Brooks Instrument manufacturers solutions for flow, pressure, and level measurement solutions

The History of Brooks Instrument

• This was quite a year - a year of firsts. ENIAC, the first digital computer was unveiled in Philadelphia.  The Roosevelt dime was introduced. The Cannes Film Festival made its debut. The word "automation"  came into use. The term "World Wide Web" did not exist. And Brooks Rotameter Company, founded by Stephen A. Brooks, opened its doors for business in Lansdale, Pennsylvania.


• Stephen Brooks leases property - at the rate of $75 per month - in Lansdale, Pennsylvania to house his newly formed Brooks Rotameter Company. The new company is built on the strength of an innovative side-plate, dowel-pin principle of rotameter construction, which is, today, the basis of one of the company's more important product lines.

• At age 28, upon the untimely death of his father, Douglas Brooks assumes leadership of Brooks Rotameter.

• Brooks announces plans to occupy a new plant - 28,000 fully air-conditioned square feet - in Hatfield, PA.

• A new, streamlined laboratory flow meter named Sho-Rate and a new  type of full-view rotameter - with an improved packaging seal that represents one of the first innovations for the glass tube rotameter in 20 years - are introduced.

• A flash fire in the Calibration department! Though minor in damage and production losses, employees work through the night to rescue files and equipment and ensure the company's ability to re-open the following day.
• The European mfg. subsidiary, Brooks Instrument Nederland, N.V. Veenendaal, opens.

• Brooks becomes part of the Emerson Electric Company.

• A new calibration lab opens; Brooks establishes license for manufacturing in Japan.

• A mobile lab goes "on the road"; Brooks acquires the Magmeter line from Hays Mfg.

• Brooks acquires the Measurement & Control Division of Rockwell Mfg. Co., Statesboro, GA.

• Brooks acquires its Japanese License.

• In response to the need for single source or turnkey products in the petroleum industry, systems production begins in Singapore.

• On January 7th - the day remembered by many as the "Blizzard of the Century" - Brooks officially turned 50!
• Brooks spins off Petroleum business segment into newly formed Fisher-Rosemount Petroleum.

• Brooks launches its presence on the World Wide Web.

• Brooks introduces first watertight and explosion proof thermal mass flow controllers.

• Brooks unveils Quantim, its newest mass flow technology.

• Brooks announces the release of a new diagnostic tool, Zero Drift Diagnostic, which detects and alerts users when the flow sensor on mass flow controllers experiences zero-drift of more than user specified limits.

• Brooks introduces the Model 4800 Series Mass Flow Meters and Mass Flow Controllers which offer a broad flow range, fast response time, compact size and many other benefits for a variety of applications.
• Brooks announces FOUNDATION™ fieldbus I/O communications options for its thermal mass flow meters, mass flow controllers, and pressure controllers. Brooks thermal mass flow controllers are the first and only devices of their kind to offer this important communications option.
• American Industrial Partners Capital Fund IV, L.P. (“AIP”) announced that its newly formed Brooks Instrument, LLC, has acquired the Brooks Instrument division of Emerson Electric Co. on December 31, 2007. AIP is a private equity investment firm that applies an operational approach to building and improving middle-market companies.

• Brooks wins the Gold Award in the 2008 Golden Gas Awards Competition in the category Mass Flow Measurement & Control for its model 4800 Series mass flow products. The award by the publishers of Gases & Instrumentation magazine was announced February 29, 2008, and was presented by publisher Paul Nesdore to Brooks Instrument’s vice president of sales, Steve Fierce at the PITTCON show in New Orleans on March 5, 2008.
• Brooks expands product line to include magnetic level instruments with the introduction of the 810 Series magnetic level gauge. This new introduction is made possible because of the acquisition of certain assets of the Mobrey level product line by Brooks in December of 2007.

• Brooks releases the FOUNDATION Fieldbus option on its variable area flow meters, becoming the first variable area supplier in the world to offer this communication option.
• Brooks acquires Key Instruments, Inc., a flow meter manufacturer based in Trevose, PA which offers precision machined acrylic flow meters, molded plastic flow meters, glass tube flow meters, electronic flow meters, and flow control valves for medical, industrial, water, chemical, and laboratory applications.
• Brooks acquires certain assets of Celerity’s Instrumentation division, a technology leader in precision instruments and advanced gas and liquid delivery solutions for the global semiconductor, solar, and electronics industries.
• Brooks introduces a family of extremely high-performing direct  liquid injection (DLI) vaporizer solutions.