You can purchase our products through our Shop Online or our network of trusted distributors. For large or bespoke orders, you can contact our sales team directly to discuss your specific requirements.

Yes, for products we hold in stock, we offer same-day dispatch on orders placed before 2:30 pm. For non-stock items or bespoke orders, our dedicated UK manufacturing ensures the most efficient lead times possible.

If you need to return a product, you must first obtain a Non-Conformance (NC) Number from our team. The product must be returned using our SP04.1 Returns Form. Please note that the customer is responsible for covering the initial return carriage cost.

We ship products worldwide. All web orders are delivered under the DAP (Delivered at Place) Incoterm, meaning the recipient is responsible for any import duties, taxes, and customs clearance charges levied once the package reaches the destination country.

United Automation specialises in the design and manufacture of industrial power control, heating and temperature control, and motion and vibration control solutions. This includes AC voltage regulators, thyristor controllers, fan speed controllers, and specialised controls for catering applications.

Our core product categories are Industrial Power Control & Regulation, Industrial Heating & Temperature Control, Motion & Vibration Control, Catering Solutions, and Components & Brands. We also feature a dedicated category for our UL-Certified Products.

All products manufactured by United Automation are warranted to be free from defects in materials and workmanship for one (1) year from the date of shipment from our plant. We will repair or replace defective goods at our discretion.

Comprehensive datasheets, including technical specifications, wiring diagrams, and installation guidelines, are available for every product. You can access these in our dedicated Datasheet Library via the Technical Support page.

We offer comprehensive bespoke design solutions. Our in-house engineers custom-design and manufacture products to meet your unique specifications, covering non-standard applications, specific power requirements, and complex challenges that standard 'off-the-shelf' products cannot meet.

Our expert technical team is available to assist you with product selection, installation, and troubleshooting. You can contact us directly by phone or email, or submit a query through our online form.

You can find our blog articles for expert insights into our latest products and industry trends, as well as guides and tips for your applications, by visiting our blog page.

You can discover how our products are successfully applied in various industries and learn from real-world solutions by exploring our case studies and application notes section.

United Automation was founded in 1964 and has over 60 years of experience in the design and manufacture of industrial power control products, operating out of Southport, UK. You can read more about our full company history and heritage on our About Us page.

Yes, all our products are designed and manufactured to meet relevant UK and EU standards, including CE and UKCA markings where applicable. We are also committed to RoHS and REACH compliance. You can read more about our compliance and accreditations on the Certification page.

Yes, we have a growing range of UL-certified products that meet rigorous safety and performance standards for the United States and Canada. You can find detailed compliance information on the specific product datasheets.

You can contact our team through several channels. For sales, technical support or general enquiries, please call us at +44 (0)1704 516501 or email enquiries@united-automation.com. Alternatively, you can fill out an enquiry form on our Contact Us page.

United Automation is a UK-based manufacturer with over 60 years of experience designing and building power control solutions for industry. They make the electronics that manage, regulate, and protect electrical power in factories, machines, and industrial systems — including thyristor controllers that smooth out AC power delivery, soft start controllers that protect motors from damaging inrush current, DC motor controllers, solid state relays, and AC voltage regulators. They manufacture everything at their facility in Southport, UK, and supply customers worldwide.

A thyristor controller (also called a phase angle controller) gradually varies the power delivered to a load — ideal for applications needing precise control over heating elements, lamps, or resistive loads. A solid state relay (SSR) is an on/off switching device with no moving parts — perfect for fast, reliable switching without the wear of a mechanical relay. United Automation offers both. For a heater needing precise temperature management, a thyristor controller is the right choice. For robust, silent switching, an SSR is the better option. Their technical team can advise on the right product for any specific load and application.

Yes — bespoke engineering is one of United Automation's core strengths. Their in-house team uses 3D PCB design, SOLIDWORKS, AutoCAD, and their own software development capability to take a specification from concept through to finished, certified product. All bespoke designs can be built to meet specific legislation, with full documentation, compliance testing, and value engineering included. They have supplied bespoke solutions to clients in over 88 countries since 1964, including demanding sectors like defence, aerospace, and medical.

United Automation's industrial power control solutions are used across manufacturing automation, HVAC systems, catering and food service, aerospace, automotive, medical devices, EV charging infrastructure, military and defence, and energy management. Clients have included Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Williams Racing, and the NHS.

When a motor starts from a dead stop, it can draw 5 to 8 times its normal running current — called inrush current — which damages motor windings, mechanical couplings, and supply infrastructure. A soft start controller ramps voltage up gradually, limiting that inrush and extending motor life significantly. It also reduces mechanical shock on belts, gears, and pumps. United Automation's SSC-25 and SSC-25 PLUS soft start modules handle up to 25A at 230V with an adjustable ramp.

Power factor is a measure of how efficiently an electrical system uses the power it draws. A poor power factor means drawing more current than needed, increasing electricity bills and potentially attracting penalty charges from energy suppliers. Power factor correction (PFC) compensates for reactive power in the system. United Automation offers PFC units from 30kVAR upward. Facilities running significant inductive loads such as motors, transformers, or fluorescent lighting will typically benefit, with payback periods often under two years.

