Applied Design

What Applied Design does

Applied Design Corporation is a privately held engineering services firm founded in 2001 and headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The company operates with a small team of 1-10 multidisciplinary engineers, technicians, and fabricators, offering three integrated service lines: Industrial Automation & Robotics, Product Design & Development, and Full Stack, Database & Embedded Software Solutions. Its core offering combines mechanical, electrical, and software engineering under one roof to deliver custom turnkey systems as well as off-the-shelf industrial automation solutions, eliminating the need for clients to coordinate across multiple vendors. The firm serves five primary verticals — Aerospace & Aeronautical, Automotive & Industrial, Consumer & Sporting, Environmental & Wildlife, and Food & Pharmaceutical — with a customer roster that includes NASA JPL, Northrop Grumman, Boeing-SVS, Sierra Nevada Corporation, Pilatus, Sandvik, Celestial Seasonings, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The company's technical footprint spans robotic systems, pneumatic turntables, conveyor systems, lithium cell testing instruments, laser planarity scanners, HMIs, PLCs, and control cabinets, alongside embedded firmware, IoT devices, cloud platforms, and mobile applications. A proprietary in-house product, the SureScan 1000, is a PLC-driven barcode verification system built around a Keyence SRX-100 reader with programmable digital I/O. AI and computer vision capability is delivered through both Keyence AI vision integrations and custom TensorFlow-based models applied to QA inspection and defect detection. Notable client projects include the Brown Tree Snake aerial delivery system for invasive species control in Guam, the Humming Bird precision vial filling gantry for pharmaceutical clients, and the Baby Buckle IoT infant car-seat alert device.

The business model is project-based enterprise B2B with direct client engagement, quote-based pricing, and no publicly disclosed unit pricing for services. Revenue streams include custom turnkey system design and build, engineering design and analysis services, contract manufacturing and assembly, and hardware distribution of off-the-shelf automation components. The company is privately held by owner Michael Messaros, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent entities in the source material.

Name

Applied Design

Legal name

Applied Design Corporation

Website

https://applieddesigncorp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation & Engineering Services

NAICS

Engineering Services (54133), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Computer Systems Design Services (541512), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Engineering Services (8711), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Control System Integration & Engineering Services (Design, Commissioning, Retrofits) (IMAGABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Instrumentation, Controls & Automation Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAM), Custom Application Development (Web/Mobile/Desktop) (BPAEAFAA)

Keywords

• Industrial automation systems
• Product design engineering
• Embedded software solutions
• Robotics systems
• Machine vision inspection

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Custom Turnkey Systems: Fully customized turnkey industrial automation systems designed and built for specific client requirements, combining mechanical, electrical, and software engineering
2. Off-the-Shelf Automation Solutions Distribution: Distribution of quality off-the-shelf industrial automation options including end-of-line packaging, labeling, filling, and vision systems
3. Engineering Design & Analysis Services: Engineering design and analysis services leveraging state-of-the-art simulation, modeling, and structural analysis to enhance product reliability and performance
4. Contract Manufacturing & Assembly: High-quality, scalable production with precision assembly, quality control, and supply chain optimization for product development clients

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Applied Design Corporation is a Boulder, Colorado engineering services firm that designs and builds custom turnkey industrial automation and robotics systems, provides full product design and development (mechanical, electrical, and software), and delivers full-stack, database, and embedded software solutions. It also manufactures the SureScan 1000 barcode verification system and distributes off-the-shelf automation equipment.

Product overview

Applied Design Corporation is an engineering services firm founded in 2001 offering three core service lines: Industrial Automation & Robotics (custom turnkey systems including robotic systems, turntable systems, conveyor systems, lithium cell testing, laser measurement systems, HMIs, PLCs, control cabinets, and safety systems), Product Design & Development (mechanical, electrical, and software engineering from concept to production including consumer products like Baby Buckle IoT device, Glow Matz LED floor mats, and Spectre 3D scanning turntable), and Full Stack Database & Embedded Software Solutions (cloud platforms, embedded systems, mobile apps, big data, AI/ML, IoT, and touchscreen HMIs). The company also manufactures the SureScan 1000, a PLC-driven barcode verification system for quality control. Projects span diverse industries including aerospace (NASA, Boeing, Northrop Grumman), pharmaceuticals (ATG Pharma, Celestial Seasonings), environmental/wildlife management (US Government invasive species eradication), automotive, and consumer goods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SureScan 1000: Equipment portfolio product - a barcode reading system that verifies correct barcodes during manufacturing.

Products and services

• SureScan 1000 A PLC-driven, programmable barcode reading system built around a Keyence SRX-100 barcode reader that verifies correct barcodes during manufacturing, preventing errors and safeguarding production integrity. Features programmable digital I/O for triggering E-Stops, conveyor shutdowns, and product rejection. For manufacturing lines requiring quality control.
• Industrial Automation & Robotics Custom turnkey industrial automation systems and off-the-shelf solutions including robotic systems, turntable systems, conveyor systems, lithium cell testing, laser measurement systems, HMIs and PLCs, control cabinets, and safety systems for manufacturing clients.
• Product Design & Development Integrated mechanical, electrical, and software engineering services transforming concepts into functional prototypes and market-ready products through concept development, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing support.
• Full Stack, Database & Embedded Software Solutions Software development spanning chip-level embedded systems, mobile applications, cloud platforms, big data, AI integration, IoT, and touchscreen HMIs and real-time monitoring systems for industrial and commercial applications.
• Engineering Design & Analysis Services Engineering design and analysis services leveraging simulation, modeling, finite element analysis, and structural analysis to enhance product reliability and performance.
• Contract Manufacturing & Assembly Scalable production with precision assembly, quality control, and supply chain optimization for product development clients.

Named customers40 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Keyence Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of factory automation, machine vision, and barcode systems. Functions as Applied Design's primary technology supplier and integration partner; adjacent to rather than competitive with the firm's custom turnkey service.
• ATS Automation:

Direct peers

• Acieta: Robotic automation integrator specializing in custom robotic cells and turnkey industrial automation. Comparable custom turnkey robotics, vision, and controls offering targeting manufacturers across food, pharma, and industrial verticals.
• Optimation Technology: Engineering services and custom industrial automation integrator providing controls, robotics, and manufacturing solutions. Comparable multi-disciplinary engineering and turnkey system model serving similar industrial customers.
• Concept Systems Inc: Industrial automation and robotics integrator delivering custom turnkey systems, machine vision, and controls. Comparable size and similar full-stack automation + vision delivery model.
• Genesis Systems (IPG Phototics): Industrial robotic systems integrator focused on custom robotic welding, cutting, and material handling solutions. Comparable in custom turnkey automation and aerospace/industrial customer overlap.
• HTE Technologies: Custom industrial automation integrator and engineering services firm offering turnkey robotic and machine vision solutions. Comparable in scale, scope, and turnkey integration model.
• Fiero Automation: Colorado-based custom industrial automation integrator offering turnkey robotic systems, machine building, and controls engineering. Directly comparable in size, geography, and turnkey automation focus (and is also listed as a customer/adjacent in Applied Design's portfolio).
• Spectrum Design Group: Product design and development consultancy with multidisciplinary engineering teams. Comparable product design, prototyping, and engineering services offering, particularly in consumer, medical, and industrial products.

Broad incumbents

• JR Automation (Hitachi): Large, established turnkey industrial automation and robotics integrator with global footprint. Overlaps in custom automation, vision, and controls across the same end markets but at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Applied Design