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Home of the Legendary Customer Experience

We are a high-tech distributor of industrial automation and controls products, and a UL508a control panel shop offering contract manufacturing and engineered solutions. We keep your facility running with onsite and offsite repair services.

Dallas-Fort Worth (HQ) • Austin • Baton Rouge • Chicago • Houston • Oklahoma City • San Antonio • Tulsa

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The Innovative-IDM Story

Industrial automation leader Innovative-IDM was founded in 2000 as Innovative Automation with a single location in Dallas. We are primarily a Contract Manufacturer focused on building electrical control panels. Founders Gene Gray, Tim Mueller, Todd Mueller, and Adam Ring sold during the day and built control panels at night.

Along the way, Innovative-IDM allied with key distribution channel partners such as ABB, Omron Automation & Safety, Parker EMN and SSD, SMC, Wago, Yaskawa Drives and Yaskawa Motion. Our technologies and services represent blue chip choices for our customers. When our customers asked, we added Systems Integration, Field Service and Industrial Electronic Repairs to our service line-up.

In its second decade, Innovative-IDM made several acquisitions including Omron Service Centers (formerly Omron IDM Controls) and Sunbelt Power Controls. We accelerated our expertise in plant safety and guarding by acquiring a complete aluminum extrusion cutting, milling and assembly shop.

This positioned us to be recognized as a Parker IPS Design Center to help customers with machine guarding and other safety initiatives. Our TUV certified engineers also can perform plant safety audits.

As our third decade unfolds, we moved to our new corporate HQ in Lewisville, Texas. Front and center is our robotics proof-of-concept lab which contains Articulated Arm, Cartesian, SCARA, Delta, Collaborative and Mobile robots. This facility allows us to test your robotics application onsite with our engineers and move your project forward faster, no matter where your facility is located. And our Safe Space product has kept thousands of plant employees better protected when social distancing is not feasible.

Innovative-IDM has grown into a company with more than 100 team members and stocking locations in Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Tulsa. To this day, we operate under our founding principles of business integrity, team loyalty and a model of “doing the right thing” for our customers, team members, and vendors.

Our Company Values

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

Embrace the Team Player Mentality

Teamwork is key to ensuring our customers have the best experience when doing business with us. Working together and learning from each other promotes continual growth.

Promote a Positive Tone

Ours is an environment where employees recognize each other daily for the legendary ways they help customers and teammates. Encouragement and appreciation for a job well done is part of what makes Innovative-IDM a great place to work.

Be Dedicated, Loyal, and Reliable

We look for people with personal values that manifest themselves in their personal and professional lives. Dedication to helping customers, a supportive spirit toward teammates, and dependability are qualities we value greatly.

Demonstrate Trustworthiness

A team works best when we believe in each other – to get the job done and to do the right thing for our customers and teammates.

Take Initiative

Identifying a need to improve is one thing. Doing something about it is what really counts. Ideas are always welcome and a drive toward personal growth is always encouraged.

Team Leaders

Ownership Team

Our success depends on a team committed to Legendary Customer Service. We prioritize helping our people develop a rewarding work life by offering training, providing coaching and feedback, and encouraging personal and professional growth. Even the Dallas Morning News recognized our special culture.

Gene Gray

Gene Gray

President, CEO, and Co-Founder

Gene Gray has more than 30 years of experience in the industrial automation and controls industry beginning with Minarik Automation and Controls as one of his first positions after being honorably discharged from the United States Navy. Gene served in nearly every capacity at Minarik, starting in the warehouse and matriculating through sales positions until ascending to Regional Manager. Gene has an Associates degree from North Lake College and is a Professional Selling Skills Certified Trainer.

Tim Mueller

Tim Mueller

Chicago Branch Manager and Co-Founder

Tim Mueller attended college at Murray State and University of Texas-Arlington before joining Minarik Automation and Control in 1994, where he served in both inside and outside sales roles. Besides his current role at IIDM, Mueller has served as outside sales rep, sales manager, and vice-president of sales. Mueller earned a “Certificate in Leadership” from the SMU Cox School of Business and lives in Downers Grove, Illinois, with his wife Shelli.

Todd Mueller

Todd Mueller

VP of Operations and Co-Founder

Todd Mueller earned a degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Arlington where he graduated magna cum laude. He also owns a “Certificate in Leadership” from the SMU Cox School of Business. He began his career in the mortgage industry before helping to found Innovative-IDM in April 2000, where he held the positions of customer service rep and IT manager. Mueller lives with his wife Jennifer and daughter Greta in Irving, Texas.

Testimonials

What our customers say about us…

Thank you for providing us with a technician who was well trained, knowledgeable, driven to achieve results, and very customer orientated.

Able V., Maintenance Lead

Your technician was available when needed over the weekend, which is very important to our production, even though it meant pulling him away from his personal life and family. He always had a smile while working in our plant.

Adrian H., Shop Supervisor

I appreciate all the hard work and effort that you provided while Cyrus was away from the office.  Good customer service, or should I say “legendary customer service” is very hard to come by nowadays.

Anwar C., Purchasing Assistant

This is going to be the beginning of a beautiful relationship…..complete with tracking numbers without having even asked. Nice touch.  Much obliged.

Angie F., Purchasing

Culture Improvement

An Opportunity to Make a Difference

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The Culture Improvement Agency (CIA) comprises Innovative‐IDM volunteers who help steer the evolution of our culture through events, recognition and morale, communication, new hire onboarding and community outreach.

CIA members are employees who uphold and promote the company goals and values. As dedicated volunteers, they spend time outside of normal working hours planning activities and ways to engage coworkers in making a positive difference to the workplace and community. Without the CIA….well, it just wouldn’t be as fun.

