A fortuitous encounter at an industry event last year landed Think-PLC a big assignment and a chance to demonstrate and prove its recently expanded capabilities…
Based in Lexington, North Carolina, Think-PLC specializes in industrial automation controls but is developing a reputation as a systems integrator, blending hardware and software to create solutions for clients. Last profiled in Manufacturing in Focus in April 2023, Think-PLC has a fruitful partnership with German tech giant Siemens, the latter firm renowned for creating automation controls (among other high-tech products) for the industrial, manufacturing, healthcare, and transportation sectors, to name a few.
Think-PLC sets itself apart from the competition as the only Siemens Factory Automation and Machine Tool Solution Partner on the East Coast; the only Siemens Run MyRobot Experience Solution Partner in the U.S.; the only Siemens Braumat/Sistar Solution Partner certified in the U.S.; and a Rittal EPlan Exclusive Partner.
Solutions are brewing
Think-PLC CEO and Founder Bobby Cole tells us that the industry event in question was called Brewlogix, a symposium that Think-PLC hosts about four times a year. “We piggybacked on the craft beer craze to get folks to come network,” he shares. “We started these events years ago, and they’ve caught like wildfire. Instead of the traditional lunch and learn, people come out and enjoy a craft beer as we do a short deep dive into some technology.”
The pivotal Brewlogix event was held at a restaurant run by the Aviator Brewing Company, headquartered in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. For this gathering, Cole gave an address on Braumat, a Siemens process-control solution designed for the brewing sector. In the rapt audience, unbeknownst to Cole, and paying particularly close attention, was his host for the evening.
“I finish up and go to the bar to finally get a drink, and there’s the CEO of Aviator Brewing, Mark Doble. He said he really liked my presentation. He told me, ‘This is cool stuff; I’d like to hear more from your team and the Siemens folks,’” recalls Cole.
Doble’s company had been experiencing growing pains at the new craft brewery it had opened, and Doble describes his travails and the solution he found in a YouTube video: “Beer is very labor-intensive to produce. We were managing a lot of the process manually, taking temperature readings, monitoring boil times with stopwatches. Then, we moved to a 60-barrel system, which you cannot manage manually at all.” Software that was supposed to regulate this 60-barrel brewing system “was clunky and didn’t really work. So, we reached out to some friends at Think-PLC.”
Shortly after the Brewlogix event, Doble ordered Braumat software to manage his expanded brewing operations, tasking Think-PLC with installing the system and incorporating it into his new equipment. Think-PLC technicians “took what he had bought and retrofitted it, which we’re very good at. We were able to take what was good—which was the stainless-steel tanks, pipes, and all that stuff—keep it, and add a new control system that met his needs,” continues Cole.
In the video describing the project, Doble appears delighted with how things worked out. He praises the “awesome software” from Siemens, which “helps us manage the automation from front to back.” And he describes Think-PLC as “an outstanding partner—they basically saved us,” he says.
“Think-PLC came highly recommended by industry professionals,” Doble says. “We contacted Think-PLC and they immediately came to our rescue. We collaborated on the software development and were able to complete a working system fairly quickly. We were back in business! Think-PLC overcame challenges related to legacy hardware and made the system work.”
This gave Doble’s company “something we didn’t have before: true flexibility,” he shares. “We can now make changes on the fly and tailor the platform to match the real-world needs of our brewing process. This kind of adaptability has been a game-changer. We’re able to fine-tune operations, improve efficiency, and cut down on manual tasks—ultimately saving on labor costs and, even more importantly, valuable time. It’s exactly the kind of control we need to keep pushing forward and growing,” he continues.
“Think-PLC absolutely crushed it on this project. From the moment we brought them in, they were responsive, professional, and fully committed to getting us back up and running. They took the time to understand our unique setup, collaborated closely with our team, and delivered a custom solution that actually worked—and worked well. They navigated some tricky challenges with the legacy hardware and still managed to implement a reliable, flexible system that improved our overall efficiency. Overall, their performance was outstanding, and we couldn’t be happier with the results.”
When asked about the Aviator project, Cole is modest but does note that Doble was brewing beer within two and a half weeks of the installation.
More than just winning respect from a new client, the Aviator Brewing assignment highlights a big change in Think-PLC’s mission. Founded in mid-2019, the firm initially focused on designing and building automation controls (indeed, the PLC in the company name refers to “Programmable Logic Controllers—devices used to observe performance, compile and transmit data, and control automated processes, robotic systems, and machinery). In addition, the company did retrofit work, repairing and extending the life of legacy control systems. Nowadays, Think-PLC still performs these tasks but has considerably broadened its mandate.
Gold standard
Since our previous profile, the firm has “morphed into something more than what our humble beginnings were, which was just in industrial controls. Today, we’ve become the gold standard for what a systems integrator is,” states Cole. The team helps its customers cut their manual labor by hundreds of hours each week and see a return on their investment in just under a year.
