Precision measurement has become a critical part of the industrial production chain as the manufactured products gain in complexity, which in turn supported technological specialization, focused on precison measurement, speed and reliability
This is the case in the semiconductor industry, which gave rise to metrology and test equipment specialists; with very large firms such as KLA-Tencor (included in the 'Semiconductor manufacturing' theme because of its size), but also with a range of specialists focused on the various steps of the production process
The technological advance of these firms - and their critical contribution in processing more and more complex semiconductor products - delivers a favorable combination of growth and value for the investor
Industrial applications in precision measurement often rely on technological advance, even in more familiar flow measurement such as real time 'smart monitoring' at water and gas utilities, or in precision weighing during a fabrication process and for vision systems integrated in automation processes, offering diversified and growing market opportunities
Requirements combining precision with speed and reliability to deliver yield across automated industrial manufacturing can safely be projected to grow more complex, more costly and more indispensable