Industrial Control Solutions Acquires Modern Instrument Company
The purchase pushes the LDR Partners-backed sensing platform into aerospace temperature validation and ISO-accredited calibration services for the first time
ICS was formed in 2024 through the combination of Whitman Controls, a maker of pressure switches and vacuum sensors, Thomas Products, a maker of flow switches and meters, Load Controls, a maker of torque and power measurement systems, and Duro-Sense, a provider of thermocouples and temperature detectors.
August 11, 2026|John McNulty
Industrial Control Solutions, a portfolio company of LDR Partners, has acquired the business of Modern Instrument Company, a provider of aerospace temperature-validation and calibration services.
Modern Instrument checks that the ovens and furnaces used to heat-treat aerospace parts run at the right temperature, evenly and accurately, and produces the certified paperwork manufacturers need to pass audits. The company’s work includes temperature uniformity surveys, system accuracy tests, equipment validation, instrumentation calibration, and audit-ready compliance documentation.
For nearly four decades Modern Instrument has served aerospace manufacturers and heat-treatment facilities across the Southern California aerospace corridor from its Long Beach headquarters facility. Jasmine Smith, co-owner and outgoing chief executive officer of Modern, will continue with the platform as a strategic advisor.
ICS was formed by LDR in 2024 through the combination of Whitman Controls, a maker of pressure switches and vacuum sensors (acquired in 2019), Thomas Products, a maker of flow switches and meters (2024), Load Controls, a maker of torque and power measurement systems (2025), and Duro-Sense, a provider of thermocouples and temperature detectors (2025).
The acquisition of Modern Instrument extends ICS’s temperature-measurement capability from the sensors themselves to the equipment they sit in. Modern validates the ovens and furnaces in which thermocouples like those Duro-Sense builds operate, and the two businesses serve overlapping aerospace customers in the same region. Together they let the platform cover the full temperature-compliance chain, from certified sensors through the surveys, calibrations, and documentation that keep operations audit-ready.The Modern purchase is the platform’s first move into specialized services alongside its manufacturing operations, and management plans to add technician capacity, scheduling and systems infrastructure, and cross-referral with Duro-Sense to meet demand Modern has historically had to turn away.
ICS is headquartered near Hartford in Bristol, Connecticut and is led by CEO Matt Powers.
Matt Powers
“Modern is exactly the kind of business we want in the ICS family,” said Mr. Powers. “For nearly forty years, Jasmine, Leland, and their team have set the standard for temperature compliance in Southern California aerospace, and their customers trust them with work that simply cannot fail an audit. This acquisition launches our services capability, strengthens the West Coast presence we established with Duro-Sense, and expands the range of specialized services we can deliver to customers nationwide as the ICS platform grows.”
LDR Partners makes control investments in North America-based lower middle-market industrial manufacturing businesses with $2 million to $10 million of EBITDA. The firm is led by Managing Partner Ryan Martin and is headquartered in Houston.
The Modern purchase is the platform’s first move into specialized services alongside its manufacturing operations, and management plans to add technician capacity, scheduling and systems infrastructure, and cross-referral with Duro-Sense to meet demand Modern has historically had to turn away.
