For Brooks Instrument, there IS life after Emerson!

April 13, 2009

Spun off from Emerson on the last day of 2007, Brooks Instrument has had a tumultuous year-and-a-quarter of "life after Emerson." Brooks is one of the oldest instrumentation companies in the world, and being cut loose from Emerson after two decades has given the company an apparent new lease on life, and some significant milestones.

Spun off from Emerson on the last day of 2007, Brooks Instrument has had a tumultuous year-and-a-quarter of "life after Emerson." Brooks is one of the oldest instrumentation companies in the world, and being cut loose from Emerson after two decades has given the company an apparent new lease on life, and some significant milestones.

"It took us a few months to get re-organized," said Jim Dillon, the variable area flow meter product manager at Brooks, "but it's going great guns now."

Dillon was talking to me as we recorded a podcast for later this week on the introduction of an industry first: the first variable area flow meter with Foundation fieldbus capability.

Now, in the midst of the recession, Brooks has announced a significant acquisition. They've acquired venerable variable area flow meter manufacturer, Key Instruments.

Here's the text of the press release:

Brooks Instrument, a world-leading flow measurement and control provider, announced that it has acquired Key Instruments, Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Key Instruments is a flow meter manufacturer based in Trevose, PA which offers precision machined acrylic flow meters, molded plastic flow meters, glass tube flow meters, electronic flow meters, and flow control valves for medical, industrial, water, chemical, and laboratory applications.
 
“Our companies are an excellent strategic fit,” stated Jim Dale, Chief Executive Officer of Brooks Instrument. “Key Instruments offers an entirely complementary product line and broadens our reach in the low flow market place.”
 
Key Instruments was founded in 1959 as a manufacturer of injection-molded parts for various industries. In the 1970s they began to focus exclusively on the manufacturing of high-grade flow meters. Since then, they have served their customers to exceed expectations for every application, providing exceptional service and quality, along with innovative flow solutions. Key Instruments is an FDA registered medical device manufacturer and also provides NIST traceable flow calibrations for many of its products.
 
“This is an exciting time for Key Instruments,” stated Don Frick, President of Key Instruments. “By combining forces with Brooks Instrument, the Key Instruments brand will be positioned to better serve the competitive global environment.”
 
Brooks Instrument plans to maintain the Key Instruments brand name and facility in Trevose, PA. Visit www.BrooksInstrument.com or www.KeyInstruments.com for more information.