcast
• Automation Notebook
• Automation Notebook Podcast

Products and services

• Control Engineering Magazine Print and digital publication (established 1954, bimonthly) covering automation, control, and instrumentation technologies for engineering professionals who design, implement, integrate, maintain, and manage control systems.
• Control Engineering Newsletters

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Inductive AutomationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInductive Automation sponsors content on Control Engineering, including articles about Ignition platform, HMI graphics creation, historical data for digital transformation, and solar field data centralization using Ignition software.
• Cisco SystemsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership for articles related to industrial networking and factory automation topics.
• SiemensminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership for articles related to digital twin, CNC machining, and industrial edge computing topics.
• Hawkridge SystemsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsored content partnership covering SOLIDWORKS CAD and 3DEXPERIENCE topics.
• Control Engineering PolandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational edition partnership for Poland, providing local coverage of automation, control, and instrumentation technologies for Polish engineering audience.
• Control Engineering ChinacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational edition partnership for China (CE China), providing local coverage of automation, control, and instrumentation technologies for Chinese engineering audience.
• Control Engineering Czech RepubliccoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational edition partnership for Czech Republic, providing local coverage of automation, control, and instrumentation technologies for Czech engineering audience.
• Control Engineering EuropecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorInternational edition partnership for Europe, providing regional coverage of automation, control, and instrumentation technologies for European engineering audience.
• AutomationDirectminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of Automation Notebook publication, providing content and resources for automation professionals.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• IEEE Spectrum: IEEE Spectrum is a large-scale engineering publication covering automation, control, robotics, and industrial AI at broader scope. It competes for both engineering reader attention and high-end advertiser dollars, though it serves a wider engineering audience than Control Engineering's automation-only niche.
• TechTarget: TechTarget is a large B2B technology media network with deep verticals including industrial and manufacturing IT. It operates at greater scale with intent-data and lead-generation products that overlap with the advertiser needs Control Engineering serves.
• Endeavor Business Media: Endeavor Business Media is a B2B media company with multiple industrial and engineering brands (including IndustryWeek). It is a structural peer for portfolio economics, M&A activity, and advertiser relationships across industrial verticals.
• Informa (Industrial Division): Informa operates a portfolio of industrial and manufacturing trade media and events that competes for global automation marketing budgets. Its scale, event franchises, and data products make it a structural incumbent peer for advertiser relationships and audience development.

Direct peers

• InTech Magazine (ISA): InTech is the flagship publication of the International Society of Automation and serves automation and control engineers with editorial content, technical resources, and standards. It is a direct competitor for qualified automation engineer attention and association-driven sponsorship.
• Automation World: Automation World is a B2B trade media brand covering industrial automation, control systems, and instrumentation — directly competing with Control Engineering for the same engineering audience and the same automation-vendor advertising budgets. Both operate multi-channel content (web, newsletters, podcasts) plus awards and research programs.
• Processing Magazine: Processing Magazine covers process manufacturing automation, instrumentation, and control — a sub-vertical within Control Engineering's scope. It competes for the same process-industry reader attention and instrumentation advertiser spend.
• Plant Engineering: Plant Engineering is a sister publication within WTWH Media covering plant maintenance, reliability, and operations. It targets an overlapping audience of plant engineers and shares awards programs (notably System Integrator of the Year) with Control Engineering, making it a direct internal peer.
• Design World: Design World is another WTWH Media engineering trade publication covering design engineering, mechatronics, and motion control. It operates the LEAP Awards and serves an adjacent engineering audience, making it both an internal sibling brand and a structural peer for content, audience, and ad model comparison.

Emerging players

• Hydraulics & Pneumatics: Hydraulics & Pneumatics covers fluid power and motion control — an adjacent automation niche with overlapping reader base and similar B2B trade media economics. It competes for a slice of motion-control vendor advertising and engineering audience attention.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/control-engineering
• Xx.com/controlengtips
• Facebookfacebook.com/ControlEngineeringMagazine

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 Control Engineering