Steele Solutions, a leading U.S.-based manufacturer of engineered steel mezzanines, platforms, and material handling structures, announced today the formal launch of SSI Automation—a new division dedicated to providing comprehensive controls and automation solutions for the steel, distribution, and logistics industries. This expansion marks a pivotal step in the company’s growth strategy, as it aims to address the persistent challenges facing integrators and end users: project risk, deployment delays, and the complexity of controls integration within increasingly sophisticated material handling environments.

The new SSI Automation division is positioned to deliver end-to-end automation packages tailored to industrial sectors, with a special emphasis on the needs of steel processing facilities, distribution hubs, and advanced logistics operations. By offering solutions that incorporate modular, simulation-ready software architectures, reusable code libraries, and diagnostic-rich design, Steele Solutions intends to drastically reduce commissioning times and ensure robust reliability across all system deployments. Project risk is often compounded by the necessity for custom-engineered controls tailored to each facility’s unique requirements. According to Steele Solutions, this traditional approach leads to redundant engineering, inflated costs, and inconsistencies in operational performance. SSI Automation’s “80/20” philosophy—standardizing 80% of commonly needed controls while customizing only the last 20% for site-specific needs—enables faster project delivery and greater scalability.

“We are eliminating inefficiency in both engineering and deployment by building on proven control logic and giving our customers the flexibility they need, without starting from scratch every time,” said Todd Hunter, Controls Division Leader at Steele Solutions. The new division’s offerings span the entire project lifecycle, from initial electrical panel design and simulation through on-site commissioning and lifecycle field service. Notably, SSI Automation leverages digital twin simulation technologies and platform-agnostic control architectures, allowing predictive troubleshooting before field deployment and minimizing late-stage disruptions.

Key benefits highlighted include accelerated project launches for system integrators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and end user steel mills; lower total cost of ownership through efficient commissioning; and superior long-term reliability via diagnostic-driven maintenance. For sectors such as parcel delivery, e-commerce fulfillment, and large-scale warehousing—which increasingly rely on interconnected, automated steel platforms—the ability to deploy controls solutions that “just work” is a huge differentiator. Customers can expect quicker time-to-value, smooth system handoffs, and predictable throughput, especially amid fluctuating demand cycles in North American steel supply chains.

Andy Schumacher, Chief Revenue Officer at Steele Solutions, underscored that “by combining modular logic, advanced simulation, and proven service frameworks, we’re minimizing risk and giving our clients a foundation they can trust for years.” Company CEO Kevin O’Neil further commented that “SSI Automation is not just an internal expansion; it makes us uniquely equipped to provide the structural and the digital backbone for our customers’ mission-critical systems.”

As North America’s steel and material handling markets continue prioritizing digitalization, real-time monitoring, and automation for enhanced competitiveness and sustainability, the launch of SSI Automation is expected to drive faster innovation cycles, reduce operational headaches, and empower operators to adapt to evolving industry challenges. The division’s focus on platform-agnostic, simulation-validated deployments positions it as a valuable strategic partner for mill operators, automation engineers, and supply chain directors seeking reliable, scalable, and future-proof controls infrastructure in the American steel ecosystem.