October 2012 marks 50 years since Acromet was founded, we take this opportunity to speak to General Manager Keith Gardner.
Congratulations on reaching 50 years – how did Acromet get started?
Acromet (Aust) Pty Ltd commenced operations in October of 1962 as a wholly Australian-owned company with Australian distribution agreements for American and Canadian equipment for the water supply and treatment industries. The initial product range specialised in gaseous Chlorination and Metering Pump Chemical feeding equipment.
How innovative were Acromet’s products at the time?
At this time, Acromet was the first company to introduce the then unique All Vacuum Chlorination system into the Australian market – a system now adopted by all major manufacturers.
Our beginnings were based on innovative equipment for its time, designed by our founder who has a passion for providing robust and reliable products with the highest accuracy possible.
What have been some of the key turning points in the company’s history?
In 1969 Acromet increased its expansion in the industrial market with the introduction of an All Australian designed and manufactured range of Diaphragm and Plunger Metering Pumps and accessories. This range of pumps, known as the 900 Series, became the chemical metering work-horse for many industries throughout the late 1960’s, 1970’s and early 1980’s where some are still in operation today.
During this early period, the company also established a technically strong engineering division, responsible for the introduction of newly developed process pump technology into the general and Petro-Chemical industries.
The product range was further extended with the addition of Electro-magnetic Metering Pumps, Gear Pumps and Motor Driven Sealless and Specialized Centrifugal Pumps.
In 1982, after considerable investment in design and development, the company released a range of Dry Material Feeders that now cater for an extensive market in the Bulk Materials Handling industries.
During this period the 900 Series metering pumps were redesigned to incorporate a wider range in the performance envelope that increased the number of liquid heads that could be fitted to a single unit. The new pump was released in 1983 as the Acromet 3000 Series that has become a dominant player in the market and remains in production today at our Clayton, Victoria manufacturing facility.
What happened once the 900 series was discontinued?
Although 900 Series metering pumps were discontinued from production, our spare parts, factory service and repair support were maintained for 17 years. This philosophy is rarely seen in the industry today, yet still continues with all our manufactured products. This level of commitment is one of the reasons that Acromet is the only Australian manufacturer of metering pumps. This has assisted us with the expansion of our extensive and satisfied customers around the world who use our Australian-made products.
What hasn’t changed over the years?
Throughout the years, product design and development has always been a priority on Acromet’s agenda with further development culminating in the release of the Acromet robust 2000 and 2500 Series metering pump along with the Acroflex flexible dry powder screw conveyor and our expansion into the Bulk Materials Handling systems. This principle continues our founder’s philosophy of a robust, reliable and accurate range of metering equipment.
In 2012 Acromet remains a fully Australian-owned and operated business proudly celebrating its fiftieth year of operation. The momentum of growth has been maintained in the past decade with a continuing emphasis on new product design and development positioning Acromet as a leading Australian manufacturer of Metering Pumps and Dry Material Feeders.
