COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 334513

Instruments and Related Product Manufac- turing for Measuring Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

18companies1865–1999founding years18still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedCrane Co.
1865
FoundedAlfa Laval AB
1883
FoundedMilacron, Inc.
1884
FoundedJohnson Controls, Inc.
1885
FoundedFisher Controls International, LLC
1888
FoundedAnritsu Corporation
1895
FoundedL.S. Starrett Company
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedEaton Corporation
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedHoneywell Inc.
1927
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedEG & G Incorporated
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedTyco International Ltd.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedInvivo Corporation
1964
FoundedMark IV Industries, Inc.
1970
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedLandauer, Inc.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
FoundedABB Ltd.
1988
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedBEI Technologies, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedAgilent Technologies Inc.FoundedMetso Corporation
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Crane Co. →
Active · founded 1865
Crane Co.
Alfa Laval AB →
Active · founded 1883 · Sweden
Alfa Laval AB operates as a leader in the heat transfer, centrifugal separation, and fluid handling industries.
Milacron, Inc. →
Active · founded 1884
At the dawn of the 21st century, Cincinnati-based Milacron, Inc.
Johnson Controls, Inc. →
Active · founded 1885
Johnson Controls, Inc.
Fisher Controls International, LLC →
Active · founded 1888
A global designer, manufacturer, and supplier of control valves and regulators, Fisher Controls International, LLC is…
Anritsu Corporation →
Active · founded 1895 · Japan
Anritsu Corporation is a leading global producer of test and measurement devices, equipment, and systems.
L.S. Starrett Company →
Active · founded 1900
Founded in 1880, the L.S.
Eaton Corporation →
Active · founded 1911
Eaton Corporation is a diversified industrial manufacturer whose operations are divided into four main groups: fluid…
Honeywell Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Honeywell Inc.
EG & G Incorporated →
Active · founded 1947
EG & G Incorporated is a diversified technology company that develops and provides products for public and private…
Tyco International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Bermuda
Tyco International Ltd.
Invivo Corporation →
Active · founded 1964
Invivo Corporation touts itself as the leading producer of vital signs monitoring devices used during magnetic…
Mark IV Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1970
Mark IV Industries, Inc.
Landauer, Inc. →
Active · founded 1987
Since 1954, Laudauer, Inc.
ABB Ltd. →
Active · founded 1988 · Switzerland
Early 1990s:Company makes concerted push into eastern European and Asian markets.
BEI Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
BEI Technologies, Inc.
Agilent Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Metso Corporation →
Active · founded 1999 · Finland
Metso Corporation, a leading worldwide manufacturer of forestry, pulping, and paper machinery, is the product of the…
Build It Today

Starting a instruments and related product manufac- turing for measuring displaying, and controlling industrial process variables company now

Each week we rebuild one of these stories for today's tools and capital.