Johnson Systems

What Johnson Systems does

Johnson Systems, operating commercially as JSI Manufacturing, is a Calgary, Alberta-based designer and manufacturer of architectural lighting control products founded in 1987. The company serves performing arts venues, broadcast studios, theme parks, convention centers, stadiums, houses of worship, educational institutions, and commercial buildings across North America, reaching end customers through a network of more than 200 authorized dealers supplemented by direct sales.

The product portfolio centers on dimming and relay hardware, with the Presidor forward-phase dimmer line positioned as the flagship and protected by patent. Supporting products include the CD-3000 architectural dimmer, modular dimmer panels, relay packs, fluorescent dimming modules, motorized window treatments, and DMX integration components. A defining technical and commercial characteristic is backward compatibility with discontinued Strand, Leviton, and Colortran equipment, which targets the long-tail retrofit and replacement market where facilities cannot cost-effectively migrate to a fully new lighting control topology. The full product line is USMCA/CUSMA compliant, supporting cross-border sale into the United States and Mexico.

Commercially, Johnson Systems generates revenue through quote-based project sales of custom and semi-custom lighting control hardware distributed primarily via its authorized dealer channel. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and there is no indication of subscription, SaaS, or recurring software revenue. Named end users include NBC Burbank, 20th Century Fox, Citadel Theatre, and the Phoenix Convention Center, signaling reference customers across the high-profile performing arts and broadcast segments.

Name

Johnson Systems

Legal name

JSI Manufacturing Inc.

Website

https://johnsonsystems.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Johnson Systems (JSI Manufacturing) designs and manufactures architectural lighting control hardware, including dimmers, relay packs, and DMX integration products, serving performing arts, broadcast, theme park, convention, worship, education, and commercial facilities across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial & Industrial Lighting Control Systems

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513), Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613)

akta.pro primary industry

Lighting Controls & Building Integration (Drivers, sensors, dimming, lighting control panels, networked lighting) (IMAGAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Control Cabinets & Power Distribution (Panels, Switchgear for Automation) (IMAHAHAK)

Keywords

• Lighting control systems
• Commercial lighting controls
• Dimming control products
• Retrofit lighting solutions
• Entertainment lighting controls

Headquarters

HQ city

Calgary

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Sale of proprietary lighting control hardware including dimmer panels, controllers, relay packs, power supplies, wall stations, and associated components. Products sold as one-time purchases with no subscription component.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Johnson Systems (operating as JSI Manufacturing) designs and manufactures commercial and industrial lighting control products and systems, with a flagship Presidor™ product line, the CD-3000 rack mount universal dimmer controller, and a full modular lineup of dimmer panels, wall stations, controllers, relay packs, and power supplies. The company specializes in custom retrofit replacement solutions for discontinued lighting control equipment from Strand, Leviton, and Colortran, preserving existing wiring and infrastructure to enable 1-2 day installations at a fraction of full-replacement cost.

Product overview

JSI Manufacturing (formerly Johnson Systems) offers a comprehensive lighting control product portfolio centered on custom-built replacement solutions for discontinued commercial and industrial lighting systems. The core offering includes the Presidor™ flagship product line and CD-3000 19" Rack Mount Universal Dimmer Controller, supported by an extensive range of modular components including Dimmer Panels, Wall Station Controllers, Lighting Controllers, Demultiplexers, Dimming Control Systems, Lighting Firing Controls, Power Modules, Power Supplies, Relay Packs, Room Linkers, Surface Boxes, Light Adapter Plates, and Merger Managers. The company specializes in retrofit solutions that work with existing wiring and infrastructure, providing custom replacements for legacy Strand, Leviton, and Colortran systems. DMX protocol support is also included in the product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Presidor™: Lighting control product line including the Presidor Panel - a lighting control panel with 5% discount offered on up to 5 Presidor Wall Stations with each panel purchased.
• CD-3000