United Automation supplies both complete control units and individual components. Their spares range includes thyristors, IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs, SiC diodes, Mersen fuses, trigger modules, and power modules — including high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductors for modern high-efficiency power designs. They are also the sole UK distributor for Panasonic Industrial Automation products, covering sensors, servo drives, PLCs, and HMIs.

United Automation's catering controllers are purpose-built electronic devices that regulate the power going to commercial kitchen appliances — heat lamp gantries, bain-maries, food warmers, and heated display units — giving precise control over heating elements including quartz infrared lamps used in food warming. They are designed for the demands of professional catering environments: robust enough for continuous commercial use, and efficient enough to reduce energy costs. This is one of United Automation's most popular product categories.

Beyond catering controllers and quartz lamp controllers, United Automation's catering range includes food heat lamps and accessories (including R7s jacketed infrared lamps with high-temperature ceramic holders for food warming gantries), and Commercial Kitchen Gas Interlock systems. The gas interlock ensures kitchen gas appliances can only operate when extraction ventilation is running — a legal requirement in most UK commercial kitchens.

The Infresco is United Automation's own branded range of controllers designed specifically for infrared space heaters used in outdoor hospitality areas, beer gardens, smoking shelters, warehouses, workshops, and sports halls. Rather than applying full power instantly — which causes a large inrush current spike that kills lamps and trips breakers — the Infresco gradually ramps power up using soft-start technology, extending infrared heater lamp life by up to 30%. The range includes the Infresco-S (soft-start protection), Infresco-T (1 to 30 minute timer), Infresco-P (PIR motion sensor and temperature inhibition), and Infresco-VR (variable dimmer with ten power settings). All are available in 4kW and 6kW versions, all IP65-rated for outdoor installation.

Nuisance breaker trips and premature lamp failure are classic symptoms of uncontrolled inrush current. When a cold quartz halogen infrared lamp switches on, its filament resistance is very low, briefly drawing many times its normal running current. That spike stresses the lamp filament and can exceed the breaker's tolerance. The Infresco-S Protect soft-start controller uses microcontroller-based zero-voltage switching and a controlled power ramp-up to eliminate the spike — ending nuisance trips, reducing blown lamps, and lowering maintenance costs significantly.

United Automation supplies industrial-grade infrared heater lamps — quartz halogen lamps for use inside infrared space heaters for outdoor heating, warehouses, workshops, and sports halls. These lamps are designed to pair directly with the Infresco controller range and are available as bundled packages (heater plus Infresco controller) at a 15% discount. These infrared heater lamps are a separate product category from United Automation's food heat lamps, which are designed for catering food warming environments such as heated display gantries and bain-maries.

United Automation's fan speed controllers regulate power to single-phase induction fan motors using phase-angle control, allowing precise airflow adjustment rather than running fans at full speed continuously. The EVR-4kW PA, for example, is a 17A metal-enclosed unit with adjustable soft-start (0 to 20 seconds), an integrated high-speed semiconductor fuse, and compatibility with 0 to 10V or 4 to 20mA control signals. Typical applications include industrial ventilation, HVAC air handling units, extract fans, and cooling systems. Running fans at reduced speed when full airflow is not needed is one of the most straightforward energy savings available in a facility.

Variable frequency drives (VFDs) are excellent for large motors or applications needing precise speed control and torque management, but for simpler single-phase fans — ventilation extract fans, HVAC units, industrial cooling fans — they are often over-specified and significantly more expensive. United Automation's phase-angle fan speed controllers are a more cost-effective, compact solution for single-phase applications, simpler to install and maintain, and well-suited to warehouse ventilation, commercial kitchen extracts, and machine cooling where the full capability of a VFD is not required.

A soft start controller protects a motor and supply at startup by ramping voltage up gradually to limit inrush current, then steps aside once the motor is running at full speed — it does not control speed during normal operation. A variable speed drive (VFD) controls motor speed continuously throughout operation. For pumps, compressors, conveyors, or fans that run at a fixed speed but need gentle starting, a soft start is ideal and far more affordable. United Automation's SSC-25 and SSC-25 PLUS handle up to 25A at 230V with an adjustable ramp — the PLUS version adds extra protection features.

Bespoke projects at United Automation range from simple modifications of an existing product — a different voltage rating, custom enclosure, or added control interface — through to completely new power control systems designed from the ground up. Common customers include OEMs needing a controller built into their own product, and businesses retrofitting legacy equipment where off-the-shelf products no longer exist. Unusual load types, non-standard control signals, specific form factor constraints, or regulatory requirements that standard products cannot meet are all strong candidates. United Automation manufactures in-house in the UK, giving faster turnaround and full quality control with no dependence on overseas supply chains.

