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Business news
WORLD PUMPS
July 2008
John Crane opens centre and restructures
Strong growth for industrial pump sales in Asia
John Crane has opened a John Crane Safematic Centre of Excellence for the pulp & paper market sector in Muurame, Finland.
The McIlvaine Company has released Pumps World Market, an online report, which forecasts industrial pump sales in Asia will reach US$15.4 billion in 2012 and 2008 pump sales to reach US$11.7 billion. Based on these figures, McIlvaine predicts that industrial pump sales in Asia will grow approximately 32% over the next four years. A separate report predicts a 46% rise in the Asian market for ultrapure water purification systems during the
The new 4,300 m2 premises are located in the Punasilta Business Park on the north side of Muurame. The company says this location was a natural choice due to the strong forest industry found in the centre of Finland, as well as the fact that many leading OEMs and end-user customers base global operations in Central Finland.
In addition to the opening of the centre, Smiths Group has announced the restructuring of its corporate and divisional headquarters. One of the company’s effected by this development will be John Crane. Currently managed and operated as two separate units by teams in the UK and the USA, the company will be unified under Paul Cox as president and will have its headquarters at the Morton Grove facility close to Chicago, USA. www.johncrane.com
same period. Company president Robert McIlvaine, commented: “We see China as a major growth market for industrial pump sales, particularly in the area of waste water treatment. As the Chinese population continues to migrate into urban areas, China will be building new wastewater treatment plants in many of its cities. Each of these facilities will need to be fitted with pumps, valves, piping, and fittings.” www.mcilvainecompany.com
ITT announces executive appointments in China
ABB win contract and complete acquisition
Two of ITT Corporation’s leaders are to take on new assignments. Michael Kuchenbrod, 43, currently president of ITT’s Interconnect Solutions (ICS) business, has been named president of ITT China, based in Shanghai. ITT China oversees the company’s seven manufacturing sites and 2,000 employees in China, as well as ITT’s operations in India.
ABB has won a contract worth US$170 million from Svenska Kraftnät and Fingrid Oyj, the transmission system operators in Sweden and Finland.
In addition, the company has announced that William Taylor, 55, currently president of ITT China, has been named president of ITT’s ICS business, based in Santa Ana, California, USA. ICS manufactures specialty connectors for a number of global markets including aerospace, medical and transportation. The changes are set to take effect by the end of June. www.itt.com
More use EFD software for education and research Since Flomerics announced its 'EFD for Education' Initiative a year ago the company has reported a four-fold increase in the number of sites using its Engineering Fluid Dynamics (EFD) software for teaching and research purposes. Flomerics aims to ensure that mechanical engineering students and researchers have access to the latest fluid dynamics software used in industry. Unlike much Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation software, EFD operates inside the mechanical
www.worldpumps.com
CAD tools that engineers are familiar with, without any transfer of data. John Parry, research manager at Flomerics, commented: “With EFD there’s no need to learn a new user interface, no CAD export, and the meshing is fully automated, so students can focus solely on learning about fluid dynamics instead of how to use the software. I’m delighted by how well EFD has been received by the educational community.” www.flomerics.com
ABB will supply two HVDC (highvoltage, direct current) converter stations for the Fenno-Skan 2 power link. The Fenno-Skan 2 project is aiming to strengthen the power transmission between Sweden and Finland. ABB says it will use its HVDC technology and equipment on the converter stations which will be part of an 800 MW extension of the existing 550 MW Fenno-Skan 1 link, originally delivered by ABB in 1989. For the Fenno-Skan 2 project, ABB will be responsible for system engineering, including design, supply and installation of the two
HVDC converter stations. The system is scheduled to be in operation by the end of 2011. In other news, the company has acquired the business of Vectek Electronics, a New Zealand company that provide technology for the improvement of power supply in industrial installations. The business has 73 employees as well as a research and development centre in the town of Napier, and will operate as part of ABB’s Automation Products division. The terms of the transaction are not being disclosed. Grant Gillard, managing director of ABB in New Zealand commented: "Vectek’s products will strengthen ABB’s reputation for developing and delivering leading edge technology." www.abb.com
Allweiler supplies to sewage plants in Algeria Allweiler pumps are being used in four new sewage plants in Algeria. Allweiler worked with the Austrian plant builder VA Tech Wabag, to deliver 48 progressing cavity pumps and macerators. The four sewage
plants include one in Oran, the second-largest city in the country with 1.5-million residents. The project was planned by Allweiler and VA Tech Wabag jointly. www.allweiler.com