(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

By Hannah Curran, Sponsored Content 

When System Controls, Inc. and Electric Machine Control, Inc. (SCI/EMC) decided in 2012 to move from their Avondale location owner William “Bill” Reed and President Shane Heath looked at available greenfield commercial property in a 25-mile radius of their current location.  After an exhaustive review the clear choice was the current location of 7015 Haisten Drive, located in the Trussville Industrial Park.  After the construction of a state-of-the-art 32,000 square foot facility, the combined efforts of 45 dedicated employees are displayed every day in the quality of the products and services they provide to new and, often times, repeat customers.

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

System Controls, founded in 1964 by John Ramsay, began by providing motor controls for the underground mining conveyor industry.  Today, many of those same customers continue to purchase electrical control systems for all types of mining applications.  SCI provides control systems for many other Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs).  These OEMs offer the SCI equipment as a part of their product.  This requires many of the SCI products to be assembled, wired, and tested to extreme regulations and specifications, then shipped to destinations across the globe.

Ed Carter founded EMC in 1975 as a manufacturer of high-end DC motor controllers for rolling applications in the paper and steel industries.  Today, EMC is a leader in electric controls and automation in the Water/Wastewater industry, as well as, in Power Utilities, Pulp and Paper, Metals, Material Handling, and General Industrial Applications.  These two diverse backgrounds were melded together when the two companies were joined in 2001 by the common ownership resulting from the purchase of SCI in 1997 and EMC in 1999.  

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

As is common in a family-owned business the torch passes to Bill Reed’s son, Scott Reed, the two companies continue to grow and provide an excellent workplace.  “In terms of interactions with employees, the family-owned business tends to be more relational, while the larger corporation is transactional. This more nurturing culture can permeate the business and have a profound impact on relationships with customers, vendors and fellow employees. I would much rather build a relationship than be part of an equation.”  Besides the standard benefits provided by most employers SCI/EMC provides their employees with many additional benefits like profit sharing, 401k matching, family healthcare options, flexible and remote working schedules, in-house training programs, and college tuition reimbursement for those studying in qualifying degree paths.

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

“We offer an education assistance program to our employees that reimburses them for any out-of-pocket cost in pursuit of an industry applicable degree either two or four years.” Heath said. “We have had some employees hire in as an entry level shop technician and utilizing the education assistance program, attain their engineering degree and become a member of our engineering staff. We find that when the organization invests in its employees it benefits all parties involved.” 

With the diverse background of its employees and project history, SCI/EMC continues to find new markets and customers where the quality and robustness of the products and services are required.  “We have made a concerted effort to diversify the industries in which we work.,” Heath said. “That diversification allows us to maintain a steadier growth and minimizes the market volatility associated with being vertically integrated in only one industry.”

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

The SCI/EMC Management Team is responsible for goals and objectives, the workplace environment, risk management, and the overall quality of the products and services.  One of the tools they have implemented is the Quality Management System, or QMS.  The QMS covers all aspects of the organized operations of the employees and carries certification to meet the requirements of ISO-9001.  This system is used to determine potential problems and quality issues to implement corrective actions for any current or future event. This system is also responsible for a number of continued improvements for the overall process.

SCI/EMC employs electrical engineers and designers, project managers, field service engineers and technicians, and production technicians along with quality, sales, and administrative positions to manage the workflow associated with the design and production of electrical control systems.  Projects may include a detailed request for quotation with design drawings and specifications or a simple request for a standard product ranging from hundreds of dollars to several million dollars.  

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

Many of the projects rely on highly-skilled employees to understand the customer’s need, design safe and efficient control systems, and produce high quality work.  All employees are encouraged to participate in in-house or online training to improve their current skills or expand their skill set to a new area.  The company prides itself on being small and treats everyone like family.  “You’re not just a number here, you are part of a team that wants everyone to succeed and we make every effort to ensure that happens.,” Heath said. 

“We feel the future’s bright, and we’re going to continue to grow,” Heath said. “We’ve seen a large increase in revenue this past couple of years, and we have no indications that trend won’t continue long into the future.”

(Photo courtesy of System Controls/EMC)

Heath emphasized that people in the area like living in Trussville and want to stay in Trussville; they have opportunities for engineers or technicians for production people to work right here in their backyard. The company also offers summer internships to college students studying engineering.

“We’ve had great success with our summer engineering intern program,” Heath said. “That program really expands our engineering capabilities with people we know and trust. Once they have completed their degree, they are able to come on board as a full-time team member and contribute to the organization at an accelerated pace due to their working knowledge of our procedural processes.”

To learn more about the opportunities that System Controls/EMC offers, you can visit their website at emcinc.com or www.system-controls.net or call the office at ​​(205) 661-3999.

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