SIC 3824

Water & Gas Meters

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

16companies1905–1988founding years16still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
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.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
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.
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
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.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
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

Badger Meter, Inc.
Active · founded 1905
Badger Meter, Inc.
Badger Meter, Inc.
Active · founded 1905
Badger Meter, Inc.
Tokheim Corporation
Active · founded 1918
Tokheim Corporation is one of the fastest growing and most successful firms in the global petroleum equipment industry.
Tokheim Corporation
Active · founded 1918
Tokheim Corporation is one of the fastest growing and most successful firms in the global petroleum equipment industry.
Daniel Industries, Inc.
Active · founded 1946
Daniel Industries, Inc.
Daniel Industries, Inc.
Active · founded 1946
Daniel Industries, Inc.
Anam Group
Active · founded 1956
With an estimated one-third of the global semiconductor assembly market, the Anam Group ranks among South Korea's…
Anam Group
Active · founded 1956
With an estimated one-third of the global semiconductor assembly market, the Anam Group ranks among South Korea's…
Schneider S.A.
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
Schneider S.A.
Active · founded 1966 · France
After a dizzying series of complicated restructurings, acquisitions, and divestments that began in 1980 when the…
Esterline Technologies Corp.
Active · founded 1967
A diversified manufacturing company divided into three business groups--Automation, Aerospace and Defense, and…
Esterline Technologies Corp.
Active · founded 1967
A diversified manufacturing company divided into three business groups--Automation, Aerospace and Defense, and…
Danaher Corporation
Active · founded 1984 · United States
Danaher Corporation, a holding company established in 1984, currently consists of thirteen wholly owned subsidiaries…
Danaher Corporation
Active · founded 1984 · United States
Danaher Corporation, a holding company established in 1984, currently consists of thirteen wholly owned subsidiaries…
ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
Active · founded 1988 · Switzerland
Formerly fierce competitors in the heavy-electrical and power-generation fields, Sweden's ASEA AB (which changed its…
ABB Asea Brown Boveri Ltd.
Active · founded 1988 · Switzerland
Formerly fierce competitors in the heavy-electrical and power-generation fields, Sweden's ASEA AB (which changed its…
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