MICROPEL

What MICROPEL does

MICROPEL s.r.o. is a Czech private limited company founded in 1995 and headquartered in Prague that designs and manufactures programmable logic controllers (PLCs), operator terminals, communication converters, and supporting software for measurement, control, and regulation applications. Its product portfolio spans compact PLCs (K series, MPC220) for small installations, modular PLCs (MPC300, MPC400 series with Ethernet and TFT display options), touchscreen terminals with integrated PLC functionality (MT470 with 7-inch display, MT424 with 2.4-inch display and optional temperature/humidity sensing), and a family of universal communication converters (CA5/CA6 with Ethernet, GSM/GPRS, and M-BUS variants) plus legacy CA21/CA3/CA4 units. The proprietary technology stack includes the Simple programming language (v2 and v4), the PESnet and EXbus RS485 protocols, and the Simple EPNP protocol, supported by an integrated software ecosystem comprising StudioWin (text-based IDE), StudioG (graphical IDE), StudioWeb (browser-based visualization), PlcConfig, and the DDEAp DDE communication server. The company reports more than 6,000 PLCs cumulatively installed since founding.

MICROPEL operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model via a Czech-language VirtueMart e-commerce storefront on its website, supplemented by direct enterprise sales that include expert technical consultation delivered by the product authors themselves. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (PLCs, terminals, peripherals, and communication converters), professional training programs for programmers and designers, and custom hardware/software development services; all development software tools are provided free of charge. The customer base spans building automation (HVAC, heating regulation, climate control), industrial process control, and utility metering applications (M-BUS, MODBUS, and BELIMO MP-Bus integrations), with operations concentrated in the Czech Republic within the broader Central European region.

Name

MICROPEL

Legal name

MICROPEL s.r.o.

Website

https://micropel.cz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MICROPEL is a Czech manufacturer founded in 1995 that designs and sells programmable logic controllers, operator terminals, communication converters, and proprietary Simple-language software for building automation, industrial process control, and utility metering customers in the Czech Republic.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Automation Controllers

NAICS

Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables (334513), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing (334519)

SIC

Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Programmable logic controllers
• Industrial automation
• Building automation
• Process control equipment
• PLC programming software

Headquarters

HQ city

Prague

HQ country

Czechia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Sale of PLCs, terminals, peripherals, and communication converters. Product families include MPC400, MPC300, MPC220, K series, M series, MT terminals, EX peripherals, and CA communication converters.
2. Software Licenses: Development software tools including StudioWin, StudioG, StudioWeb, PlcConfig, and DDEAp. All development software tools are provided free of charge according to company website.
3. Professional Training: Professional programming and design training for PLC programmers and system designers
4. Custom Development Services: Custom hardware and software component development services for specific customer requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MICROPEL designs and manufactures programmable logic controllers (PLCs), programmable touchscreen terminals, communication converters, expansion peripherals, I/O modules, and supporting development software (StudioWin, StudioG, StudioWeb, PlcConfig, DDEAp) for measurement, control, and regulation applications. The portfolio covers small applications such as heating and HVAC regulation as well as complex industrial process control systems, all programmed in the proprietary Simple language and sold with direct technical support from the product authors.

