Laying the foundation
• Vibro-Meter® SA, Switzerland founded by Dr A Merkle and two partners who recognised that the economic development of the region was only possible by opening up to industrialisation. Agriculture and trade were the main sources of employment in this rural part of the country.
• Product portfolio focused – included sensors, electronic equipment and special measuring equipment.

Transitional decade
• Consolidated the company’s involvement in the industrial field and its entry into the aerospace sector
• Piezo-electronic accelerometers and pressure sensors for aircraft engines and energy turbines introduced
• Vibration sensors designed to be used for very high temperature measurement up to 800°C
• Vibro-Meter® made its first step into the American aviation market with the distribution of Airborne Vibration Monitoring Systems in the USA.

Building the aviation business
• Product range falls into three broad categories – transducers, signal conditioners and indicators. The practical applications are almost unlimited but the aviation, industrial and laboratory categories stand out
• Company’s equipment flying on 10 different types of engine, on 12 different aircraft types and on 2 types of helicopter
• Systems were developed using digital, as opposed to analogue, techniques
• Modular, rack-based PERMODULE system for industrial monitoring introduced. It was adapted for test bed monitoring of reactors at the start of the 1980s.

Consolidation of the companies
• This decade saw further expansion of the Fribourg headquarters
• American market consolidated through the purchase of companies in the USA
• Investment in the helicopter and space and nuclear businesses, further to a forecast that limited the potential increase of vibration monitoring systems for aircraft
• Ice detection system developed using the piezoelectric effect
• First digital engine vibration monitoring (EVM) system produced
• PERMODULE evolved into the Machinery Monitoring System (MMS) range of rack-based signal processing modules. When used with transducers, it became possible to equip large industrial plants with multi-chain monitoring systems covering many measurement parameters
• At the end of the 1980s, the business was split 45% Aerospace, 32% Laboratory, 23% Machinery Monitoring.

Strategy redefined
• Focus on monitoring the condition of rotating machinery on land, at sea and in the air
• CP231 dynamic pressure transducer specifically for use in the extreme conditions in gas turbine combustion chambers produced
• Certified to ISO 9000
• Dr Merkle sold Vibro-Meter® to the Swiss finance company Elektrowatt (1991)
• After 40 years, Dr Merkle retired (1992)
• Vibro-Meter® owned by Elektrowatt AG (1991-1996)
• Vibro-Meter® owned by Siemens (1997-1998)
• Vibro-Meter® purchased by Meggitt PLC (1998). This decision led to a financial rebirth of Vibro-Meter®
• High Resolution Standard Proximity Sensor (HRSPS) launched for space applications – capable of measuring with nanometric resolution
• Invested in the fluid monitoring business.

More exciting developments
• Instrumentation division sold to Magtrol Inc
• VM600 rack-based machinery monitoring system for rotating machinery launched. This system evolved from the PERMODULE and MMS systems
• Awarded the Innovation Prize 2001 by the Canton of Fribourg in recognition of the benefits of the innovation to the local economy and the environment in general
• Boeing named Vibro-Meter® ‘Supplier of the Year 2000’ in the ‘Systems & Equipment’ category
• Boosters and the Vulcain main engine on Ariane 5 were equipped with revolutionary dynamic pressure transducers type CP231, and associated electronics
• Meggitt Sensing Systems division established (2006) – legal identity change to Meggitt SA and trading as Meggitt Sensing Systems Switzerland. The name Vibro-Meter® continues to be used for the product range.

Staying at the forefront
• MSS Switzerland opened its doors to mark its 60th anniversary; welcoming more than 1200 employees (past and present), their relations and friends on 8th September, 2012
• Wireless aircraft tyre pressure sensing launched
• Lightweight modular AGILE (affordable, generic, intelligent, lightweight electronics) units for monitoring practically all aircraft systems on all platforms added to Aerospace product portfolio
• Self-test technology incorporated in measurement chain of dynamic pressure sensors for monitoring of gas turbines
• Prognostic algorithms for condition-based maintenance developed
• Complete monitoring measurement chain designed and manufactured
• Today, MSS Switzerland offers one source – a single supplier for all sensing and monitoring needs.
• VibroSmart distributed monitoring system for machinery protection and/or condition monitoring launched in 2014.

• Several next-generation measurement chains with diagnostics (self-test) that detect sensor / measurement chain problems launched throughout the 2020s. For example, CAxxx / IPC707 vibration measurement chains, CPxxx / IPC707 dynamic pressure measurement chains, and TQ9xx / IQS900 proximity measurement chains.
• VM600Mk2, the second generation of VM600 rack-based monitoring system, for machinery protection and/or condition monitoring launched in 2020.
• Development of optical sensor technology for combustion dynamics monitoring, which earned 2nd place at Fribourg’s “Prix à l’innovation” (business innovation) awards in 2021.
• SIL 2 certification of CAxxx / IPC707 vibration measurement chains, CPxxx / IPC707 dynamic pressure measurement chains, and TQ9xx / IQS900 proximity measurement chains.
• Introduction of SpeedSys300 overspeed detection and protection systems, which are SIL 2 and SIL 3 certified, in 2021.
• Parker Hannifin completes acquisition of Meggitt in September 2022 – to create Parker Meggitt.
• SIL 2 certification of VM600Mk2 rack-based monitoring system for machinery protection in 2023.