What Prime does

Prime Industrial Components, Inc. is a privately-held, family-owned industrial distributor founded in 1967 and headquartered in Oradell, New Jersey. The company specializes in process control and automation components, distributing a multi-brand portfolio that includes ABB variable frequency drives (ACS880 and ACS580 series), Pepperl+Fuchs explosion protection equipment and hazardous-area HMIs, Banner Engineering sensors and industrial lighting, Red Lion Controls IIoT-enabled controllers and panel meters, Grace Technologies electrical safety devices, and a range of heating solutions, wiring duct, industrial Ethernet switches, and hazardous-location plugs and receptacles. Prime serves four primary customer segments — OEMs, industrial end users, distributors, and engineering firms — across the greater New York-New Jersey trading area (New Jersey, New York metro, Lower Hudson Valley, and Connecticut), with field sales representatives assigned by territory and inside sales engineers handling quotations, technical applications, and order entry.

The company's go-to-market is sales-led and quote-based: there is no public pricing, no e-commerce channel, and all orders flow through inside or outside sales. Prime supplements distribution with technical services, including drive selection, commissioning support through its in-house ABB certified Drives Specialist, on-site application review, and training delivered from a new facility in Pompton Plains, NJ. The firm's competitive position rests on 50+ years of application expertise, certified technical staff with 200+ years of collective selling experience, Core-tier authorized partnerships with leading manufacturers, and an extensive resources portal of technical reference material — rather than proprietary technology or scale economics.

Prime is led by President John Zerbo Sr. and Operations Manager John Zerbo Jr., reflecting multi-generational family ownership. There is no disclosed institutional investment, M&A activity, external funding, or expansion beyond the NY/NJ/CT regional footprint. Revenue, financials, and customer concentration are not publicly disclosed, and the company operates at a small scale of approximately 10 staff.

Name

Prime

Legal name

Prime Industrial Components, Inc.

Website

https://prime-industrial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Prime Industrial Components is a family-owned, NJ-based industrial distributor founded in 1967 that supplies process control and automation components — variable frequency drives, sensors, hazardous-area equipment, and safety devices — to OEMs, industrial end users, distributors, and engineering firms across the greater New York-New Jersey region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Distribution

NAICS

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

SIC

Wholesale-Industrial Machinery & Equipment (5084), Wholesale-Electronic Parts & Equipment, Nec (5065)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Controllers & Control Systems (PLCs, PACs, CNC Controllers) (IMAHAHAH)

Keywords

• Industrial automation
• Process control
• Hazardous area equipment
• Variable frequency drives
• Industrial distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Oradell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Industrial Component Resale: Prime distributes industrial control products from quality manufacturers to OEMs, industrial end users, distributors, and engineering headquarters. Revenue is generated through product sales with no specific pricing listed publicly.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prime Industrial Components is a value-added industrial distributor founded in 1967 that specializes in process control and automation components. The company distributes a portfolio of industrial control products from leading manufacturers (ABB, Pepperl+Fuchs, Banner Engineering, Red Lion Controls, Grace Technologies, Hotwatt, N-tron, IBOCO, Meltric, Adalet, Hohner, Springer) to OEMs, industrial end users, distributors, and engineering headquarters in the greater New York-New Jersey trading area. The company supplements product distribution with application engineering, on-site sales visits, product training, and a dedicated training facility in Pompton Plains.

