GE Acquires Commtest Portfolio

GE Acquires Commtest PortfolioGE acquired Commtest today which is a provider & designer of “machinery health information systems.”

GE Energy’s Bently product line will use the acquisition to inject Commtest products into its porfolio which will compliment their lineup.  GE’s Bently product line produces machinery protection and condition monitoring for refineries, prtrochemical plants, power plants and wind farms according to GE and is a line with more than 50 years of operational experience in the production of turbines, compressors, motors and generators.

“The acquisition of Commtest allows us to significantly upgrade our portable vibration data collection and analysis capabilities,” explained Art Eunson, general manager for GE’s Bently Nevada product line. “Bently has an extensive portfolio of continuous monitoring solutions, sensors and transducers, software and supporting diagnostic instillation services, but the Commtest acquisition will help us bring our customers a more integrated offering that takes into account the health of the entire plant.”

Commtest is headquartered in Christchurch, New Zealand.  The company focuses predominately on producing vibration analysis and monitoring equipment which is used to forecast machine failure so that preliminary analysis may be conducted for repair of machinery in advance of complete failure.

“With any acquisition, we look for companies and products that have a natural fit and will enhance the solutions we are currently offering,” Eunson noted. “The vibration and monitoring equipment provided by Commtest elevates the Bently offering.”

GE closed at $15.09 at the end of Friday trading.