Manufacturing Today Issue - 230 Nov 2024 | Page 132

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metering solutions for the water industry . Bruce Bharat , Country Manager and Vice President for Kamstrup ’ s North America division , provides key facts regarding the company ’ s background and future trajectory .
“ Headquartered in Denmark for the past 77 years , Kamstrup started our operation in North America in 2013 and will be celebrating our 12th birthday in January 2025 . When we first entered the North American market , we started out with a team of five people in a small office space , trying to figure out the needs of this location . At the time , North America was the largest market outside of China , with a heavy demand for automated technologies . Indeed , there are eight million to nine million meters being added or replaced in the marketplace every year , making North America a very attractive proposition in terms of automation and growth opportunities . Thus , we established a small office in the Danish Embassy near Atlanta . Since then , we have grown significantly . We began manufacturing products in the US in 2018 which involved moving out of the Embassy into a larger 30,000 square foot facility . Most recently , we expanded again , building out a 150,000 square foot state of the art manufacturing plant that also houses our North American headquarters ,” he shares .
Leak detection accuracy
Alongside facility expansions came the development of Kamstrup ’ s industryleading range of products and services . “ Back in 2013 , we did not have many products that were an exact fit for the North American market . However , after years of innovation and growth , we now offer a full line of solidstate or static meters for residential , commercial , and industrial applications , all with advanced metering infrastructure ( AMI ) automation . We
We differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through our unique portfolio of solid-state , ultrasonic meters
differentiate ourselves in the marketplace through our unique portfolio of solid-state , ultrasonic meters . Additionally , we have leveraged the technology inside of our meter to help utilities find leaks . In 2020 , Kamstrup introduced the flowIQ 2200 residential meter with embedded acoustic leak detection . This meter uses the same ultrasonic technology developed to measure flow for the purpose of listening for leaks . These meters help utilities find leaks in their distribution network before the meter . With the software and technology that we offer , utilities can monitor their entire distribution infrastructure for leaks remotely . Moreover , with artificial intelligence ( AI ) and machine learning , the technology learns from user input , making leak detection capabilities increasingly robust . Our customers report that 90 percent of suspected leaks , flagged by our technology , are confirmed . Compare that to 50 percent with traditional technologies ,” Bruce says .
It is evident from this statement that Kamstrup understands the importance of cutting-edge technologies in guaranteeing the quality of its products and improving operational efficiency . Bruce discusses the technologies , automation , and strategies being implemented at the company ’ s US facility .
◀ Bruce Bharat
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