Product overview

Prime Industrial Components, Inc., founded in 1967, is a process control and automation specialist serving OEMs, industrial end users, distributors, and engineering headquarters in the greater New York-New Jersey area. The company distributes a comprehensive portfolio of industrial automation and control products from multiple manufacturers, acting as a value-added distributor offering application expertise, technical support, and product selection assistance. The core product portfolio centers on ABB variable frequency drives (ACS880 and ACS580 series), Pepperl+Fuchs explosion protection equipment (including the FLX Edge touch screen solution, K-System barriers, and industrial HMI systems), Banner Engineering sensors and lighting (including IP69K washdown sensors, WLR95 area lights, and tower lights), Red Lion controls (FlexEdge controllers and panel meters), and Grace Technologies electrical safety devices (ChekVolt PESD). Supporting product lines include Adalet explosion proof and increased safety enclosures, hazardous area motors and switches from ABB, Meltric hazardous location plugs and receptacles, N-tron industrial Ethernet switches, and various heating solutions including cartridge and flexible heaters. The company provides on-site technical assistance, product training, and application engineering support to complement its product distribution business.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ABB ACS880 Drive Modules Industrial AC drive modules providing motor control for industrial applications. Features include direct torque control (DTC) for precise open and closed loop control, built-in safety features, and energy optimization capabilities. Available in single drive and multi-drive configurations.
• ABB ACS580-01 UL Type 4X/IP66 Drive Variable frequency drive designed for extreme indoor and outdoor environments. Offers superior performance and reliability with integrated purge and pressurization system options for hazardous area applications.
• Pepperl+Fuchs FLX Edge Class I Division 1 Touch Screen Solution Touch screen interface solution rated for Class I Division 1 hazardous locations. Provides visualization and control capabilities for explosive atmosphere environments.
• Banner Engineering WLR95 Compact Area Light Compact in-line work light designed for difficult-to-illuminate spaces including enclosures, conveyors, and machines. Offers rugged, space-saving illumination for industrial applications.
• Banner Engineering IP69K Sensors Washdown and hygienic sensors rated to IP69K standard for food and beverage industry applications. Includes intrinsically safe sensors, lighting, and wireless radios.
• Red Lion FlexEdge Controller Versatile industrial controller combining Industrial IoT (IIoT) capabilities with automation control in a single device.
• Red Lion Panel Meters Industrial panel meters for process monitoring and display applications. Includes selectable models for various industrial measurement needs.
• ChekVolt Permanent Electrical Safety Device Compact permanent electrical safety device (PESD) from Grace Technologies featuring voltmeter-compatible test points and redundant LED voltage presence indicators. Enables absence of voltage testing without opening enclosure doors.
• Pepperl+Fuchs Explosion Protection Equipment Explosion protection solutions including isolators, barriers, control stations, and distribution panels for hazardous area applications.
• Pepperl+Fuchs K-System Isolated Barriers Isolated barriers for signal conditioning and explosion protection in hazardous industrial environments.
• Pepperl+Fuchs Industrial HMI Systems Human-machine interface systems and display monitors designed for hazardous area industrial applications.
• Adalet Explosion Proof Products Explosion proof enclosures and switching devices for hazardous location applications.
• Adalet Increased Safety Enclosures Enclosures meeting increased safety standards for hazardous industrial environments.
• Bebco EPS Purge and Pressurization Systems Purge and pressurization systems from Pepperl+Fuchs for protecting electrical equipment in hazardous areas.
• ABB Low Voltage Motors for Hazardous Areas Low voltage electric motors designed and certified for operation in hazardous area environments.
• Meltric Hazardous Location Plugs and Receptacles Plugs and receptacles rated for hazardous locations, enabling safe electrical connections in explosive atmospheres.
• N-tron 708TX Ethernet Switch Fully managed 8-port Ethernet switch for industrial networking applications.
• Springer Switches for Hazardous Locations Power switching devices designed for hazardous location applications.
• Hohner Optical Encoders for Hazardous Areas Optical encoders rated for hazardous area industrial applications.
• Pepperl+Fuchs Rotary Encoders for Hazardous Areas Rotary encoders designed for use in hazardous area industrial environments.
• ABB Atex Enclosed Switches Enclosed switches certified to ATEX directive for hazardous area applications in European markets.
• Cartridge Heaters Industrial cartridge heaters for heating applications. Resources available on watt density selection and failure analysis.
• Flexible Electrical Heaters Flexible heater solutions for industrial heating applications where standard rigid heaters are unsuitable.
• Banner Tower Lights (TL50, TL70) Modular and industrial LED tower lights for visual signaling in industrial automation applications.
• IBOCO Wiring Duct and Components Wiring duct and components for panel builders, providing organized cable management solutions.
• Banner Smart Vision Sensor Vision-based sensors for industrial inspection and monitoring applications.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABBcoreTechnology or IntegrationABB is a key brand partner for Prime, specializing in variable frequency drives (ACS580, ACS880 series) and low voltage motors. Prime has an ABB certified Drives Specialist on staff to assist with drive selection, start-ups, commissioning, and customer training. The partnership focuses on industrial automation and motor control solutions.
• Banner EngineeringcoreTechnology or IntegrationBanner Engineering provides sensors, lighting, wireless radios, intrinsically safe equipment, and industrial LED task lighting. Products include tower lights (TL50, TL70 series), area lights (WLR95), vision sensors, and IP69K-rated washdown sensors. Prime offers Banner products for food and beverage, packaging, and general industrial applications.
• Pepperl+FuchscoreTechnology or IntegrationPepperl+Fuchs specializes in explosion protection equipment, intrinsically safe sensors, industrial HMI systems, display monitors, K-System isolated barriers, rotary encoders, and purge & pressurization systems (Bebco EPS). Prime serves as a distributor for hazardous area solutions including Class I Division 1 and Division 2 applications.
• Red Lion ControlscoreTechnology or IntegrationRed Lion Controls provides HMI systems and FlexEdge controllers for factory automation. The FlexEdge platform combines IloT potential with versatile control capabilities for tackling various industrial challenges. Prime offers Red Lion panel meters and control solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Digi-Key Electronics: Massive electronic components distributor with broad industrial sensor, control, and networking offerings — competes with Prime on the long tail of stocked electronic components lines.
• W.W. Grainger: Massive industrial MRO distributor with deep catalog of controls, sensors, drives, and safety devices; competes with Prime on transactional lines though lacks the same niche hazardous-area specialization.
• Rexel USA: Global electrical and automation products distributor with a New Jersey / Northeast presence; overlaps significantly with Prime's portfolio of ABB drives, hazardous-location products, and control devices.
• Applied Industrial Technologies: Large industrial distributor with fluid power, bearings, and automation offerings; comparable customer base of OEMs and industrial end users in the Northeast.

Direct peers

• FCX Performance (an Applied Industrial company): Value-added industrial automation distributor focused on process control, flow, and hazardous-area instrumentation — closely matches Prime's model of multi-brand technical distribution with application engineering support.
• Newark / element14 (Farnell): High-service electronic components distributor with strong industrial controls portfolio (including Red Lion products); overlaps with Prime's industrial and electronic components focus.
• AutomationDirect: Direct-to-customer industrial automation seller of PLCs, VFDs, sensors, and HMIs; competes with Prime on overlapping product lines, particularly ABB-adjacent drives and Banner-style sensors, though via an online model rather than field sales.
• Allied Electronics & Automation (RS Components): Broad-line industrial automation and electronic components distributor serving OEMs and MRO buyers — directly comparable multi-brand catalog and value-added distribution model to Prime.
• Sager Electronics: Value-added electronic and electromechanical components distributor serving industrial OEMs — directly comparable in customer type and product overlap (sensors, control components, power products).

Regional players

• State Electric Supply Company: Regional industrial electrical and automation distributor operating in the Mid-Atlantic / Northeast U.S. — comparable multi-brand value-added distribution model, similar customer base, and limited national footprint like Prime.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/primeindustria2
• LinkedInlinkd.in/SUCxjR

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Prime