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History

MEASURE OF TIME

 

In 2016, two firms merged. Each was successful on its own. Each had a unique focus.

They were brought together by strong common values, similar roots, a history of collaboration, and shared expertise in science and engineering. The unified company combines the strengths of both firms to create powerful synergy, competitive advantage and new business opportunities.

METER Group

To know where you are going, you must know where you came from. Let’s take a moment to look back.

FROM PULLMAN TO MARS

Decagon Devices, Inc. was founded in 1983 by Dr. Gaylon Campbell, a renowned soil scientist and faculty member at Washington State University. The first Decagon product was an instrument to measure water in soil. Decagon quickly realized that other customers could benefit from their expertise in measuring water. New markets like food safety, pharmaceuticals and other industries needed solutions to determine water content and water potential in their products. Over the next 30 years, Decagon improved and expanded their expertise in engineering sensors, all while maintaining affordable product offerings. Today, Decagon products are used all over the world and even beyond: in universities, research and testing laboratories, government agencies, vineyards, farms and industrial applications – even on Mars.

GERMAN SCIENTIFIC ENGINEERING

UMS AG was founded in 1989 by Georg von Unold, a mechanical engineer who was working at the renowned Helmholtz Research Center in Munich, Germany. The first UMS product was a scientific instrument for soil irrigation control. The tensiometer sensor series was quickly adopted by scientists due to its precision and reliability. To date, more than 20,000 UMS tensiometers have been used in research projects worldwide. In 1991, the product range was extended to cover environment monitoring systems – from proprietary sensor technology and the development of innovative components to planning and providing individual customized solutions.

OUR DNA

8,367,180 meters. That’s precisely the distance from the doorstep of the headquarter in Pullman to the entrance of the headquarter in Munich. The businesses seem a world apart. But if you take a closer look, you will see that the people in these two places have always been much closer:

  • Both companies were founded by individuals who are passionate about measuring the natural environment.
  • Both founders were initially driven by their own needs, but quickly saw that they could create products for their colleagues.
  • Both companies share a drive to invent rather than follow.
  • In Pullman as well as Munich, we speak the language of scientific engineering.
  • In both places, the corporate culture is built around the importance of employees.

 

We build a strong foundation on common ground, and our differences are complementary.

  • Pullman has expertise in measuring the dry end, Munich the wet end.
  • While Pullman excels in science and simplicity, Munich does so in engineering and precision.

 

For over a decade, we’ve worked together in product development, supply and distribution, customer support and education. That was enough time to detect a clear fit and to decide to take the next step.