How a modular, pre-manufactured sensing system replaced custom fabrication — delivering faster lead times, lower cost, and field-repairable components to OEM engineers worldwide.
For the first 25 years of Compac Engineering's history, we operated like every other supplier in the level switch market — offering base metal sensors and building custom configurations to meet each customer's specific mounting requirements, stem lengths, switch counts, and materials. So did every one of our competitors.
The custom model worked, but it was inefficient by design. Every order required engineering time, tooling, fabrication, and qualification. Lead times stretched to weeks or months. Minimum order quantities excluded smaller OEMs. Prices reflected the overhead of one-off production. And when something failed in the field, the only option was to order a complete replacement unit.
We recognized that despite the apparent variety of customer requirements, the underlying variables were finite and largely predictable. Most installations came down to combinations of a small number of mounting types, stem lengths, switch counts, and material choices. The complexity was manufactured — not inherent to the problem.
The core insight behind the ERECTA SWITCH Concept was to pre-manufacture the most common components needed to solve the vast majority of level switch installation variables — and to do it in plastic rather than metal.
Transitioning from metal fabrication to plastic injection molding enabled a modular system where every component was designed to interoperate with every other component. A single switching element — the 10-782 magnetic reed float switch — serves as the foundation across the entire Series 10 product family. Every receptacle, connector, spacer, adapter, and housing is designed to mate with it. The result is a system where an engineer can specify a two-level, 2″ NPT, flange-mount, stainless-shielded assembly by selecting four catalog numbers rather than submitting a custom drawing.
The same principle applies across Series 11 temperature switches, Series 5 flow indicators, and Series 50 solid state relays. Different sensing technologies, same modular architecture.
Every combination below is available from stock. No custom order, no minimum quantity, no engineering queue.
Pre-manufactured components ship from stock. No fabrication queue, no engineering bottleneck. Most orders ship Wednesday regardless of configuration.
Injection-molded plastic components at OEM pricing with no custom overhead. Volume pricing from quantity one — buy one unit or one thousand at the same per-unit rates.
Every component is individually replaceable. A failed switch element, connector, or float can be replaced on-site without swapping the entire assembly. This is impossible with custom-fabricated units.
Polypropylene for general industrial service. Acetal for hydrocarbons and fuels. Kynar PVDF for aggressive acids, bases, and solvents. Every configuration available in all three.
Specify mounting type, stem length in 1″ increments, switch count, material, and wiring configuration from catalog numbers. No engineering submittal. No drawing approval. No MOQ.
Injection-molded components have no run-to-run variability. The same geometry, tolerances, and material properties every time. Critical for OEM designs that go into production equipment.
Compac Engineering begins in Paradise, California, manufacturing base metal level switches and serving custom fabrication requests. Long lead times, high MOQs, and engineering overhead on every order — the industry standard at the time.
After 25 years of custom work, Compac identifies that the vast majority of customer requirements map to a small set of mounting types, stem lengths, switch counts, and materials. The custom model is solving a manufactured complexity, not an inherent one.
Compac transitions from metal fabrication to plastic injection molding, designing a system of interoperable components built around a single switching element. The ERECTA SWITCH Concept is born — pre-manufactured components assembled to order from stock, with no custom fabrication required for 90% of applications.
The ERECTA SWITCH platform now covers Series 5 flow indicators, Series 10 level switches (single through four-level), Series 11 bimetallic temperature switches, and Series 50 solid state relays. The same modular architecture — different sensing technologies, same design philosophy.
In-line flow sensing for confirmation of fluid movement in pipes and process lines.
Single through four-level magnetic reed float switches for vertical tank sensing. The core of the ERECTA SWITCH product line.
Preset temperature trip points from 0–100°C. Same ERECTA SWITCH modular mounting architecture as Series 10.
Horizontal sensing through tank walls for applications where top-entry is not available.
Higher current and pressure ratings for demanding industrial environments.
NistorPac and LatchPac solid state AC relays extend sensor switching capacity to pumps, solenoids, and high-current loads.
Select your mounting type, stem length, switch count, and material from the product catalog — or contact our engineering team to verify compatibility with your application.