Expanding its presence in the water-treatment market, General Electric Co. agreed to acquire fluid-filtration-equipment maker Osmonics Inc. in a stock and cash deal valued at about $248 million ...

has about 1,200 employees and had sales of $207 million last year. Osmonics makes water purification, filtration and separation equipment. It will become part of GE Water, run by General Electric ...

Now, just 56 years since RO was first invented, Osmonics is owned by General Electric, and FilmTec is owned by Dow Chemical. Both are leaders in filtration and reverse-osmosis technologies.