"The Abu Dhabi facility is the first in the Middle East to get an internationally recognized accreditation for flow calibration. "The ISO 9001:2008 certification is already in place," Rock Tanner, director of the Middle East Flow Service Center told Arab News in an interview on Monday.

The center, an investment of $3 million and a wholly-owned Emerson company that offers the broadest range of process automation solutions is the first, in-region, with VSL Calibration and Measurement Capability (CMC)-certified calibration facility," he added.

"The opening of the center represents Emerson's continued commitment to the region, while delivering much needed, local and certified services," said Dave Tredinnick, Emerson's president of Middle East & Africa business at the opening in Abu Dhabi.

"Never before has an internationally-certified calibration facility been available to customers, locally, to eliminate lead time issues and reduce costs for flowmeter calibration. Emerson is proud to make these services available to customers in Abu Dhabi, the Middle East and Africa."

With the flow service centre up and running, Emerson's regional customers can expect faster turnaround times in terms of maintenance. "I am looking at 48-hour turnaround times on flow calibrations. In the past, when we shipped the products to service centers in Europe, the turnaround times were measured in weeks," said Rock Tanner.

"Metrological traceability and certification processes ensure reliable measurements in laboratories and facilities around the world. VSL, the National Metrology Institute of the Netherlands, has certified the calibration equipment," he said.

He added that Emerson has put in place the reverse logistics infrastructure including people that are crucial to supporting the center's calibration capabilities. It has also tied up with third party companies in Abu Dhabi to handle the cleaning and safety elements of the logistics process.

The new 22,000 sq. ft. office, located in Musaffah Industrial Area, accentuates the company's strong commitment to the Middle East region.