Itron Agrees To Buy Assets Of Metscan

Itron Inc. has agreed to buy the assets of a defunct New York company that sold telephone-based equipment for reading utility meters automatically.

Metscan Inc. closed its doors about 45 days ago because of severe cash-flow problems, Itron spokeswoman Mima Scarpelli said.

But Metscan had revenues of about $8.6 million in 1994, she said, and about 40 major North American utilities have installed 500,000 of the company’s meter-reading devices.

By comparison, Itron revenues were $120.7 million over the same period.

President Johnny Humphreys said Metscan’s telephone-based technology will complement that of Itron, which relies on radio links for collecting meter information.

“We expect Metscan’s technology to augment our radio-based solution in areas where a single technology doesn’t meet all of a utility’s needs,” he said.

Scarpelli said telephone gear may work better in commercial zones, or in rural areas.

Itron will move the equipment for manufacturing Metscan’s devices from near Rochester to Spokane, she said. One or two key workers will also be transferred, but otherwise production will be done by Itron’s present area work force of 450.

“It should be a fairly easy integration,” Scarpelli said.

Metscan, which had been in business since 1984, had 60 employees at one time.

Scarpelli said Itron paid $4.5 million for the Metscan assets. The company was not assuming any of the New York company’s liabilities, she said.

, DataTimes