Products and services

• Presidor™ Lighting Controls Flagship lighting control product line featuring Presidor Wall Stations and PRESIDOR Panel for commercial and industrial dimming control applications, with proprietary Presidor control technology and a 5% discount on up to 5 wall stations per panel purchased.
• Dimmer Panels LED dimmer relay panels and dimming control units designed for commercial and industrial lighting systems installations and retrofits.
• Wall Station Controllers Wall-mounted control stations for managing lighting systems in commercial and industrial facilities, including Presidor Wall Stations.
• Lighting Controllers Centralized lighting control units for managing commercial and industrial lighting systems, including the CD-3000 19" Rack Mount Universal Dimmer Controller.
• Demultiplexers Signal demultiplexers for distributing and routing lighting control signals across venues and installations.
• Dimming Control Systems Complete dimming control systems for managing light levels in commercial and industrial environments.
• Lighting Firing Controls Controls for firing and strobe lighting applications in entertainment and industrial settings.
• Lighting Power Modules Power modules for controlling and distributing power to commercial and industrial lighting installations.
• Lighting Power Supplies Power supply units for lighting control systems and LED installations.
• Lighting Relay Packs Relay packs for switching and controlling lighting circuits in commercial applications.
• Lighting Room Linkers Room linking devices for interconnecting and coordinating lighting across multiple spaces in commercial venues.
• Light Adapter Plates Adapter plates for connecting and integrating various lighting fixtures with Johnson Systems lighting control systems.
• Surface Boxes Surface-mounted enclosures for housing lighting control equipment in commercial installations.
• Lighting Merger Managers Merger managers for combining and integrating multiple lighting control signals and systems across installations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1-2 Days Back Online - most installations completed in one to two days with minimal reprogramming
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Strand LightingcoreTechnology or IntegrationJSI Manufacturing builds custom replacement products compatible with discontinued Strand Lighting control systems. As a manufacturer that continues to support legacy Strand equipment, they provide backward compatibility solutions for venues with aging Strand installations.
• LevitoncoreTechnology or IntegrationJSI Manufacturing produces Leviton-compatible lighting control replacement products for discontinued Leviton systems. Venues can retrofit aging Leviton installations with custom JSI replacements without full system overhaul.
• ColortrancoreTechnology or IntegrationJSI Manufacturing creates custom replacement solutions for discontinued Colortran lighting control equipment. As one of few manufacturers still building replacements for legacy Colortran systems, they serve venues with aging infrastructure.
• Authorized Lighting DistributorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 200+ authorized dealers and distributors reselling JSI lighting control products. The company operates a Lighting Distributor Partner program with dedicated webpage and contact pathways for partnership inquiries.
• Authorized Lighting AgenciesmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJSI Manufacturing partners with lighting agencies through a dedicated Lighting Agency Partner program. Agencies can register interest and join the partner network via the company website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Signify (Philips Lighting): Signify owns the Philips, Strand, and ColorKinetics lighting brands — including the legacy Strand and Colortran product lines JSI replaces. As the parent of JSI's discontinued-brand counterparts, Signify represents both an indirect competitive threat and a potential strategic acquirer of JSI's niche expertise.
• Leviton Manufacturing: Leviton is a major lighting controls manufacturer whose legacy dimmer systems JSI replaces. Leviton still sells broad residential and commercial lighting controls at much greater scale than JSI, but discontinued its entertainment/theatrical product lines that JSI now services.
• Crestron Electronics: Crestron is a major building automation and lighting control provider that competes with JSI in commercial and venue applications — particularly for integrated architectural lighting and AV/control systems — though Crestron operates at much broader scope including full building automation.
• Lutron Electronics: Lutron is the dominant manufacturer of architectural lighting controls (dimming systems, wall stations, shading integration) and competes with JSI's Presidor™ and architectural dimming lines in commercial and venue applications, though at vastly larger scale and with broader product breadth.
• Acuity Brands: Acuity Brands is a large lighting and controls conglomerate (nLight, Distech, Lithonia) competing with JSI in commercial lighting controls and dimming, but at vastly larger scale, with networked/IoT controls as a primary focus versus JSI's legacy retrofit orientation.

Direct peers

• Pathway Connectivity: Pathway Connectivity manufactures DMX networking, splitters, and entertainment lighting infrastructure — directly comparable to JSI's DMX products, demultiplexers, and merger managers. Pathway serves the same entertainment lighting integrator channel.
• Strand Lighting (Signify / Philips): Strand is one of the three discontinued legacy brands (alongside Leviton and Colortran) for which JSI builds custom replacements. Strand and JSI address the same theatrical/entertainment lighting control market, though Strand focuses on new equipment and JSI focuses on backward-compatible replacements for Strand's discontinued lines.
• Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC): ETC is the leading manufacturer of entertainment lighting controls, dimmers, consoles, and architectural control systems — directly overlapping JSI's core product categories including dimmer racks, architectural controls, and entertainment venue installations. ETC competes head-to-head for new-build and modernization projects where JSI is also bidding.
• Doug Fleenor Design: Doug Fleenor Design is a niche manufacturer of DMX512 splitters, buffers, and entertainment lighting control accessories — closely comparable to JSI's specialized DMX and signal-routing products. Both companies serve entertainment lighting integrators with similar specialty components.
• Colortran (Philips Strand): Colortran is the third legacy brand JSI builds replacement products for. Originally an independent theatrical lighting company, Colortran's dimmer/control product lines were discontinued after acquisition by Philips/Strand, leaving JSI as the principal source for compatible replacements in installed venues.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/johnson-systems-inc.

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 Johnson Systems