STS Automation Incorporated was founded by Shawn Sherwood in 2011, who at the time already had over a decade of experience working with SCADA software and systems. Prior to starting his own company, Shawn was working for a large SCADA contractor and noticed that while the prices that contractor charged for their services kept going up, the level of service they provided was declining. In fact, it was not uncommon for customers to have to wait a week or longer for service. Shawn believed that they deserved better treatment, and he felt that he was in a position to give it to them while at the same time reducing their costs. 

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With that goal in mind, Shawn named his new company STS, which stands for Setting the Standard. Since the company's founding, Shawn has raised the bar for SCADA integration contractors in many ways, including: 

• Charging fair prices that are in line with the actual work being preformed

• Dramatically lowering response time for client service requests to less

​than 24 hrs in most cases, and to under 4 hrs in emergencies

• Providing ongoing maintenance and support services that include

monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, and annual  site visits

• Giving customers a level of individual attention unmatched by other

contractors in the area

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Word of STS Automation's service quickly spread through the tightly connected SCADA community, and Shawn has had no shortage of clients interested in keeping their costs down and getting the level of service they deserve. The demand for his services has allowed him to expand  beyond the water treatment industry to serve clients in the solar power, agriculture, and power generation industries as well. 

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What Is SCADA

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SCADA stands for Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition. It is a type of industrial control system that helps run water and waste-water treatment plants, solar power plants, oil and gas pipelines, electrical power transmission facilities, and many other types of operations. In layman’s terms, SCADA is what keeps the lights on and makes the water flow out of the tap when the faucet is turned on.

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Typically, facilities that use SCADA systems involve complex processes that are spread out over a wide area or even between multiple locations. Because each facility is different, the system must be customized for each individual user. This customization work, along with the testing, installation, and maintenance that follows, is performed by contractors like STS Automation.