Aclara buys stake in meter supplier

American firm Aclara Technologies LLC has acquired a majority stake in General Electric Philippines Meter and Instrument Co. Inc. (Gepmici)—a supplier of power meters and a joint venture between GE and the Manila Electric Co.

Aclara—based in St. Louis, Missouri—supplies smart infrastructure solutions to electric, gas and water utilities worldwide.

Through the acquisition, Aclara will own a majority equity position in the Taguig City-based Gepmici, which supplies electric solutions in other Asean member countries as well as Japan.

“Holding a majority equity position in this joint venture enhances our global market leadership, as it is the gateway to expanding our international footprint into the growing Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and Apac (Asia-Pacific) markets,” Aclara president and chief executive Allan Connolly said in a statement.

“This development further strengthens our ability to offer next generation smart meters through our broad meter portfolio,” Connolly said.

He added that Aclara views Asean and Asia-Pacific as both a growing market that is beginning to embrace the benefits of smart meters and next-generation smart infrastructure solutions.

Also, the acquisition brings forward Aclara’s drive toward continued international expansion, which started with its acquisition in 2015 of the electric meters business operating within GE Power’s Grid Solutions unit.

In 2016, Aclara also acquired Pennsylvania-based Tollgrade Communications Inc.’s smart grid sensor solution, the grid monitoring platform.