Digital instrumentation of the future Wika

DIGITAL INSTRUMENTATION OF THE FUTURE

Wika is the global leader in mechanical pressure and temperature measurement technology products. Philip Yorke takes a closer look at a company that continues to deliver ground-breaking products and is moving into new niche-market sectors.

IN 1946 Alexander Wiegand founded Wika Gmbh, together with his former employee, Philipp Kachel, in Klingenberg, Germany. The first two letters of each of the founder’s family names formed the new company name ‘WIKA’. Thereafter, the company consistently grew and prospered as it continued to invest in new plant and new technology. By 2008, the company had a turnover of more than €500 million and had achieved the status of a true global brand leader in its field.

Today the company can draw on its unparalleled pool of experience and specialist knowledge, which in turn is supported by over 7000 highly qualified employees. Wika is one of the market leaders in pressure and temperature measurement systems and is committed to utilising only the highest-quality components, developing comprehensive measurement solutions. This is done in close partnership with its customers, as Wika then integrates the products into their existing production-line processes. Currently the group operates a range of modern production facilities in Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Brazil, South Africa and the USA and is present in more than 75 countries on five continents. In 2010 the company recorded sales of more than €650 million and delivered over 43 million products to its customers worldwide.

Diverse product portfolio and customer base

The Wika group serves an infinite variety of industries and has an extensive and diverse product portfolio to match. Companies involved in the production of power and renewable energy, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, petrochemical products and the automotive industries are all more efficient thanks to Wika instrumentation. The company has a comprehensive product mix that covers pressure measurement, temperature measurement and calibration, and provides the relevant high technology accessories for all three product divisions. Among the company’s hundreds of topdrawer customers are BASF, Siemens, Dow, DuPont, GSK, Bayer and Nestle, as well as countless medium and smaller companies that it partners with throughout the world.

Wika has established a global quality process and management system which involves the complete supply chain. The company not only has the highest-quality specialist suppliers, but also highly trained staff with a large proportion of them qualifying for Six Sigma black belts to supervise quality standards for vendors and supply-chain contributors. The company’s goal is to achieve continuous improvement and sustainability throughout all of its manufacturing processes. As one would imagine, it has a truly global business focus, which is supported through its sustained global production capabilities, sales, logistics and worldwide service infrastructure.

Developing the products of tomorrow

One of the Wika Group’s key strengths is its ongoing commitment to research and development and its investment in new technology. Every year the company

launches many new and often groundbreaking products and 2011 was no exception with the announcement in April of a new family of electronic switches designed for the global industrial market – including the high-performance PSD-30 pressure switch, the TSD-30 temperature switch and the LSD-30 level switch. These are designed to measure and control the measurement parameters, pressure, temperature and level and were developed with the specific needs of the machine-building industry in mind. As such, they offer several key features which set them apart from comparable products. For example, they have an easily readable, robust display; an intuitive and fast set-up; and easy and flexible mounting configurations.

In December 2011, the company celebrated ten years of its successful system partnership with Neumo and Muhlberger. The companies came together in 2001 in order to co-market specialised measuring systems for sanitary applications and included the fitting of Wika pressure and temperature measuring instruments at their respective manufacturing plants. These products included a range sterile connections and housings which were optimised using advanced Neumo BioControl® and BioConnect® systems.

Even more recently, in January 2012, Wika acquired one of the world’s leading companies in the field of calibration technology: Scandura of Italy. The company was founded in the 1950s and quickly established itself as an international manufacturer of specialised calibration equipment. Scandura’s portable calibrators are brand leaders in the area of critical applications for the process industry.

Along with its advanced calibration software, Scandura will be integrated into Wika’s calibration technology division to bring even greater product diversity together for its customers and to strengthen its already dominant position in the marketplace.

Meeting any challenge

Whether it’s the pharmaceutical industry, the automotive industry, the food and beverages industry or the construction industry, Wika can meet the challenges of each individual industrial sector with confidence. The company continues to serve customers in new niche markets throughout manufacturing industry. However, some industries represent bigger challenges than others. The chemical and petrochemical industry is one such case, as it demands the most stringent standards, many

of which are subject to strict international and European guidelines such as REACH.

In the chemical and petrochemical industries, high-precision electronic and mechanical measuring instruments are required for general applications as well as for those in potentially explosive areas. These must also operate effectively in some of the world’s most aggressive environments. The standard material used in these extreme and hazardous conditions is stainless steel, and for high-pressure measurement applications, high-strength alloys are used. In addition, for chemical processes involving highly aggressive media and in combination with the appropriate diaphragm seals and gauges, a range of chemically resistant materials is used.

Today, Wika is justifiably proud of its ability to meet any challenge, in any industrial sector, and sees itself as a strong partner in producing tailored technical solutions and sustainable outcomes based on its track record of unrivalled expertise and dependability. n