dAPP Controls Partners with Wago to Scale its Custom Control Panel Business

As the manufacturing industries advance along with the pace of business worldwide, it’s clear that automation is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity for staying competitive. The reason: automation can significantly enhance efficiency, productivity and precision, enabling businesses to meet increasing demands while reducing costs. 

But simply automating functions or processes alone is not a guarantee of success. The key to successful use of automation lies in having the right equipment and tools that ensure reliability, adaptability and ease of use. With the proper components, companies can integrate automated systems that optimize workflow and minimize downtime, ultimately driving sustainable growth and innovation. This was the approach taken by dAPP Controls as they began operations as a startup company building custom control panels.

Specializing as a UL 508A panel shop, dAPP Controls provides custom control panels, enclosures and in-house control platforms for industries ranging from wastewater management to industrial refrigeration and motion control. With a focus on developing modern, user-friendly applications, dAPP Controls uses technologies like Docker and web-based visualizations to streamline machine-to-machine communications and harness the power of the latest digital technologies.

The goal: eliminate mundane engineering tasks

When dAPP Controls first opened its doors a little more than a year ago, they wanted to develop products while partnering with other companies to create viable automation solutions.  “Digital, clear and simple” is their mantra around using the right tool for the right job.  They strive to work with their clients’ requirements to find the most efficient solution and avoid unnecessary costs by using data to make decisions. Their mission is to provide systems that eliminate mundane engineering tasks that often introduce mistakes and apply automation in coordination with their customers’ knowledge of product variants.

To build their business, dAPP Controls knew it had to partner with a company whose products were not only robust and reliable but gave them a high-level of control for future flexibility through support for open-source programming.  To develop a core automation product supply and support for their applications, they evaluated six different manufacturers to see who could provide the specific products they were looking for.  

One of those companies was Wago. Joe Kain, regional sales manager at Wago, welcomed dAPP Controls’ partner evaluation process. “We wanted them to vet the other companies to see if they could provide what they wanted so they knew what we were able to give them compared to the others,” said Kain.  

Of course, products weren’t the only important factor for dAPP Controls. Other critical factors included price, supply chain, documentation and support.

“I have been using Wago products for a long time” said Matt Barley, president of dAPP Controls. “Their lever terminals, marking systems and Smart Designer tools sped up our design and proposal processes significantly."  

For dAPP Controls’ evaluation, Wago provided a range of industrial automation products. The company selected Wago’s Pro 2 power supply, lever terminals, CC100 controller, TP 600 HMI touch panels and the ECB electronic circuit breaker. All of which were selected to fit dAPP Controls’ specific project requirements.

With Wago as a solutions partner, dAPP Controls can focus on refining and scaling its digital-first approach, bringing advanced automation solutions to their growing base of industrial clients. 

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