- Email: [email protected]
Future Technologies to distribute HTI technology in Middle East
DIVIDENDS/NEWS
Dividends • The Xylem Inc board of directors has declared a cash dividend of US$0.1012 per share for the fourth quarter of 2011. This cash dividend will be paid on 31 December 2011 to shareholders of record on 16 November 2011. ITT Corp spun off its water-related businesses as Xylem at the end of October 2011. The Xylem share has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1 November 2011 (see News, page 1). www.xyleminc.com • Cantel Medical Corp’s board has approved an increase in its semiannual cash dividend to US$0.07 per outstanding share of the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on 31 January 2012 to shareholders of record on 17 January 2012. This raises Cantel Medical’s annual dividend payment from US$0.12 to US$0.14 per share. “The increase demonstrates Cantel’s strong financial position and our confidence in Cantel’s future performance,” said Charles Diker, Cantel Medical chairman. www.cantelmedical.com • 3M, parent company of Cuno, has declared a dividend on the company’s common stock of US$0.55 per share for the fourth quarter of 2011, which is payable on 12 December 2011 to shareholders of record on 25 November 2011. 3M has paid dividends to its shareholders without interruption for more than 95 years. As of 30 September 2011, 3M had 700 844 681 common shares outstanding and 101 546 shareholders of record. www.3M.com • The CECO Environmental Corp quarterly cash dividend of US$0.025 per share will be paid on 30 December 2011, to all shareholders of record on 15 December 2011. www.cecoenviro.com • Donaldson Co Inc’s regular cash dividend of US$0.15 per share will be paid on 16 December 2011. This is the 225th consecutive quarterly cash dividend paid by Donaldson over 56 years. www.donaldson.com • SPX Corp’s quarterly dividend of US$0.25 per common share is payable on 4 January 2012 to shareholders of record on 14 December 2011. www.spx.com
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Filtration Industry Analyst
garden, agricultural, and motorcycle industries. The Kuss product range includes in-tank fuel filters, embedded pleated paper filters, specialty automotive filters, specialty industrial filters, and intake and cabin air panel filters. Cummins will remain a key customer of and supplier to Kuss. Hasnain Merchant, formerly general manager of the Findlay, Ohio location, will become CEO of Kuss. “Although Kuss was non-core to Cummins due to its primary end markets, the company has developed a strong product portfolio, has talented and dedicated employees, and presents attractive growth opportunities. We look forward to partnering with IOP to focus on continuing to grow the business,” said Merchant. For further information, visit www.cummins.com and www.iopfund.com
Lanxess increases ion exchange resin prices
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pecialty chemicals company Lanxess is to increase prices globally for its Lewatit ion exchange resins. The price increases will vary by application and region. In the Asia-Pacific region, for example, a price rise of 7.5% will apply to Lewatit resins for industrial water treatment and ultrapure and nuclear applications. Prices in the specialised water segment will also increase by 7.5%. In Europe and North America, the prices of Lewatit resins for industrial water treatment, ultrapure and nuclear applications and specialties will go up by 4%. Adsorber and exchange resins used in the pharmaceutical industry and exchange resins for the chemical processing segment will increase 7.5%.
For further information, visit www.lewatit.com and www.lanxess.com
RWL Water Group builds portfolio with Eurotec acquisition
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WL Water LLC has acquired a controlling interest in Eurotec WTT, an Italian manufacturer of wastewater treatment systems. Headquartered in Padova, Italy, Eurotec has more than 200 installations worldwide.
The company specialises in the aerobic and anaerobic treatment of sludge and the processing of biomass into energy sources. Established in 2010 by Ronald Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, RWL Water Group is a privately-held holding company focused on creating global water treatment solutions to meet the growing need for clean water. RWL Water Group’s portfolio of water and wastewater treatment companies already includes advanced membrane technology specialist Nirosoft in Israel and aeration systems manufacturer Aeromix in the US. The combined companies give RWL Water Group an installed base of more than 3000 water treatment systems in over 60 countries. “Eurotec is a key acquisition in RWL Water Group’s growth strategy that will allow us to expand our waste-to-energy offerings, and provide a singular advantage to middle market customers seeking full-service capabilities to handle their water concerns,” said Lauder. “The combined strength of the three portfolio companies will allow our customers to access the most competitive water and wastewater treatment offerings specifically designed to meet their needs. Our goal is to help unlock the hidden value in their operations and facilitate the reuse of resources to increase their economic and environmental sustainability.” “Under RWL Water Group, Eurotec will significantly expand its waste-to-energy offerings, as well as its presence in the food processing industry, globally,” said Maurizio Tiarca, managing director and sales manager of Eurotec WWT. For further information, visit www.eurotecwtt.it
Future Technologies to distribute HTI technology in Middle East
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orward osmosis membrane specialist Hydration Technology Innovations LLC (HTI) has reached a distribution, services and cooperation agreement with Dubai-based Future Technologies LLC. Future Technologies will distribute HTI’s FO OsMem membrane technology for industrial applications, including the downstream oil & gas industry, in the Middle East. “Future Technologies is an ideal fit for the distribution of our forward osmosis technology within the Middle East/North Africa (MENA)
November 2011
NEWS region,” said Walt Schultz, CEO of HTI. “We are confident that the combination of Future Technologies’ experience in the water and wastewater industries, along with their strong relationships in the MENA market, will bring great success to this partnership.” “In line with our strategy to bring advanced technologies and solutions to our clients in the Middle East, we are pleased to have teamed up with HTI, pioneers in forward osmosis technology,” said Kai-Uwe Buerger, CEO of Future Technologies. “During the course of negotiations with HTI, we had soon realised that we can provide added value to our clients, and have already identified a number of possible clients. A pilot plant is currently under discussion for dispatch into the Middle East.” For further information, visit www.htiwater.com and www.futuretechme.com
Calgon Carbon amends credit facility
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algon Carbon Corp has completed a number of amendments to its revolving credit facility. The new agreement, which expires on 17 November 2016, permits borrowings up to US$125 million and could be increased to US$175 million. The agreement is unsecured and subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants for credit agreements of this type. This new agreement amends and restates the company’s US$95 million five-year credit agreement, dated 8 May 2009. Steve Schott, Calgon Carbon’s chief financial officer, said: “I am very pleased with the amendments made to our credit agreement. These amendments, which include increasing our borrowing capacity, extending the agreement’s expiration date, lowering our borrowing costs, eliminating the banks’ security interests in our assets, and reducing or eliminating many of the prior restrictive provisions, position us well for the ongoing execution of our strategic plan.” First Commonwealth Bank is the administration and syndication agent for the agree-
November 2011
ment which also includes RBS Citizens NA and First National Bank of Pennsylvania as co-documentation agents.
