Badger Meter buys Australia's 37South to extend water-monitoring push
What's the deal? Badger Meter has acquired 37SouthDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Melbourne-based utility technology and remote-monitoring company, in a deal announced in November 2026. Terms were not disclosed. The move gives Badger Meter a base in Australia and extends its BlueEdge water-management portfolio into the local market.
What each side brings: 37South, founded in 2008, designs low-power remote telemetry units and data loggers for water, wastewater, irrigation, and environmental monitoring across hard-to-reach areas. Badger Meter sells metering hardware, communications, and analytics software through its BlueEdge suite.
Why now? The acquisition deepens a buying spree. Badger Meter bought UK sewer-monitoring provider UDliveDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → in May 2026 for $94.4 million, with a potential $50 million earn-out, after acquiring SmartCoverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → for about $184 million in early 2025.
What's the endgame? The company is assembling a broader, international monitoring and software offering. "The acquisition gives Badger Meter a strong base in Australia and a launch pad to extend the BlueEdge portfolio into the local market," said chairman, president, and chief executive officer Kenneth C. Bockhorst. He cited 37South's "proven Australian deployments, established utility relationships and hands-on technical capability."
Founder and chief executive officer Glen Downie called the deal "a strong validation" of 37South's work and said it would build on "the strong foundation" behind the company.
What could go wrong? The market is uneven. Badger Meter reported roughly flat third-quarter 2026 sales year over year, citing inconsistent timing of advanced-metering projects, though software and acquired businesses supported growth. With terms undisclosed and 37South's scale unclear, the near-term financial impact is hard to assess.
The signal: Badger Meter is betting on monitoring and software, not just meters, to grow — and increasingly beyond its home market. Buying established players with existing utility ties lets it expand geographically while sidestepping the slow, uneven pace of core metering projects.
Read more: finance.yahoo.com
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