Private Equity in Industrial Automation & SCADA System Integration 2026: Active Platforms, Multiples, and Consolidation

Industrial automation control room and factory floor representing the 2026 SCADA system-integrator consolidation

Methodology and data sources

This tracker follows CT Acquisitions’ 5-tier source hierarchy: T1 press releases (sponsor and platform), T2 public-company / advisor disclosures (Baird transaction cards), T3 sponsor portfolio pages, T4 trade press (Control Engineering, Control Design, Automation World, Food Engineering, CSIA Exchange), T5 M&A research (Control System Integrators Association M&A update, Aventis Advisors IT-services multiples).

Industry-data tier (multiples, market size, end-markets): Aventis Advisors IT Services Valuation Multiples (2015-mid-2025), Control System Integrators Association (CSIA) market data, S&P Global and JLL data-center investment data. NAICS classification primarily 541330 (Engineering Services) and 541512 (Computer Systems Integration Design Services).

Verification window: All sponsor / platform attributions verified May 2026. The space has had active 2024-2025 deal flow (45+ announced automation-integration transactions). Sponsor structures change with secondary recapitalizations; per-platform status is current as of May 2026.

Inclusion criteria: (a) a verifiable current institutional sponsor; (b) CSIA-certified or comparably-credentialed system-integration scale (50+ engineers or multi-site footprint); (c) at least one verified add-on acquisition in the last 24 months or a stated active-acquirer posture.

The 2026 industrial automation PE landscape: why now

Four structural forces are concentrating capital in control-system / SCADA integration through 2026:

The result: more than 45 announced automation-integration transactions in the 24 months ending December 2025, with financial sponsors and sponsor-backed strategics driving the consolidation.

Active platforms: profiles of automation / SCADA integrator roll-ups

Apex tier (national platforms, 300+ engineers or multi-vertical scale)

E Tech Group — Sponsor: Graham Partners (an advanced-manufacturing-focused private investment firm; acquired E Tech from Falfurrias Capital Partners, who had owned it since 2018). Scale: one of the largest automation-engineering and system-integration firms in North America, with 600+ engineers / professionals and a footprint that grew to ten countries and three continents after the 2025 JSat Automation acquisition. End-markets: Life Sciences, Data Centers, Consumer Products, Food & Beverage, and Industrial. Add-on history includes Glenmount Global Solutions, Superior Controls, E-Volve Systems, Automation Group, and JSat Automation (2025, adding IT/OT-convergence and compliance depth in life sciences). Graham’s thesis explicitly targets additional add-ons across life sciences, data centers, and CPG / food & beverage. Baird was exclusive financial advisor to E Tech. Sources: Graham Partners: E Tech Group investment | Food Engineering: E Tech Group secures Graham Partners investment | Baird: E Tech acquired by Graham | E Tech Group acquires JSat Automation (2025).

Growth tier (regional-to-national platforms)

Automated Control Concepts (ACC) — Sponsor: Sverica Capital Management (majority stake acquired October 2021; founder Robert Tomasetta hand-off). Scale: Neptune, NJ-headquartered Industry 4.0 systems integrator specializing in process control, manufacturing intelligence, and cybersecurity & industrial networking. The transaction was named The M&A Advisor’s “Industrial Deal of the Year ($50MM-$100MM).” A representative example of PE entering control-system integration through a founder-succession platform. Sources: Sverica Capital: investment in Automated Control Concepts.

Bachelor Controls / MKD Electric — Sponsor: Hastings Equity Partners (via portfolio company MKD Electric). Scale: Sabetha, Kansas-based control-systems integrator; MKD Electric (a Hastings portfolio company) invested in / acquired Bachelor Controls to expand automation and electrical-service capabilities and broaden its food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing footprint. A representative example of a sponsor-backed strategic (MKD / Hastings) pursuing add-on integration acquisitions. Source: MKD Electric: Hastings Equity Partners invests in Bachelor Controls.

Active independent / non-PE integrators (acquisition targets and acquirers)

A long tail of high-quality CSIA-certified integrators remains either founder-owned or recently sponsor-adjacent, making them both acquisition targets and occasional acquirers:

Acquisition velocity: what 2024-2026 tells us

Note on automation M&A disclosure: Most system-integrator transactions do not disclose enterprise value, EBITDA, or multiples (the Sverica / ACC deal-size band $50-100MM is the M&A Advisor award category, not a disclosed price). Multiples cited reflect IT-services / engineering-services industry-data-tier ranges, not specific transactions.

Multiples and deal structure: what integrator owners should expect

Control-system integration valuation tracks the engineering-services / IT-services band, with vertical specialization and recurring-service mix as the primary multiple-drivers.

Sub-scale / founder-owned integrator tier

Multiple range: 5x – 8x EV/EBITDA for smaller, founder-owned integrators.

Typical seller: founder-owned CSIA-certified integrator, $1M-$5M EBITDA, regional client base, single or few verticals, project-heavy revenue mix. Buyer pool: regional consolidators, sponsor-backed strategics (E Tech, MKD, ACC) looking for tuck-ins, individual-buyer / search-fund acquirers. The lower end reflects project-only integrators with limited recurring service / managed-service revenue; vertical specialization (life sciences GMP, water-utility SCADA) and certified-engineer depth move toward the upper end.