United Automation's industrial heating and temperature control range covers four distinct areas: Envirostat frost protection controllers (for preventing pipes and systems from freezing and supporting Legionella risk management), HVAC thyristor controllers (for regulating heating elements in air handling and climate systems), general temperature controllers (for process heating across manufacturing and automation), and Infresco infrared heating controllers (for outdoor and industrial infrared space heating). Each product category is engineered for a specific class of application.

The Envirostat is United Automation's range of frost protection controllers that safeguard external pipework, valves, tanks, and water systems from freezing. Pipe lagging slows heat loss but cannot add heat when temperatures drop far enough — in exposed industrial and commercial environments such as plant rooms, rooftop plant, and external pipework runs, insulation alone is insufficient. The Envirostat controls heater tape or infrared quartz lamps on pipework, activating them automatically only when ambient temperature drops to a critical level, which is far more energy-efficient than continuous trace heating.

The Envirostat range comes in 4kW and 6kW versions, each with an E model and an i model. The FP4E and FP6E are straightforward electronic thermostats offering reliable frost protection with temperature control and alarm indication. The FP4i and FP6i add Building Management System (BMS) alarm integration and enhanced fault detection with LED status indicators — the right choice where centralised monitoring is required. All models are IP65-rated, include a built-in 2-metre encapsulated temperature sensor, feature soft-start, and are adjustable from -10°C to +10°C (an alternative 0°C to +20°C range is also available). The FP4iR and FP4ER are reverse logic variants for HVAC and fan applications where fans must switch off as temperatures approach freezing. The MP6i is a dual-temperature model with BMS alarm integration for more advanced process temperature management alongside frost protection.

Yes. Beyond preventing burst pipes, the Envirostat addresses a second serious risk: Legionella. Legionella pneumophila — the bacteria responsible for Legionnaires' disease — thrives in water systems where temperature sits between 20°C and 45°C, particularly where water is stagnant. External pipe runs, underused outlets, and poorly maintained pipework in cold environments are exactly the conditions where water can cool into that danger zone. By keeping pipe temperatures consistently outside the bacterial growth range, Envirostat controllers actively support Legionella risk management. The FP6i, FP4i, and MP6i models add BMS alarm integration and fault detection to support the monitoring and audit trail required for health and safety compliance. UK HSE guidance on Legionella control specifically highlights maintaining water temperatures and preventing stagnation — goals the Envirostat range is designed to meet. Envirostat is particularly important for hospitals, hotels, schools, food production plants, and care homes.

An HVAC thyristor controller is a solid-state power controller that regulates electrical power going to heating elements inside HVAC systems — duct heaters, fan heaters, air handling units — using phase-angle or burst-fire control. Rather than simply switching a heating element fully on or off (which causes temperature swings, electrical noise, and mechanical stress), a thyristor controller modulates power smoothly, maintaining more stable temperatures and reducing energy consumption. United Automation's PR1 DIN-rail mounted series features phase burst-fire control, over-temperature protection, LED diagnostics, and flexible control inputs in a compact panel-mount format. The result is quieter operation, extended heating element life, and significantly better energy efficiency.

United Automation's HVAC thyristor controllers are used in large commercial and industrial HVAC installations and equally in smaller applications: factories and warehouses with duct heating systems, greenhouses requiring precise climate control, laboratories needing stable air temperatures, process facilities with heated air handling, and any environment where maintaining consistent air temperature is operationally important. The key benefit over a thermostat-and-contactor setup is smooth, silent power regulation — no relay click, no voltage spikes, no temperature hunting.

Temperature controllers and thyristor controllers often work as a pair. The temperature controller monitors a thermocouple or thermistor sensor, compares the measured temperature to the setpoint, and outputs a control signal. The thyristor controller takes that signal and modulates the actual power to the heating element. United Automation supplies both sides of this pairing. Their temperature controller range suits ovens, furnaces, industrial drying systems, process heating, HVAC, and automated manufacturing lines. The BMT3A is a three-phase burst-fire module with proprietary MONO-LINK gate-to-gate firing, dual temperature control ranges (0 to 40°C and 0 to 150°C), and zero-voltage switching to eliminate radio frequency interference — ideal for precision space heating, drying, and ventilation systems.

Phase-angle control chops each AC cycle, delivering a variable portion of each half-cycle to the load, giving smooth stepless power control but generating some harmonic distortion and electrical noise. Burst firing (cycle control) switches the load on and off for complete cycles at zero-voltage crossings — producing minimal electrical noise and no harmonics, making it generally preferred for resistive heating applications where the thermal mass of the element smooths the output and where a clean electrical supply is important. United Automation manufactures controllers using both methods and their technical team can advise which suits a specific heating load, supply environment, and EMC requirements.

Yes. The Envirostat FP6i, FP4i, and MP6i frost protection controllers include BMS alarm output integration as standard, allowing fault and status signals to feed directly into a central monitoring system. United Automation's thyristor controllers and temperature controllers accept standard 0 to 10V or 4 to 20mA control signals — the universal language of BMS and SCADA systems — enabling integration into wider building or process automation architectures without custom interfaces. For more complex integration requirements, their bespoke engineering team can design to a specific BMS protocol or communication standard.