"I am very optimistic about the economy." Emerson's Steve Sonnenberg is bullish on the company's global outlook. The company closed fiscal 2011 with $7.3 billion in orders, with all world regions contributing double-digit growth.Indeed, the more than 4,000 people hired by
Emerson Process Management in the past year include some 1,800 in Asia Pacific, 200 in the Middle East and Africa, 350 in Latin America and more than 1,000 in North America. "We weren't even able to fill all the open positions," Sonnenberg said, "because we refuse to let you down by relaxing our standards. There just aren't enough technically trained people to fill all the jobs in this industry. But we will never compromise on talent. We believe that our talent is a key differentiator."
The company also has invested in acquisitions and in new technologies, Sonnenberg said. Recent acquisitions include Canadian gas detection and safety system supplier Net Safety. New products include down-hole, multiphase flowmeters and wireless annular monitoring systems from Roxar and the extension of Emerson's CHARMs input/output platform to provide single-channel intrinsic safety.
Sonnenberg also discussed the company's renewed focus and commitment to helping its customers save energy and reduce emissions through efforts big and small—from advanced control strategies to the new Rosemount 708 wireless monitor for detecting steam trap leakage.
"We are not shy about investing in good times and bad," Sonnenberg said. "We have made lots of investments in technology to serve you."
