EVERETT, Wash., Nov. 27, 2019 – Fluke’s Process Tools division is celebrating 25 years of innovation. This year marks a quarter of a century since the company’s first two handheld Documenting Process Calibrators (DPC) were produced. For 25 years, Fluke has worked hard to meet the ever-changing demands process industry professionals face.
In May 1994, Fluke first debuted two handheld DPCs at the ISA Show in Philadelphia. The Fluke 701 and Fluke 702 entered the market, forever changing the calibration process. 25 years later, Fluke is still producing test tools to improve on and serve the needs of process industry professionals working in instrumentation.
Historically, process calibration had to be done manually. It was a pen and paper process that took up a lot of employee time and resources. In the 1960s, it became harder to keep up with this process due to a lack of skilled labor in the industry. The 80s brought lean manufacturing into the picture as a response to serious budget cuts, further impeding plant worker’s ability to keep up with equipment calibration. Throughout the years, all of this meant that fewer people and less money went toward the manual process calibration approach.
After years of technicians using the manual method or skipping calibrations to save time, Fluke decided it was time to come up with a solution. In 1992, Fluke deployed two cross-functional teams. One team was tasked with pursuing unmet needs in the process industries, while the other was tasked with looking at similar opportunities in network testing. They were given 100 days and $100K to come up with a business plan. The network testing team came back with the idea that spawned Fluke Networks. The process industries team came up with a suite of test tool products to improve and serve the industry professionals.
Two years in development and production later, Fluke’s first DPCs debuted. Fluke has continued to create new and innovative process tools ever since. From the release of the 787 process meter in 1997, which combined a loop calibrator with a digital multimeter to the releases of the 729 Automated Pressure Calibrator and the 710 mA Loop Valve Tester in 2018, Fluke is continually working to streamline the calibration documentation process.
Fluke Corporation
For information on Fluke tools and applications, or to find the location of a distributor, contact Fluke Corporation, P.O. Box 9090, Everett, WA USA 98206, call (800) 44-FLUKE (800-443-5853), fax (425) 446-5116, e-mail fluke-info@fluke.com or visit the Fluke Web site at www.fluke.com.
About Fluke
Founded in 1948, Fluke Corporation is the world leader in compact, professional electronic test tools and software for measuring and condition monitoring. Fluke customers are technicians, engineers, electricians, maintenance managers, and metrologists who install, troubleshoot, and maintain industrial, electrical, and electronic equipment and calibration processes.
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FLUKE is a registered trademark of Fluke Corporation. For more information, visit the Fluke website at http://www.fluke.com.