Product overview

MICROPEL is a Czech manufacturer of measurement, control, and regulation equipment founded in 1995. The product portfolio centers on several series of freely programmable PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) for various application complexities, ranging from simple heating/climate control to complex production process management. The core product lines include the modular MPC400 series (with display options MPC405/415 and compact variants MPC411), the modular MPC300 series, compact MPC220 series, and K-series compact PLCs. These are complemented by programmable terminals MT470 (7-inch touchscreen) and MT424 (2.4-inch touchscreen) with integrated PLC functionality. Communication infrastructure is provided through universal converters CA5/CA6 (with Ethernet and GSM options) and legacy converters CA21, CA3, CA4. The expandable communication PLCs MCA45 and MCA46 add programmable capabilities with MODBUS master and M-BUS meter reading functionality. Expansion is achieved through MEX400 peripheral units and 13 types of I/O modules, plus EX-series intelligent peripherals. Software ecosystem includes StudioWin (text-based IDE), StudioG (graphical IDE), StudioWeb (visualization), PlcConfig (configuration), and DDEAp (DDE communication). The company reports over 6,000 installed PLC units.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MPC400 Series PLCs Modular programmable logic controllers (MPC401, MPC402, MPC404, MPC405, MPC411, MPC415) with up to 3 configurable I/O modules, USB configuration, Ethernet connectivity on 405/411/415, and color TFT displays on MPC405/MPC415, for industrial process and automation applications.
• MPC300 Series PLCs Modular freely programmable PLCs where I/O configuration is selected by combining three basic models with supplementary modules, compatible with all other MICROPEL devices, for mid-complexity automation projects.
• MPC220 Series PLCs Compact PLCs with a fixed 20 I/O configuration for small and medium applications including HVAC, heating regulation, and air conditioning.
• K Series Compact PLCs (K1, K10) Compact PLCs with integrated operator panel and fixed I/O configurations in metal IP65 enclosures for installation in standard switchboards, suited to small-scale heating and HVAC regulation.
• MT470 Programmable Terminal Programmable terminal with an integrated 7-inch color touchscreen TFT display and full PLC functionality based on MPC400 architecture, featuring a 32-bit ARM Cortex RISC processor, RTC, USB interface, and dual RS485 ports, available with optional extended memory.
• MT424 Touchscreen Terminal with PLC Freely programmable controller and color touchscreen terminal with integrated temperature/humidity sensing variants, RS485 with ExBUS/MODBUS/PESnet/UART support, and ABB Time/Time Arbo frame compatibility, targeted at compact HVAC and building automation installations.
• MT201 / MT201H Display Terminal Display terminal with up to 8x21 lines, 4 buttons, user-defined characters, 3 font sizes, built-in temperature sensor (and humidity sensor on MT201H), designed for installation in junction boxes in building automation projects.
• CA5 / CA5E / CA5G / CA5EG Universal Communication Converters Universal communication converter replacing CA21/CA3/CA4, featuring USB, RS485 PESnet, RS485 EXbus master, with optional Ethernet (E) and GSM (G) modules, for local and remote connectivity to MICROPEL PLCs and peripherals.
• CA6 / CA6S Universal Communication Converters Universal communication converter combining CA5 functionality with M-BUS connectivity for utility meter reading (up to 96 M-BUS devices on CA6, up to 5 on CA6S).
• MCA45 / MCA45E / MCA45G / MCA45EG Communication PLCs Programmable communication PLC based on CA5 hardware with USB, Ethernet, GSM, SMS gateway, MODBUS master capability, and MEX peripheral expansion via EXBUS, for gateway and protocol-bridging applications.
• MCA46 / MCA46S Communication PLCs Programmable communication PLCs based on CA6 hardware with M-BUS support for utility meter reading and archiving (up to 96 M-BUS devices on MCA46, up to 5 on MCA46S), expandable via MEX peripherals.
• StudioWin Development Environment Integrated development environment provided free of charge for programming MICROPEL PLCs using Simple v.4 or Simple v.2 source code, available to PLC programmers and system designers.
• StudioG Graphical Development Environment Graphical integrated development environment provided free of charge for programming MICROPEL PLCs by creating graphical element schemes.
• StudioWeb Visualization Tool Java/HTML-based visualization tool provided free of charge for constructing visualization and dispatching of technological processes controlled by MICROPEL PLCs.
• PlcConfig Configuration Tool Configuration tool provided free of charge for setting drivers, performing firmware updates, and configuring MICROPEL PLCs and their peripherals.
• DDEAp Communication Server DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) communication program provided free of charge for data exchange between MICROPEL PLC networks and Windows applications, with Excel and ControlWeb/Reliance SCADA connectivity.
• MEX400 / MEX402 Expansion Peripherals Expansion peripheral units for MPC400 series PLCs (MEX401 without display, MEX402 with 4x20 character display), each supporting up to three I/O modules.
• I/O Modules for MPC400 series (A–M, R) Thirteen types of optional I/O modules for MPC400 series PLCs and MEX units, covering digital and analog inputs (0–10V, 0–25mA, Pt100, Pt1000, Ni1000), digital outputs, relay outputs, and high-speed counter modules.
• EX Series Intelligent Peripherals (EX01–EX10) Intelligent peripheral series (EX01–EX10) for extending PLC inputs/outputs via RS485 PESnet, including temperature sensors, relay outputs, display panels, identification devices, and triac/digital outputs.
• PWR30 Power Supply 30VA power supply for MICROPEL devices, capable of powering up to 20 PLCs depending on type and output load.
• CA44 RS485 Repeater Galvanic separator and repeater for the RS485 PESnet network, used to extend and isolate MICROPEL PLC network segments.
• Professional Programming and Design Training (Školení) Scheduled professional training services for PLC programmers and system designers on MICROPEL controllers, peripherals, and the Simple language development tools, run directly by the product authors.
• Custom Hardware and Software Development Custom hardware and software component development services delivered by MICROPEL engineers to meet specific customer application requirements beyond the standard catalog.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000+ installed PLCs in the market

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature7 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Siemens: Global market leader in PLCs via the SIMATIC line (S7-1200/1500/ET200). Direct competitor in the same programmable controller category MICROPEL addresses, but with vastly broader portfolio, global service network, and IIoT/cloud ecosystem.
• ABB: Major industrial automation incumbent with AC500 PLC family and a strong presence in building/HVAC automation. Notably, MICROPEL's MT424 terminal is explicitly compatible with ABB Time and Time Arbo frames — direct evidence of head-to-head competition in panel/HVAC retrofit.
• Schneider Electric: Owner of the Modicon PLC line and a major player in building automation and energy management. Competes with MICROPEL in HVAC, small process control, and increasingly in metering/M-BUS integrations across Europe.
• Mitsubishi Electric: Major Japanese PLC incumbent (MELSEC series) competing globally with MICROPEL at the larger end, and in Central European industrial automation projects. Significantly larger scale but same fundamental programmable controller category.

Direct peers

• Unitronics: Israeli manufacturer of integrated PLC + HMI controllers with proprietary programming environments — a near-analogous business model to MICROPEL (compact all-in-one controllers, free IDE, niche-market focus). Direct competitor for small-to-medium automation projects.
• WAGO: German manufacturer of modular controllers (WAGO PFC200) and I/O systems, comparable in size and modular-architecture philosophy to MICROPEL's MPC400 series. Strong in building automation and industrial networking, with overlapping protocol support.
• B&R Industrial Automation (ABB Group): Austrian PLC and industrial PC vendor, comparable in size/origin to MICROPEL, focused on compact controllers and machine automation. Now part of ABB but operates as a distinct brand with overlapping target customers.
• Beckhoff Automation: German PC-based control specialist with CX-series embedded controllers and TwinCAT software. Comparable as a mid-sized European vendor offering compact controllers with strong protocol and fieldbus support, serving building and process automation.
• Phoenix Contact: German vendor of PLCnext controllers and modular I/O, with deep presence in industrial networking and building automation. Highly comparable modular-control product philosophy to MICROPEL's MPC400 line.
• IDEC Corporation: Japanese manufacturer of compact PLCs (MicroSmart series) and operator interfaces, with a similar product-philosophy focus on small/medium applications and free programming software — highly comparable to MICROPEL's compact controller positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 MICROPEL