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When Milwaukee-based Badger Meter, Inc. was founded in 1905, some of its largest customers relied on tools to make sure ingredients were flowing properly to make the perfect pint. Brewers were buying and water utilities were still looking for ways to maintain their pumps. from freezing in winter.
Now, more than a century later, these water utilities are the company’s main buyers, and in addition to selling meters, the company also provides advanced technology for monitoring water quality and pressure.
This change shows how much companies have to adapt to stay relevant for this long, Badger Meter CEO Kenneth Bockhorst said Wednesday morning gathered at the Edgewater Hotel. He spoke to business leaders on Cap Times Power Hour, a series of moderated conversations with CEOs from around the world. situation.
In 2019, Mr. Bockhorst became the sixth CEO of the company, which has approximately 2,100 employees worldwide, including 600 in Wisconsin.
The 118-year-old company is now developing new tools to help governments and businesses protect and conserve water supplies. Industrial customers use Badger Meter products to test the water they discharge and certify that it is free from contamination. Some municipal water utilities also use the company’s meters to optimize their wastewater treatment systems and bill customers for the water they use.
The company offers products that monitor water pressure, flow and quality, and Bockhorst said the latter business is growing at a “very interesting rate” as the country’s water infrastructure ages. Ta.
“Every study done over the past few years shows that modernizing the U.S. water system will require an investment of at least $1 trillion,” Bockhorst said. “Obviously, there’s not going to be a $1 trillion investment in the water industry. So…we need to start implementing technological advancements to better manage and optimize assets and prioritize maintenance.” .”
Until now, utility companies have typically tested water quality by sending drivers around town to take water samples, but the process can take a long time and by the time the results are available, customers are You may already be using that water.
“Being able to know in real time whether the water you’re drinking is good or not is a huge benefit,” Bockhorst says. “There are now many ways to leverage technology to monitor water quality across your distribution system in real time and get a better picture of what’s going on.”
Similarly, real-time technology can help utilities better monitor water pressure, pinpoint problems and extend the life of aging pipes.
Meanwhile, Bockhorst said consumers seem increasingly concerned about the amount of water they’re using. The company has been offering an app for 10 years that allows utility customers who have smart water meters to track their water usage.
“At first, people didn’t pay much attention. But now more people are going online, checking their water usage, interacting with their power companies, and becoming more aware of how things are done. It’s becoming more impactful,” Bockhorst said, adding that utilities are starting to seek out more of that type of technology.
To meet these changing demands, Badger Meter has acquired companies in recent years that specialize in technologies such as remote monitoring and sensors. Earlier this month, the company announced it had acquired hardware and software from Trimble, a company that specializes in remote telemetry, the process of collecting and wirelessly transmitting data using sensors.
Badger Meter has long been an “innovation leader” in an industry that tends to be “risk-averse and slow-moving,” Bockhorst said, noting that his company was the first to use cellular radio in smart meters and was the first to use cellular radio in smart meters. It was pointed out that ultrasound measurements were taken. .
He said his company will continue to be at the forefront as the industry continues to evolve. “Technology is advancing rapidly, and we are entering a golden age of deploying it in industries where it has not been commonly deployed before.”
As a business and local economics reporter for the Cap Times. Natalie Yar I write about the challenges and opportunities facing workers, entrepreneurs, and job seekers. Before moving to Madison in 2018, she lived in New Orleans, where she trained as a Spanish and English interpreter and helped adult students earn their high school diplomas. Support journalism like this by becoming a Cap Times member. To comment on this article, submit a letter to the editor.
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