The company has also expanded its workforce and manufacturing space from 22 individuals when our last profile ran to 34 today. Approximately 20,000 square feet of space has been added to Think-PLC’s manufacturing facility in Lexington, which is where most fabrication and manufacturing work is still performed. The company also operates an East Tennessee branch, which has expanded to meet growing customer demand and address the “lack of companies like ours in that territory,” says Cole. “We continue to add people there.”
As well as consolidating the Tennessee branch, the company wants to grow its reach in the Northeast, possibly opening a site in New England. Aerospace and data centers are booming in the area, and “from a sales perspective, those are the markets that you need to be aligned with right now,” notes Cole.
The company is UL certified, is a Rockwell integrator, and is a Siemens Solution Partner for factory automation, drives and motion, and machine tool systems. Think-PLC partner vendors include FANUC robotics and Alba manufacturing, which designs and makes conveyor systems.
The first and only go-to
Aviator Brewing isn’t the only prominent customer to have recently availed itself of Think-PLC. The company recently completed a project for Anduril, a leading defense contractor from California. Think-PLC utilized Siemens SISTAR process control software at an Anduril plant manufacturing Barracuda-M cruise missiles.
“The vertical for defense and aerospace was looking for someone to implement software for Siemens, and we were the first and only go-to,” says Cole.
The Anduril assignment also underlined the capabilities of the SISTAR system. While they share similarities, the Braumat automation system is specific to brewing, while SISTAR can be used “across the board, from making food to brewing beer to making rocket fuel,” says Cole.
New staff, new standards
Think-PLC used to do minimal promotion, relying mostly on word-of-mouth for new business; this has changed, and the firm now employs two full-time sales staff. The new team helped push revenue from roughly $7 million at the time of our previous profile to $11 million in 2024, and the company’s growth strategy includes a new corporate office with an additional 30,000 square feet of capacity.
With its growth and increase in personnel, Think-PLC continues to use a multi-step process to hire new staff. Prospective employees take written tests designed to gauge their industry knowledge and personalities, using material developed by business writer Patrick Lencioni to deduce a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses. “We’ve improved not only the technical questions that go into the questionnaire; we’ve improved the personality profiling as well. We’ve onboarded a few other personality trait skill sets,” Cole shares.
Once someone is hired, Think-PLC takes care to integrate them into its operations in a speedy, seamless way. “It’s very frustrating for people if they show up to your organization and you’re not prepared for them. They come prepared to work, and you don’t have their computer ready, or they’re not set up in your system, or people don’t know they’re coming on board. Those are things that frustrate not only the internal team but the individuals themselves,” notes Cole.
A new framework
Think-PLC’s penchant for organization and order is also evident in its use of an Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), which began last year. These systems offer a framework of tools and concepts that enable companies to formulate comprehensive, easily understood plans, processes, and duties. Think-PLC has utilized its EOS to document core processes and streamline operations, among other tasks. An EOS “gets all the players on the same bus, and cleans up your systems and your business,” says Cole.
This is important given current market conditions. “The biggest challenge right now is that the economy’s taken a downturn. We’re in a period of artificial inflation, and right now, manufacturing’s in a bit of a lull,” says Cole.
Think-PLC has adjusted by becoming more strategic in its marketing efforts. If sales are dropping in one area, the team pivots and invests marketing dollars in sectors that are doing well, such as “defense and datacom.”
Stepping into the future
He expects the overall economy to improve and is bullish about the company’s future. In this regard, Think-PLC staff recently utilized the EOS to create a document enumerating steps designed to help the business grow. These steps include the full implementation of a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, purchasing its 30,000-square-foot facility (as opposed to leasing sites, the company’s present practice), more philanthropy and community involvement, a drive for more awards and recognition, and establishing new satellite offices.
Basic tenets that have always governed the company’s efforts, such as keeping customers and employees happy, are not forgotten but meticulously annotated on the master list for this rapidly expanding company.
Asked where he sees the company in five years, Cole says the goal is to “be the largest systems integrator in North Carolina,” and it’s clear that the company is well on the way to achieving this milestone. Think-PLC was ranked at number 24 in the Triad Business Journal’s 2025 Fast 50, and Cole was honored with the Journal’s 2022 40 Under 40 award and a 2024 C-Suite Award.
Presently, the company is building up its workforce to 55 employees, says Cole, and methodically instituting the full array of resolutions from the EOS document aimed at guiding the company to the top tier of systems integrators
Buoyed by its expanding team, its growing footprint, and its impressive roster of clients ranging from craft breweries to defense contractors, Think-PLC is proving itself a versatile and trusted systems integrator. The company’s ability to blend technical expertise with practical, customer-focused solutions has not only earned it a reputation for reliability but also positioned it for continued success in volatile markets. Guided by a clear strategic framework and ambitious yet mindful growth plans, Think-PLC is charting a course toward industry leadership, with a blend of innovation, discipline, and partnership that will keep it at the forefront of automation and integration.
