Chemical Processing readers once again sound off. The 2014 Readers’ Choice Awards presents a rundown of vendors readers consider technology leaders in their field. The 453 respondents noted some obvious standouts. In particular, Mettler-Toledo took the top spot in the Weighing System category with 58% of the vote. Popular for its motors, ABB garnered more than half of the vote (54%) in that category. For Process Simulation Software, 45% of respondents named AspenTech as their go-to choice. (Note: We only report the results for the 20 categories that garnered the most responses.)
As in previous years, Emerson took home the top spot in several (6) categories. One reader notes Emerson Process is the best due to the company’s wide selection and reliability. “Emerson provides a wide range of products and services that meets the majority of the plant needs,” says another. Several respondents also state the company’s worldwide support was a key factor in their choice.In fact, customer support plays a major role in readers’ selections. “Just having a real good product does not cut it anymore. You have to back it up with service,” explains one survey participant.This is the reason one respondent chooses Flowserve as a favorite. “They always have someone on hand to answer any questions related to services they provide. Employees are generally helpful and well-informed.” However, Flowserve took 2nd place behind ITT Goulds in the Centrifugal Pumps category.Reliability still counts, too. One reader selects Swagelok, which nabbed 33% of the vote in the Pipe/Tubing/Fittings category “because its product’s failure rate is almost nil.” Another respondent picks Swagelok because the company has “great stuff, easy to order, and [they] often have what I need.”Without further ado, here’s the list readers say are their top vendors from 20 categories.BearingsSKF 33%Timken 28%Centrifugal Pumps ITT Goulds 30%Flowserve 16% Compressors Ingersoll Rand 23%Atlas Copco 13%Dresser-Rand 12%Filtration Systems Pall 18%3M 12%Millipore 10%Flow Instrumentation Emerson (Fisher, Rosemount, Micro Motion) 47%Endress + Hauser 12%Heat Exchangers Alfa Laval 17%Tranter 9%Bell & Gossett 7%Level InstrumentationEmerson (Fisher, Rosemount) 37%Endress + Hauser 10%Vega 7%Magnetrol 6%Mixing Systems Lightnin 36%Ross Mixing 8%Philadelphia Mixer 7%Motors ABB (Baldor, Reliance) 54%GE 8%Pipe/Tubing/Fittings Swagelok 33%Parker Hannifin 13% Positive Displacement PumpsIDEX (PulsaFeeder, Viking, Sandpiper) 18%Milton Roy 7%Pressure Instrumentation Emerson (Rosemount) 38%Ashcroft 10%Endress + Hauser 7%Process Automation Systems Emerson 21%Honeywell 16%Rockwell Automation 15%Schneider (Invensys, Foxboro, Wonderware) 13%ABB 8%Siemens 8%Process Simulation Software AspenTech 45%Schneider (Invensys, SimSci) 12%ChemStations 7%Honeywell 7%Tanks & Vessels Pfaudler 12%Temperature Instrumentation Emerson (Rosemount) 35%Omega 8%Honeywell 7%Valves & Actuators Emerson (Fisher, Asco) 33%Flowserve 9%Variable Speed Drives Rockwell Automation 26%ABB (Baldor, Reliance) 24%Siemens 12%Water Treatment Systems Nalco 17%Siemens 10%GE Betz 7%Weighing Systems Mettler Toledo 58%Rice Lake 6%How the Survey Was ConductedReaders received e-mail notices, electronic newsletters, used a link posted on www.ChemicalProcessing.com or responded to Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook postings to complete the questionnaire. A total of 453 readers cast their votes about which vendors they consider technology leaders. Categories were listed, but respondents had to enter the name of the technology provider in a blank text box. By not providing a pre-selected list of companies in each category, the survey avoided bias.The rankings show the percentage of total responses in each category that a particular company received. We only list the categories that garnered the most responses and firms that got more than 5% of the votes in a category. Scores within 3% of each other should be considered a statistical tie.
Thanks for Participating!
As a token of our appreciation for taking the time to complete this survey, respondents were entered into a drawing to receive one of 10 $50 gift cards to a retail vendor of their choice. The lucky winners, randomly selected via www.random.org are:
Shad Bracken, chemical engineer, Westinghouse Electric
Yunfeng Chang, R&D head, Sigma Innova LLC
Robert Confair, sr. staff process control engineer, TPC Group
Jamie Daniel, sr. technical manager, The Woodbridge Group
Dan Houghton, process safety engineer, Innospec
Lance Jarrett, analytical chemist, AkzoNobel
Matthew O'Neil, director of manufacturing, Bayer MaterialScience LLC
Jerry Volkin, president, ChemQuest Chemicals
Chris Wiegenstein, plant optimization engineer, Eurecat
Mike Wisdom, sr. process engineer, Ascend Performance Materials
