The latest Partner Company to join the growing B&R Automation Distribution Network is Elec-Trol, Inc. located in Hopkins, MN. Since April 2005 Elec-Trol, Inc. is representing B&R in the sales territory Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. This increases B&R’s local market presence to 14 States on the East and 4 States on the West Coast.
Elec-Trol, Inc. has been a controls distributor since the early 1980’s. Besides the controls business the company also provides engineering services such as programming of PC’s and PLC’s and writing of custom HMI screens.
In 2001 Elec-Trol, Inc. merged with CMA, Inc. who specializes in motion control, assisting customers in applying motion control products on existing machines. Today, Elec-Trol, Inc. employees 13 associates with a management team consisting of Matt Liiste, CEO, Tina Liiste Customer service and co-owners, Troy Koboski Engineering Manager and Brent Roth Sr.
Sales Engineer. “The primary drivers to join B&R Industrial Automation revolved around our customers needs in this market. The upper Midwest, and Minnesota particularly, is made up of many high technology companies such as 3M, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, General Mills. To sell automation products to these companies as well as others, we got asked more often for a uniform control architecture that had the same environment to do control, motion and visualization. To add high speed networking into the equation presented another challenge and opportunity with B&R.
While our current motion control solutions would work, the pure integration of dissimilar products manufactured by different companies presented a problem. We keep asking, “Who is responsible for making sure everything works together? Is the customer willing to invest in learning different types of programming? The answers helped to direct us to B&R”, says Matt Liiste, CEO of Elec-trol, Inc.
Further News from the B&R Distribution Partner Network
B&R’s independent Distribution Partner PacMation, Inc. has decided to expand their territory to be able to present B&R’s integrated solution also in Oregon. PacMation, Inc. who became a B&R Distributor in November 2004 covering the exclusive territories of Washington State, Idaho and Northern California has made the decision after a very successful start as B&R Distribution Partner.
Besides increasing their sales activities even further Andy Reid, President of PacMation, Inc. would like to see his company become the supplier of choice to high-tech machine builders on the Pacific Coast. For more information visit www.br-automation.com .
