The Endress+Hauser Group is further enhancing its quality measurement portfolio through the acquisition of IMKO Micromodultechnik GmbH, a manufacturer of innovative moisture measurement systems. IMKO’s headquarters will remain in Ettlingen, Germany; the company’s 19 employees have been retained.
“The area of moisture measurement developed by IMKO further enhances our existing offering for process instrumentation with an additional key quality parameter,” says Dr Andreas Mayr, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser GmbH+Co KG, whose portfolio will be complemented by the new company. “Additionally, the technology that IMKO employs is very similar to technologies we use for level measurement,” explains Andreas Mayr.
Innovative technology
The IMKO systems measure moisture with time domain reflectrometry (TDR), a technology based on the time of flight of reflected radar waves. This provides information regarding the dielectric constant of a material which in turn relates directly to the material’s moisture. “This innovative technology offers major advantages over other technologies,” emphasizes Andreas Mayr. “The measurement is not influenced by the material’s conductivity. IMKO’s systems are precise, reliable and cost-efficient.”
Today, IMKO’s systems are used to measure moisture in buildings and soil, for environmental monitoring and also in process engineering applications for the food & beverage, chemical and life sciences industries. “With this acquisition, we are pursuing our strategy to support customers in future from the laboratory to the process,” says Andreas Mayr, who is also responsible for Technology and Marketing within the Executive Board of the Endress+Hauser Group.
Long-term perspective
IMKO was founded in 1984 by Kurt Köhler. The 67-year-old innovator was looking to place his company in capable hands to ensure its continued success. “Endress+Hauser is in a position to address new customer segments for our products and open up international markets,” said the company founder. “As a family-owned company, Endress+Hauser furthermore represents the same values that mark the corporate culture at IMKO.”
Endress+Hauser will acquire IMKO effective 1 October 2017. The companies have agreed to keep the details of the transaction confidential. A search for a new managing director at IMKO is currently underway. Kurt Köhler will stay on for one year to help oversee the transition.
The Endress+Hauser Group
Endress+Hauser is a global leader in measurement instrumentation, services and solutions for industrial process engineering. The Group employs 13,000 personnel across the globe, generating net sales of more than 2.1 billion euros in 2016.
Structure
With dedicated sales centers and a strong network of partners, Endress+Hauser guarantees competent worldwide support. Our production centers in 12 countries meet customers’ needs and requirements quickly and effectively. The Group is managed and coordinated by a holding company in Reinach, Switzerland. As a successful family-owned business, Endress+Hauser is set for continued independence and self-reliance.
Products
Endress+Hauser provides sensors, instruments, systems and services for level, flow, pressure and temperature measurement as well as analytics and data acquisition. The company supports customers with automation engineering, logistics and IT services and solutions. Our products set standards in quality and technology.
Industries
We work closely with the chemical, petrochemical, food & beverage, oil & gas, water & wastewater, power & energy, life science, primaries & metal, renewable energies, pulp & paper and shipbuilding industries. Endress+Hauser supports its customers in optimizing their processes in terms of reliability, safety, economic efficiency and environmental impact.
History
Founded in 1953 by Georg H Endress and Ludwig Hauser, Endress+Hauser has been solely owned by the Endress family since 1975. The Group has developed from a specialist in level measurement to a provider of complete solutions for industrial measuring technology and automation, with constant expansion into new territories and markets.
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