Examples of CIA Led Activities

  • Annual Thanksgiving Foodbank Challenge
  • Annual school supply drive
  • Carter blood drive
  • Annual employee holiday party
  • Monthly Buzzard Bar & Grill employee appreciation lunch
  • Remote employee care packages
  • Victoria Day Pitmaster Championship
  • Independence Day Chili Cookoff
  • Recognition of employee birthdays and work anniversaries
  • Halloween pumpkin carving and costume contests
  • and more!

MVP Program

Want paid time off to help people in your community? You got it!

MVP

The Innovative IDM MVP Program (Making Values a Priority) supports activities which enhance and serve communities where our employees live and work. IIDMers are encouraged to volunteer and support the community. Participating in these types of activities enriches lives of IIDMers and those they impact. IIDMers can take up to 16 hours (2 days) per calendar year to volunteer at a 501c3 charitable organization of their choice.

  • Building a house for Habitat for Humanity
  • Donating your time at a food bank
  • Cleaning up the beach, highway or park
  • Participating in Big Brother/Big Sisters programs
  • School or college mentoring programs
  • Other great causes. Ask!

Customer service hotline

Contact our LEGENDARY customer service team for parts quotes, information on your industrial electronic repairs needs, or for emergency breakdown service. Phone is answered 24/7.

Email

[email protected]

Phone

877.906.2100

Blogs

Recent Posts

Explore all posts
Give Yourself Peace of Mind with SMC Thermo-Chillers
August 9, 2023by Britt Welch

Give Yourself Peace of Mind with SMC Thermo-Chillers

Contact us today to spec a chiller for any application! Laser and Machine Tools Welding Applications Food Products/Packaging Machines Semiconductor www.InnovativeIDM.com 877.906.2100
Predictive Maintenance for the Semiconductor Industry
January 25, 2023by Pepper Hastings

Predictive Maintenance for the Semiconductor Industry

Many of Omron’s predictive maintenance products are tailored to the semiconductor industry. Here are some quick benefits: The solutions monitor critical metrics like current, voltage, temperature, vibration, and insulation resistance over EtherNet/IP. You’ll be able to predict failures before they occur thanks to intelligent predictive algorithms. Your facility will have less downtime overall, whether planned...
2023 Innovative-IDM Award Winners
January 24, 2023by Kelly Orear

2023 Innovative-IDM Award Winners

Innovative-IDM is known for LEGENDARY Customer Service and what makes us LEGENDARY are those team members who go above and beyond what is required to help the company reach its goals. These LEGENDARY employees are recognized annually at our National Sales Meeting and Branch Kickoffs. Winners of these prestigious awards are nominated by company leadership...
All-in-one inspection and code reading with Omron MicroHAWK smart cameras
January 5, 2023by Pepper Hastings

All-in-one inspection and code reading with Omron MicroHAWK smart cameras

Are you struggling to configure multiple devices for code reading and inspection purposes? It just so happens that Omron’s MicroHAWK family includes powerful smart cameras that cover both needs at once! What’s more, all of this takes place within a single field of view. We like to help our customers simplify their applications so that...
Omron’s F3SG-SR Light Curtain Success Story
December 16, 2022by Pepper Hastings

Omron’s F3SG-SR Light Curtain Success Story

Business need A company in the metal forming industry needed to find the right light curtain to safeguard a protected range of 55 feet around a purlin stacker while meeting tight deadlines and maximizing its customers’ uptime. Unique solution Omron’s F3SG-SR Series safety light curtain proved to be the right choice with an available sensing...
Thank You, Tulsa!
December 6, 2022by Pepper Hastings

Thank You, Tulsa!

We hosted our annual Tulsa Customer Appreciation party last week, with food from Leon’s Smoke Shack. Our Tulsa-area customers are a loyal bunch, and we appreciate serving them all year long.Our channel partners from Omron, Nabtesco, SMC, Wago, and Wiegmann via Bell & McCoy were there to meet, greet, and show off techy stuff. Prizes...
Omron Factory Drive Recorder Event Capture Software
November 28, 2022by Pepper Hastings

Omron Factory Drive Recorder Event Capture Software

The Omron Factory Drive Recorder combines Omron’s robust and diverse Industrial Camera line with a brand new Event Capture Software to achieve an incredibly simple to use and feature rich solution for companies looking to monitor automation for error detection and provide an easier way to record and evaluate potential problems The integration of Omron’s...
Automaker solved downtime with Predictive Maintenance
November 16, 2022by Pepper Hastings

Automaker solved downtime with Predictive Maintenance

When a global auto manufacturer experienced multiple power supply failures with significant downtime in their plastic forming station, they decided to invest in Predictive Maintenance. To read their story, download this Omron whitepaper: https://assets.omron.com/m/50aef9e450fc6f1/original/S8VK-X-Automotive-Manufacturer-Success-Story.pdf
Automaker
November 8, 2022by Pepper Hastings

Automaker solved downtime with Predictive Maintenance

When a global auto manufacturer experienced multiple power supply failures with significant downtime in their plastic forming station, they decided to invest in Predictive Maintenance. To read their story, download this Omron whitepaper: https://assets.omron.com/m/50aef9e450fc6f1/original/S8VK-X-Automotive-Manufacturer-Success-Story.pdf
DC to AC Drive Retrofit – Webinar on Demand
November 2, 2022by Pepper Hastings

DC to AC Drive Retrofit – Webinar on Demand

Do you have an older DC drive system in need of upgrading, but your motor is still in good shape or difficult to replace? You will benefit from this 40-minute no-cost webinar. You will learn about: *Differences of DC and AC Drives *DC vs AC performance considerations *Cost of Ownership Comparisons — You Will be...
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