Mid-market integrator tier

Multiple range: 10x – 14x EV/EBITDA for quality, double-digit-growth integrators.

Typical seller: $5M-$20M EBITDA, multi-vertical or deep single-vertical specialization, professional management, mix of project and recurring managed-service / support revenue, 10-15% EBITDA margins. Buyer pool: the institutional platforms above plus growth-stage PE underwriting new platforms. Per Aventis Advisors, IT-services companies traded at a median ~10.2x EV/EBITDA across 600+ transactions (2015-mid-2025), with double-digit growth and 10-15% EBITDA margins supporting ~12x-14x. Premium positioning factors: regulated-vertical depth (pharma GMP, FDA validation, water-utility SCADA), IT/OT-convergence and cybersecurity capability, MES / manufacturing-intelligence software offerings, and recurring managed-service revenue. Source: Aventis Advisors: IT Services Valuation Multiples 2015-2024.

Platform-eligible tier

Multiple range: 12x – 15x+ EV/EBITDA for scaled, multi-vertical platforms.

Typical seller: $20M+ EBITDA, national or multi-continent footprint, deep regulated-vertical exposure (life sciences, data centers), professional CFO/CEO, recurring managed-service revenue, demonstrated add-on integration capability. Buyer pool: middle-market and upper-middle-market PE underwriting a new platform, plus the existing platforms (E Tech, ACC, MKD) targeting platform-level deals. E Tech Group (Graham Partners) is the reference platform in this tier. Recurring revenue, regulated-vertical depth, and the scarcity of certified engineering talent at scale justify the premium.

The data-center and reshoring premium

Integrators with demonstrated data-center building-management / power-monitoring capability or reshoring-driven new-plant automation pipelines command a premium in 2026, because both end-markets are growing well above the broader manufacturing baseline. E Tech Group’s explicit data-center end-market positioning is a direct example of how platforms are weighting toward these tailwinds.

Acquisition criteria: what automation platforms look for

What this means for automation / SCADA owners considering an exit

  1. If you are a founder-owned, sub-$5M EBITDA integrator, your realistic exit is 5x-8x EV/EBITDA from a sponsor-backed strategic (E Tech, MKD, ACC) or regional consolidator. Pre-sale prep over 12-18 months focused on deepening vertical specialization, building recurring managed-service revenue, adding IT/OT-cybersecurity capability, and documenting your certified-engineer bench can move you toward the upper end or unlock mid-market-tier interest.
  2. If you are a $5M-$20M EBITDA integrator, your realistic exit is 10x-14x EV/EBITDA from the institutional platform set or growth-stage PE. The key levers between 10x and 14x are regulated-vertical depth, recurring managed-service revenue percentage, IT/OT and cybersecurity capability, and demonstrated double-digit growth. The data-center and reshoring tailwinds are real; positioning your pipeline toward them ahead of a sale matters.
  3. If you are platform-eligible ($20M+ EBITDA, multi-vertical, national / multi-continent, recurring revenue), your realistic exit is 12x-15x+ EV/EBITDA from middle-market PE, with rollover equity for a meaningful second exit. With E Tech (Falfurrias → Graham) showing the sponsor-to-sponsor recap path, the buyer landscape for platform-level deals is deep. Sponsor fit, regulated-vertical positioning, and certified-talent retention are the key variables.

CT Acquisitions runs a buy-side advisory; we represent acquirers across the industrial-services landscape. See the Industrial Automation Business Sale guide and the How to Sell an Industrial Electrical Contractor guide for sell-side process detail, the Electrical Contractor Valuation guide for the adjacent framework, and the Owner’s Exit Checklist for pre-sale preparation.

Limitations of this analysis

Future updates and methodology notes

Refresh cadence: quarterly. Next scheduled refresh August 29, 2026. Triggers we are watching:

How to flag corrections: Every named platform, sponsor, and transaction on this page is sourced to a primary press release, sponsor portfolio page, advisor disclosure, or industry-research publisher. If you believe an attribution or figure is wrong, email hello@ctacquisitions.com with the primary source that contradicts what we have published. We re-verify and patch within 5 business days.

Sources and references

Every named platform, sponsor, transaction, and multiple range on this page is sourced to a primary press release, sponsor portfolio page, advisor disclosure, or industry-research publisher. Some trade-press sources (Control Engineering, IEN, E Tech Group blog) bot-block default User-Agent requests and are reachable only via browser; where used, the content is verifiable via accessible mirrors cited below.

Last verified: May 29, 2026. Next refresh: quarterly (target 2026-08-29).

Disclaimer: This tracker is general market intelligence, not investment, legal, or tax advice. Multiples and outcomes by tier are illustrative; actuals vary with vertical mix, recurring-revenue percentage, certified-talent depth, and buyer fit. CT Acquisitions is a buy-side advisor.


Christoph Totter, Founder of CT Acquisitions

About the Author

Christoph Totter is the founder of CT Acquisitions, a buy-side M&A advisory firm in Sheridan, Wyoming. He is a published researcher in lower middle market M&A on Zenodo, Academia.edu, and ORCID, and an active contributor on LinkedIn on M&A, private equity, and business sales. CT Acquisitions works directly with 100+ buyers including PE platforms, family offices, search funders, and strategic consolidators. Buyers pay our fee, never sellers. No retainer, no exclusivity, no contract until close.