4 minute read
Creative Solutions to Challenging Environments
Red Lion Controls and their over 50 years of innovation
BY CASEY NIXON | DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Q&A with Marcel van Helten, President, Red Lion Controls
With recent innovations in technology such as electric vehicles, robotics in factories and on assembly lines, and now AI technology such as ChatGBT, the modernization of how industries operate have given businesses many challenges. Red Lion , founded and operated in York County, has a dedicated business model to solve these obstacles serving industries worldwide.
Since 1972, Red Lion Controls has provided innovative industrial automation and networking solutions to industries such as system integrators, original equipment manufacturers, water and wastewater plant operations, alternative energy operations, and oil and gas companies, to name a few. Their specialty is developing products that can operate in challenging environments, such as extreme temperatures, humidity, and vibration. While their business has been built to support other industries, they’ve also adopted the theme of innovation to their own business model to incorporate a vertical integration of operating to ensure quality customer service.
Marcel van Helten, President, Red Lion Controls
Q: Could you tell us a bit about what your company does?
Red Lion Controls empowers industrial organizations around the world to unlock the value of data by developing and manufacturing innovative solutions to access, connect and visualize their information. We make it easy for companies to gain real-time data visibility that drives productivity. Red Lion is part of Spectris plc, the experts in providing insight through precision measurement.
Q: Why did the founders select the York area, and why have you stayed here?
Our headquarters is located in York, Pennsylvania, which is where our founder, Harry Cordes, initially selected to set up shop. Ironically, the company was not named for the reason many assume. Though Harry’s home was located in Red Lion; Harry noticed his family’s coat of arms having two red lions in the crest (hence the name). We've stayed in York because it's an excellent location for our operations, with a skilled workforce and a great community of businesses and organizations that support us.
Q: Where might people find Red Lion Controls products in use?
You can find our products both locally and abroad solving a range of customer needs. From helping count the amount of product in the Maple Donuts factory, to helping wind farms operate in Europe while preserving the bird population.
Q: What are some big milestones or wins for your company?
Recently, we've had several big wins, including expanding our product line to include new IIoT offerings and winning several Readers’ Choice awards from Control Design magazine for our innovative panel meter solutions. We're proud to have been recognized by leading industry publications for our commitment to quality and customer service. Additionally, we celebrated 50 years in business and opened our new worldwide headquarters at a former UPMC outpatient facility off Belmont Avenue. Finally, we had a series of industry patents issued to some of our in-house engineers, which is a sign of our continued work in innovation and motivation of our employees.
Q: Have you had any recent innovations?
We're always working on new innovations and have recently released several new products, including our touchscreen panel meter, a game changer for many plant operators, a new networking switch with an innovative web interface, and soon, an HDMI® feature for one of our flagship edge automation platform products, FlexEdge™. All of these products allow our customers to more easily collect and analyze data from their industrial equipment, helping them to make better decisions and improve their operations.
Q: What are the future goals and plans for Red Lion Controls?
Looking ahead, we plan to continue developing new and innovative products that meet the evolving needs of our customers. We are currently in the process of a brand repositioning that will allow both our employees and distributor network to better speak to our company products and solutions while still explaining how we help our customers access, connect, and visualize their data. We're excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services to our customers.
For over 5 decades, Red Lion Controls has been innovating in York.
