| Type | Subsidiary of Emerson Electric Company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Instrumentation and automation systems |
| Founded | 1956 |
| Headquarters | Eden Prairie, Minnesota |
| Revenue | 600 million Dollars (1995 est.)[1] |
| Website | www.flowemerson.com |
Rosemount Engineering, a company providing products for the space industry, created and sold a fiberglass and metal ski boot in 1965.[2] Robert B. Lange had developed a plastic shell ski boot that worked in conjunction with a leather inner boot prior to that, but the Rosemount is considered to be the first boot to be sold of all synthetic materials.[3]
The company was founded by Dr. Frank D. Werner (1922 - ) in 1956. He became interested in skiing and received patents on the work he did developing these boots.[4] While technically innovative, the company was unable to make money off of this product. In 1968, G.H. Bass purchased the rights to the ski boot line and continued to manufacture them for several years.[5]
The boot was a fiberglass shell with a rear hinged metal door on the inner side of the boot. Different types of material covered the space between the lower shell and the hinged upper cuff. Forward flex was controlled by an elastic band at the rear of the boot. Maintaining a watertight closure was a weaknesses of the design. To fit the boot, pockets in the liner were filled with packing material in most of these boots. Other methods were used on some later models.
The company later became Rosemount Inc., then was purchased by Emerson Electric Company in 1976, and is now known as Emerson Rosemount, a division of Emerson Process Management.