To be renamed Bristol, it becomes part of Emerson Process Management, and adds industry leading measurement and control products, technologies and services for oil, gas, power, and water and wastewater industries worldwide, the company said. Headquartered in Watertown, Conn., Bristol Babcock has annual revenue of about $80 million. The company’s products include remote terminal units, flow computers, transmitters and distributed process controllers. Bristol Babcock has manufacturing facilities and offices in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, and additional offices in Mexico, the Middle East, Australia and China. “Bristol will extend the Emerson product portfolio and leadership in flow measurement products and services, enabling us to offer an even broader range of value, performance and reliability to our customers,” said John Berra, president of Emerson Process Management. Emerson said the acquisition complements Emerson Process Management’s established measurement brands, which include Rosemount, Micro Motion, Daniel and Mobrey. “This is excellent news for our company and our customers,” said Jack Kelly, president of Bristol Babcock. “Emerson Process Management’s market leadership in the process industry worldwide will allow us to provide a broader range of solutions, enable us to grow our business faster and contribute to the success of other Emerson businesses as well.”
VORTEX FLOWMETER MARKET PRIMED FOR GROWTH
Emerging new standards combined with product improvements are boosting the outlook for sales of vortex flowmeters, according to a new study from Flow Research Inc. (www.flowresearch.com), Wakefield, Mass. Worldwide revenues from vortex flowmeter sales are projected to rise at a 6.4 percent compound annual growth rate, from $176 million in 2005 to $240 million in 2010, according to the study, “The World Market for Vortex Flowmeters, 3rd Edition.” One of the most dramatic changes in the vortex flowmeter market is the current formulation by the American Petroleum Institute of standards for vortex flowmeters in custody transfer applications, says Flow Research. These standards respond to the expressed needs of both manufacturers and end-users of vortex flowmeters, and apply to both liquid and gas applications. If approved, these standards are likely to have a very positive impact on the market, the research firm says. In addition, the past five years have seen major product enhancements to vortex flowmeters, says the study. Suppliers have responded to vibration issues by implementing software and electronics, including digital signal processing, which reduce the susceptibility of vortex meters to interference from vibration.
