Solid tradition, promising future Rochester Gauges

Rochester Gauges, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with several production facilities in various parts of the world, continues to stay ahead of its competitors. It has just launched a new product and is determined to remain a market leader in its sector, as Romana Moares reports.

soLid tradition,

promising FuturE

Rochester Gauges started as Rochester Manufacturing in Rochester, New York in 1913 with the introduction of the first liquid level gauge. From there the company grew to include several other product lines. Rochester’s growth is closely linked to the growth of the commercial sale of L.P. Gas (Propane). As one of the first companies to develop a liquid level gauge for the propane industry, Rochester continues to be a leading innovator not only in the propane market but also in the agricultural, aircraft, automotive, industrial, marine, off-highway, locomotive, refrigeration and process equipment markets. Today the still family-owned business employs around 500 people and operates, in addition to its US facility, three manufacturing subsidiaries in Mexico and Belgium, and has recently opened an office in Shanghai to support sales in the Asian market. “Our very long and extensive experience in the gauge business with numerous applications, as well as our engineering expertise, give us a strong advantage over our competitors,” says Cedric Jottard, the general manager of the Belgian facility, Rochester Gauges International. He goes on to highlight the company’s focus on product quality and design while maintaining a high level of flexibility, including short lead times and rapid order deliveries.

market innovator

Rochester Gauges manufactures mechanical float level gauges mainly for LPG applications (for cylinders, domestic tanks, delivery trucks, storage tanks and process industry); however, it also offers level gauges for almost any liquid into almost any container, stationary or mobile. Adequate construction materials (plastic, aluminium, brass, zinc or stainless steel 316) are selected according to the medium and the environment, including DME, refrigerant gases, Ammonia, CO2, LPG, Ethanol, Ad-Blue, Chemicals, Gasoline, LNG, Methanol, Water, Jet-A1

fuel, Bio-diesel, Crude oil, Liquid Oxygen and many others. The group’s popular and high quality products, notably its Magnetel™ ‘Rough Rider’ gauge, Junior or Senior gauge, Reed Switches fuel sender, Capacitance Cryogenics probe and Hall Effect Twiniste™ sensors, ensure it remains the market leader on the global market. In 2000, besides ISO-9001 certification, Rochester became CE approved according to the pressure equipment directive (PED), and was later certified by other European regulations such as TPED, R67 and ATEX.

Rochester can supply tank gauging solutions from cylinders to large storage tanks ranging from diameters of eight inches (200mm) up to 17 feet (5200mm), including domestic tanks, LPG delivery trucks and trailers, ISO containers, off-highway vehicles, compressors and gen sets. With electronic sensors and receivers, which can easily be retrofitted on existing gauges, Rochester also provides products for telemetry or automated applications, providing the opportunity to keep a local direct reading with an extra resistive, current or voltage output.

The portfolio also includes liquid level senders, liquid level switches, aircraft fuel and engine instrumentation, diaphragm temperature senders, pressure indicators, bimetal thermometers, electrical system safety disconnect switches, and flow indicators. “Many features of gauges in today’s market can be attributed to innovations developed by Rochester over the years,” says Cedric Jottard.

The company has just launched a Bluetooth transmitter (battery powered), allowing the first wireless short distance transmission for Rochester Gauges and tank content: “Feedback from our worldwide distributors has been very promising,” affirms the general manager. “Our R&D department is currently working on a low power sensor for remote reading and wireless telemetry purposes, which can be retrofitted onto existing Rochester level gauges and hopefully also generate new opportunities where consumers are nowadays considering the connectivity and IIOT (Industrial Internet Of Things). In addition, the R&D department in the US is currently working on a cryogenic probe for the automotive market in view of its huge growth potential,” he reveals.

Global presence

Rochester’s client base includes tank manufacturers and refurbishers, OEMs, gas companies, telemetry networking management suppliers and retailers.

“The group has a global presence but Rochester Gauges International covers primarily the markets of the EU, the Middle East, Far East and Africa,” says the general manager, stressing the importance of the company’s strong distribution network for LPG products.

“The company’s reputation and success is, of course, closely related to its suppliers. Most of our supplies come from the USA – it is the parent company that is in charge of global procurement for the Rochester Group. But of course we work with European companies also. We have a solid, long-term partnership with Dehaye Plastics (Belgium), Kilian Industries (Germany), Soteba (Belgium), Lesage (Belgium), Omerin (France), to name just a few.”

Existing and potential customers will have the chance to see the latest additions to Rochester’s portfolio in various trade shows and exhibitions over the coming months. “We will be exhibiting in Morocco for the 30th WLPG forum at the beginning of October,” says Cedric Jottard. “Trade shows give us the opportunity to present new products or highlight specific developments to suit local market requirements, exchange directly with end users and our distributors, learn about new requirements and hopefully extend our business.”

The general manager confirms that besides mechanical gauges, Rochester will focus more and more on probes and sensors, providing digital output according to actual and future industry requirements, such as M2M communication and IIOT. “We will continue to invest both in our operational and R&D capability, as we believe innovation is the key to growth.”