What zencontrol does

zencontrol Ltd is a Stafford, UK-based private limited company that designs, manufactures, and supplies DALI and DALI-2 lighting control products and systems for the commercial, industrial, and public construction sectors. The company was founded as CPN Lighting Controls with operations dating to 2006 and was rebranded to zencontrol in 2017 alongside the launch of its DALI-2 product range; it became the first to supply DALI-2 certified buildings in both the UK and Australia that year. The company's product architecture spans Application Controllers (Pro 3, DALI-2, Wireless/Thread), Luminaire Control Modules, sensors (PIR, smart, air quality, thermal, weatherproof), switches and scene panels, relays and drivers, Ektor emergency lighting, and the zencontrol Cloud platform with Plan View, Analytics, Power Dashboards, and Customisable Dashboards for remote monitoring and firmware upgrades.

The business operates a vertically integrated model with an 8,000m2 purpose-built manufacturing facility in Dongguan, China (maximum capacity 150,000 products/month), supplemented by a 2020 joint venture with Boke for Chinese market sales and a London regional office for the Greater London market. Its go-to-market is specification-driven enterprise field sales: zencontrol works through tier-1 UK M&E contractors (T Clarke, Derry Building Services, Bancroft, Crown House Technologies, Graham Construction), consultants, and architects to win major construction and refurbishment projects, supported by end-to-end professional services from consultancy and design through commissioning to maintenance. Revenue is generated through hardware sales (controllers, sensors, switches, relays, drivers, emergency lighting, power supplies) and professional services, with quote-based project pricing, a 5-year warranty on all system components, and multi-year maintenance contracts.

The customer base spans enterprise and institutional clients across at least six verticals: Grade A commercial offices (British Land, Ballymore, Landsec, PwC), sports venues and stadiums (Manchester United, Everton, Leicester City FC, London Stadium, London Olympics Copper Box), healthcare (Brighton 3Ts Hospital), education (University of Warwick, Eden Park High School), hospitality (The Belfry), and entertainment (Bradford Live). zencontrol sells into 24 countries and maintains over 130 UK buildings, with integrations to BACnet/IP, MQTT, DMX, Control 4, and Smart Spaces platforms supporting open-protocol interoperability with third-party building management systems.

Name

zencontrol

Legal name

zencontrol ltd

Website

https://zencontrol.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

zencontrol is a UK-based manufacturer of DALI and DALI-2 commercial lighting control products and systems, serving enterprise construction and refurbishment projects across commercial offices, sports venues, healthcare, education, hospitality, and public buildings in 24 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lighting Control Systems

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (3351), Automatic Environmental Control Manufacturing for Residential, Commercial, and Appliance Use (334512), Commercial, Industrial, and Institutional Electric Lighting Fixture Manufacturing (335132), Relay and Industrial Control Manufacturing (335314)

SIC

Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640), Switchgear & Switchboard Apparatus (3613), Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, And Control (3823)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Lighting Controls & Smart Lighting Systems (BPABAGAC), Smart Lighting & Dimming Control Installation (HSAHADAB)

Keywords

• DALI lighting controls
• Lighting control systems
• Smart building automation
• Emergency lighting products
• Wireless lighting control

Headquarters

HQ city

Stafford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Lighting Control Products: Manufacture and sale of DALI and DALI-2 lighting control products including controllers, sensors, switches, relays, drivers, power supplies, and emergency lighting. Full end-to-end service including consultancy, design, supply, commissioning, and maintenance.
2. Professional Services: Consultancy, design, commissioning, and maintenance services for lighting control systems. Full-service approach ensures consistency from concept to completion.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

zencontrol manufactures and supplies DALI and DALI-2 lighting control products including application controllers, sensors, switches, relays, drivers, power supplies, and emergency lighting for commercial, industrial, and public sector buildings. The company delivers a full end-to-end service from early-stage design and specification through supply, commissioning, and long-term maintenance and support, with a cloud-based management platform enabling remote monitoring and diagnostics.

Product overview

Zencontrol is a manufacturer of DALI and DALI-2 lighting control products and systems. Its portfolio spans a modular, scalable architecture built around DALI-2 and DALI+ (wireless via Thread) protocols. The core product line includes Application Controllers (Application Controller Pro 3, DALI-2 Application Controller, Wireless Application Controller), Room Controllers, and LCM Lighting Control Modules for luminaire-level control. These are complemented by sensor products (DALI-2 PIR Sensors, Smart Sensors, Air Quality Sensors, Thermal Sensors, Weatherproof Sensors), switch/input devices (Smart Switch Touch, Smart Rotary Switch, Smart Touch Display, Scene Panel Switches, DALI-2 Switch), relay/power control modules (4 Channel DALI-2 Relay, Smart Relay Controller, Smart Fan Controller, Smart Blind Controller, Smart I/O Interface), drivers (Smart Driver, Wireless Bridge, Smart PWM Controllers), DALI Power Supplies, and the Ektor emergency lighting sub-brand. The cloud-based software platform encompasses the Cloud Hub, Plan View, Analytics, Power Dashboard, and Customisable Dashboards for remote monitoring and commissioning. The Standalone Hub, Standalone Control, and zencontrol Connect enable cable-free local operation. Integration modules provide BACnet/IP, MQTT, DMX, and Control 4 connectivity. The system supports human-centric tuneable-white (DT8) and wireless DALI+ for heritage and refurbishment projects. Zencontrol also provides end-to-end services including consultancy, design, supply, commissioning, and maintenance, with a 5-year warranty on all system components.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Ektor: Emergency lighting brand offering products with smart charging, soft charging, and LiFePO4 battery technologies.

