World Class Supplier of Complete Solutions for Tank Gauging and Inventory Management

Whessoe was formed in 1791 as an ironmongers and foundry in Darlington, in the north of England close to the site of the inaugural run in 1791 of Stevenson's 'Rocket', built for the world's first railway. Whessoe's founder, Alfred Kitching, was closely associated with the railway and, as one of the very first passengers, saw opportunities for his company's skills in the nascent rail industry.

In 1891, Whessoe grew with the gas industry and anticipated the success of the new petroleum industry, building oil storage tanks and infrastructure for refineries. The company went public in 1920 and Shell purchased 51% of ordinary shares, giving it the opportunity to earn a prominent position in petroleum and petrochemical engineering. Whessoe led in the design, fabrication and construction of pressure vessels and large-scale storage tanks, being the first to apply welding technology versus riveted construction.

By the 1990s, with a century of continuous involvement in the petroleum and petrochemical industry, the new Whessoe Group corporate headquarters was moved to just outside Darlington, a few miles from the site of the original foundry. For the previous thirty years the group focused on marine tanker and tank farm inventory management systems, building its reputation as world-class supplier of complete solutions for inventory management, loss control, tank gauging and environmental safety, onshore and in a marine environment.

In 1997, the world-renowned Endress+Hauser Group purchased the Whessoe Group. The Varec headquarters and manufacturing facility was re-located to Atlanta to support the sales of Varec FuelsManager® systems and tank gauging products for worldwide distribution.

In 2006, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) acquired Varec. SAIC is the largest employee-owned research and engineering company in the United States, with more than 43,000 employees in over 150 cities worldwide. The acquisition strengthens both companies positions in the Oil & Gas markets and allows the each to provide a more comprehensive array of services to its customers - read more here...