Company history


VAF Instruments has gained a world-wide reputation as a specialist in developing, manufacturing and marketing fluid measuring instruments and control systems for the processing and maritime industries.

It all started with petrol and Dutch milk

VAF was founded in 1938 in Dordrecht, Holland. Initially the company manufactured electric petrol pumps, but as a result of the fuel shortages in the 1940's the demand for petrol pumps dropped sharply. The demand for precision measuring instruments however remaine and after the 2nd world war the company decided to specialise in this field. In the first instance VAF manufactured and supplied milk meters for the milk industry in The Netherlands.

How VAF got into the processing industry and maritime industry

In the 1950's the range of measuring instruments offered by VAF Instruments was extended considerably and the company's main target became the processing industry, followed later on by the maritime industry. Several flowmeters designed and developed
by the company were patented. In the early 60s the company decided to respond to the demand for dosage systems and for this reason it wanted to find a supplier of shut-off valves.

A period of joining forces

During this period a link was established between the innovative VAF company and Conoflow, an American company specialising in control valves. In 1963 it was decided
to join forces. In 1966 the company in turn was taken over by the ITT Corporation.
This take-over enabled VAF to become known internationally and the company was the first to develop a viscosity meter for the shipping industry which was marketed under the name viscotherm. To this day viscotherm continues to be a watchword on the majority
of seagoing vessels all over the world. Over 20,000 systems have been installed.

VAF Instruments today

In the 1980's ITT decided that it would concentrate solely on telecommunications and
VAF Instruments saw this as an opportunity to go its own way. In 1988 the company
was taken over by its present owners and since then it has continued as an independent enterprise specialising in the manufacture of fluid measuring and control instruments and supplying customers all over the world.