Products and services

• Application Controller Pro 3 DALI-2 and wireless application controller providing seamless building integration, with automatic DALI addressing and grouping and control of up to 64 ECG and 63 ECD devices over three phases.
• DALI-2 Application Controller Hardwired DALI-2 application controller for networked lighting control, installed in pre-wired enclosures within electrical risers, networked via Cat6 for building-wide addressability.
• Wireless Application Controller Wireless DALI+ application controller using Thread as a robust wireless carrier, providing fully addressable intelligent control without the need for extensive cabling.
• Room Controller Hybrid LCM/DALI Application Controller acting as a pluggable module providing control of up to 64 ECG and 63 ECD devices over three phases with automatic DALI addressing and grouping.
• LCM Lighting Control Module Luminaire Control Module enabling DALI control of individual luminaires, providing individual addressing and DALI feedback for enhanced system visibility.
• DALI-2 PIR Sensors DALI-2 certified PIR occupancy sensors enabling occupancy-based lighting automation, daylight harvesting, and integration with BMS for HVAC optimisation.
• Smart Sensors Feature-rich sensor ranges supporting DALI bus connectivity, designed for use as primary sensors or to assist third-party sensors in connecting to the DALI bus.
• Air Quality Sensors Sensors monitoring air quality parameters to support wellbeing and environmental compliance within intelligent building environments.
• Thermal Sensors Thermal sensors for environmental monitoring integrated with the DALI-2 lighting control system.
• Weatherproof Sensors Outdoor-rated weatherproof sensors for exterior lighting control in demanding environmental conditions.
• Smart Switch Touch Touchscreen-based smart switch providing intuitive user control of DALI-2 and wireless lighting with scene recall and dimming capabilities.
• Smart Touch Display

Quantifiable outcome

• Energy savings through demand-led lighting operation, occupancy sensing, and intelligent scheduling
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BokecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2020Joint venture sales company formed in China to deliver zencontrol products across China. Zencontrol and Boke partnered in 2020 to create a dedicated sales entity for the Chinese market.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Helvar: Finland-based manufacturer of DALI-2 lighting control systems, sensors, and cloud management platforms serving commercial offices, healthcare, and education. Most direct competitor with overlapping DALI-2 product breadth and UK presence.
• Tridonic (Zumtobel Group): Austrian manufacturer of DALI-2 LED drivers, application controllers, and lighting management systems. Direct comparable in protocol stack and target verticals (commercial, industrial, healthcare).
• Distech Controls: Canadian manufacturer of DALI-2 and BACnet lighting/building controllers focused on smart buildings. Comparable in protocol integrations and enterprise real-estate go-to-market.
• CP Electronics (Carlton-Bates): UK-based manufacturer of presence detection and lighting control products for commercial buildings. Direct peer in UK market with overlapping contractor channels and DALI-based product lines.

Broad incumbents

• ABB (Building Automation): Global industrial conglomerate with KNX/DALI-based building automation products. Competes in commercial real estate and stadium specifications through electrical-contractor channels.
• Signify (Philips Dynalite): Global lighting giant operating the Philips Dynalite commercial lighting-controls portfolio alongside broader luminaires and connected lighting. Competes with zencontrol on enterprise and stadium tenders via scale and brand.
• Legrand: Global electrical and digital building infrastructure provider with DALI-compatible lighting control systems. Competes on UK and EU commercial construction tenders via contractor distribution.
• Lutron Electronics: US-based leader in residential and commercial lighting controls (Quantum, Athena systems). Competes for premium Grade A office, hospitality, and stadium specifications where zencontrol is also active.
• Crestron Electronics: US manufacturer of integrated AV, lighting, and building-control systems. Competes in commercial real estate and stadium/hospitality where zencontrol integrates via BACnet, MQTT, and UDP/IP.
• Ex-Or (Honeywell): UK-based lighting control specialist within Honeywell Building Technologies. Direct overlap with zencontrol in UK commercial and education segments using DALI-based controls.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/cpnorthern
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cpnlightingcontrols
• Instagraminstagram.com/zencontroluk
• Facebookfacebook.com/zencontrol

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 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 zencontrol