Emerson to Invest $100 Million to Create New Innovation Center and Expand Manufacturing Operations in Colorado
May 26, 2020
Emerson, a global engineering and technology company, has recently announced it will invest more than $100 million in Boulder to significantly expand its manufacturing space and launch a new innovation center focused on research, new product development and industry training for its advanced flow measurement products.
“This U.S. investment significantly expands our ability to serve as industry leaders, helping customers in essential industries optimize their operations with the latest technologies,” said David N. Farr, chairman and chief executive officer of Emerson. “Our new facility demonstrates our continued commitment to customer-driven innovation and high-tech manufacturing, as well as our focus on attracting the best and brightest talent to work for Emerson.”
Emerson is recognized globally for its advanced flow measurement technologies and diagnostics that help leading global customers in the life sciences, food and beverage, chemical, power and energy industries. The new innovation center will drive innovation and new product development to enable customers in these critical industries to realize performance improvements in production, reliability, safety and sustainability.
“As an entrepreneur, I saw firsthand how Colorado’s talent and market strengths can fuel innovation,” said Colorado Gov. Jared Polis. “This timely investment in Coloradans and our state is a bold statement about our economic power and the bright opportunities that lie ahead.”
The nearly 180,000-square-foot expansion includes a new, 85,000-square-foot laboratory and manufacturing facility to design and develop products, technologies and software that measure and control the flow of material in a manufacturing process. These innovations are core components of Emerson’s Plantweb digital ecosystem, a scalable portfolio of technologies, software and services that help customers digitally transform their operations and achieve Top Quartile performance.
The expanded Boulder facility will offer a hands-on Interactive Plant Environment that simulates real-world industrial manufacturing conditions for worker training and upskilling to help reshape the future workforce. The experiential training facility will provide Emerson customers with hands-on access to the most advanced products and technologies, including flow, temperature, level, pressure and wireless instrumentation, valves and regulators, as well as Emerson’s leading control systems and Plantweb digital ecosystem. Emerson’s flow measurement portfolio includes Coriolis, magnetic, vortex, multiphase, differential pressure and ultrasonic meters under the Micro Motion, Rosemount, Roxar and Daniel brands.
Emerson will add charging stations for electric vehicles, launch green landscaping, energy efficiency and water conservation programs, and provide bicycle parking at the new facility. Emerson expects to break ground in spring 2020.
Emerson currently has 630 employees in Boulder, home of its measurement solutions business. Micro Motion was founded in 1977 as one of Boulder’s earliest startups and invented the first Coriolis flow meter. Emerson acquired Micro Motion in 1984 and has continued to invest in design, engineering and attracting technical talent.
Emerson has made significant North American investments over the past several years, most notably in Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Connecticut and Texas. Last year, Emerson announced a collaboration with Colorado State University to build the Emerson Brewing Innovation Center, where students get hands-on experience using the latest automation technologies.
