About Aanderaa and Xylem

Xylem |ˈzīləm|

1) The tissue in plants that brings water upward from the roots;
2) a leading global water technology company.

We're a global team unified in a common purpose: creating advanced technology solutions to the world's water challenges. Developing new technologies that will improve the way water is used, conserved, and re-used in the future is central to our work. Our products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment, in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services, and agricultural settings. With its October 2016 acquisition of Sensus, Xylem added smart metering, network technologies and advanced data analytics for water, gas and electric utilities to its portfolio of solutions. In more than 150 countries, we have strong, long-standing relationships with customers who know us for our powerful combination of leading product brands and applications expertise with a strong focus on developing comprehensive, sustainable solutions.

For more information on how Xylem can help you, go to www.xylem.com


Aanderaa - a Xylem brand

Aanderaa's roots were formed in the need to make reliable measurements in the earth's most harsh environments.

Founded in the early 1960s by Ivar Aanderaa, the Aanderaa name quickly became synonymous for robust and reliable instrument solutions for oceanographic and other environmental measurements. Now as part of Xylem, Inc., the Aanderaa reputation for data quality, reliability, and excellent customer support continues to serve the global need to have better, smarter, and more robust sensor and systems solutions.

History

In the 1960's, Ivar Aanderaa, the company founder, was instrumental with several inventions needed to solve the technological challenges for deep sea exploration. The initial need was to design an instrument that could measure ocean currents of long periods of time at great depths. In the deep ocean, the challenges are numerous including pressure, corrosion, and other forces of nature. And at the end of the day, you had to provide power and a means of recording data.  Aanderaa, in collaboration with the Christian Michelsen Institute, developed the advancements needed including the first analog to digital converter that could fit in a pressure tube capable of withstanding deep ocean depths. This revolutionary invention ensured low power operation with reliable sensor technology and enabled Aanderaa's instrumentation to be deployed for several years while recording data continuously. These early inventions set the pace for what became a legendary reputation for durability and reliability in instrumentation.

The first long term current series

In 1968, four current meters were deployed in the Weddell Sea for what was planned to be a one year project to observe the largest source of Atlantic bottom water. Due to unfavorable ice conditions, the current meters couldn't be recovered until 5 years later - 4 years later than planned. Two of the four current meters were recovered and despite the 5 years in the sea, the tapes contained 12,000 hourly operations of quality data. This was at the time the longest time series ever obtained and word was spread among scientists around the world about the Aanderaa current meters. Providing reliable long term deployment data has been the vision for Aanderaa from the very beginning and up until today.

Data Instruments merger

In 2005, Aanderaa Instruments entered into a new phase by merging with Data Instruments, another firm based in Bergen, Norway.  With this merger, Data Instruments brought in new technologies in road, weather, and dynamic weighing.  The technologies were very complementary the combined company, renamed Aanderaa Data Instruments (AADI), prospered utilizing a common R&D department.

Data Instruments was founded in 1975, starting off as a computer, sensor and technology consulting company. After a few years the first product segments were ready for sale, supplying quality sensors and systems into specialized markets, still served today. The first challenge was to solve major safety concern and monitoring requirements for the upcoming offshore crane and lifting market within the oil and gas sector. The second market was developed closely together with the Norwegian Road Authorities, monitoring and analyzing traffic, not limited to speed, density and road weather conditions, but many additional applications. The more recent product line is onboard scales, measuring material moved by either front end wheel loaders or excavators.

Xylem Acquisition

Aanderaa Data Instruments was acquired by Nova Analytics in November 2009, and then Nova Analytics was in turn acquired by ITT corporation in March 2010.  In October of 2011 with the completion of the Xylem spinoff from ITT, Aanderaa Data Instruments formally became part of Xylem, Inc. Aanderaa then began a new chapter as a member of a leading global water technology company with 12,600 employees in 45 countries, with operations in more than 150 countries. The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek, and refers to the supporting tissues that help transport water and nutrients from a plant's roots to its leaves.

Today's Aanderaa

As part of the Analytics division of Xylem, Aanderaa has access to and actively collaborates with other companies within the family giving us global access to our customer base and systems integration capabilities in remote parts of the world.

With all the changes going forward, our reputation for integrated, reliable solutions still forms the backbone of our culture.  We are looking forward to what the future brings.