SANTA CLARA, California, March 26, 2019 – Based on its recent analysis of the North American smart water meters market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Kamstrup Water Metering LLC with the 2019 North American Customer Value Leadership Award. Kamstrup Water Metering LLC, the North American subsidiary of the Danish company Kamstrup A/S, addresses the regional need for advanced metering solutions with its ultrasonic flowIQ smart water meter. The product has quickly established itself in the market by outperforming its competitors in durability, as well as boasting a low flow capture of 0.015 compared to its peers’ 0.03.
“flowIQ has a small footprint, has no moving parts due to its ultrasonic technology, and lasts more than 20 years. Its composite polymer body makes it dirt resistant, eco-friendly, magnet resistant, highly flexible, and condensation free. In addition, its wireless M-Bus reading capabilities allow it to alert utilities of leaks, pipe bursts, tampering, reverse flow, and dryness,” said Seth Cutler, Principal Consultant at Frost & Sullivan. “Although the company also offers steel and brass meters, its main product is a composite polymer meter.”
Kamstrup’s focus on excellent customer service is key to its value proposition. Despite having a meter with less than one-tenth percent failure rate, it introduced its technology to distributors and smaller utilities to gain a more diverse reference list before targeting large utilities. Working with the smaller utilities helps Kamstrup clearly understand customer pain points and industry trends, all while building trust in its distribution partner network.
Kamstrup has set up a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Roswell, Georgia to develop and distribute its products specifically to North American customers. It expects to achieve high levels of automation and 100 percent US production by 2020. This manufacturing facility will reduce lead times to four weeks or less and provide both scale and flexibility. The company further entrenched itself in the market by presenting top-quality services through a countrywide distribution network and opening an office in Canada.
“Kamstrup is currently expanding into system sales, with strategies in place to offer its AMI systems in the larger markets. However, despite its value-added services, its ultrasonic metering continues to remain at the core of its value proposition,” noted Seth Cutler. “As the flowIQ increases its footprint in the market, Kamstrup will strengthen its competitive position and enrich its line of products and services.”
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in implementing strategies that proactively create value for its customers with a focus on improving the return on the investment that customers make in its services or products. The award recognizes the company’s unique focus on augmenting the value that its customers receive, beyond simply good customer service, leading to improved customer retention and customer base expansion.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