Meeting. Ahlstrom currently holds 269 005 of its own shares, corresponding to approximately 0.58% of the total shares and votes.
For further information, visit www.calgoncarbon.com
For further information, www.ahlstrom.com
Crossflow membrane market to reach US$12bn by 2017
LiqTech partners with Scandinavian Brake Systems on DPF
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ales of crossflow membrane equipment and consumable membrane modules will increase from US$8.6 billion this year to more than US$12 billion in 2017. This is according to the latest forecasts from the McIlvaine Co’s RO, UF, MF World Market report. Reverse osmosis (RO) equipment will be the biggest market and will enjoy a US$1.7 billion increase to US$4.7 billion in 2017, while membrane sales for RO equipment will be worth just under US$1.5 billion by the end of the forecast period.
For further information on RO, UF, MF World Market, visit www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water. html#no20
Ahlstrom completes share buyback
A
hlstrom Corp has completed the share repurchase program announced on 15 September 2011 (see Filtration Industry Analyst, September 2011). The filter media manufacturer has acquired 250 000 of its own shares at an average price of E12.45 through public trading on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Exchange. The shares were acquired for the implementation of the company’s share-based incentive plan. Evli Bank plc acted as a stock broker in the repurchases. Ahlstrom’s board of directors is authorised to acquire 4 million of the company’s own shares by the end of the 2012 Annual General
iqTech International Inc has entered into a strategic alliance with Scandinavian Brake Systems to use the production capacity of its Notox division. LiqTech and Notox have been competitors in the automotive diesel particulate filter (DPF) market. Now LiqTech will sell and market DPF in the global market and Scandinavian Brake Systems will produce DPF for LiqTech. LiqTech CEO, Lasse Andreassen, said: “For many years we have had the greatest respect for Scandinavian Brake Systems and their high quality production facilities. We have been fortunate to develop our business and establish a market position in North America, Asia and Europe in competition with Scandinavian Brake Systems and their division Notox. Now joining forces, LiqTech will increase production capacity by more than 200%, which will enable us to focus on the next stage of our strategic goal, the OEM market in the US, Asia and Europe.” Scandinavian Brake Systems CEO Hans Fuglgaard added: “We have built a state of the art production facility for Notox, investing more than US$50 million; with our agreement with LiqTech International, we can now start to utilise our facility’s potential. Notox is very experienced in production, but has had difficulties with sales and marketing. We have admired the progress of LiqTech International and see the alliance as a perfect match when approaching the new market opportunities for DPF.” For further information visit www.liqtech.com and www.sbs.dk
Filtration Industry Analyst
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Dividends • The Xylem Inc board of directors has declared a cash dividend of US$0.1012 per share for the fourth quarter of 2011. This cash dividend will be paid on 31 December 2011 to shareholders of record on 16 November 2011. ITT Corp spun off its water-related businesses as Xylem at the end of October 2011. The Xylem share has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1 November 2011 (see News, page 1). www.xyleminc.com • Cantel Medical Corp’s board has approved an increase in its semiannual cash dividend to US$0.07 per outstanding share of the company’s common stock. The dividend is payable on 31 January 2012 to shareholders of record on 17 January 2012. This raises Cantel Medical’s annual dividend payment from US$0.12 to US$0.14 per share. “The increase demonstrates Cantel’s strong financial position and our confidence in Cantel’s future performance,” said Charles Diker, Cantel Medical chairman. www.cantelmedical.com • 3M, parent company of Cuno, has declared a dividend on the company’s common stock of US$0.55 per share for the fourth quarter of 2011, which is payable on 12 December 2011 to shareholders of record on 25 November 2011. 3M has paid dividends to its shareholders without interruption for more than 95 years. As of 30 September 2011, 3M had 700 844 681 common shares outstanding and 101 546 shareholders of record. www.3M.com • The CECO Environmental Corp quarterly cash dividend of US$0.025 per share will be paid on 30 December 2011, to all shareholders of record on 15 December 2011. www.cecoenviro.com • Donaldson Co Inc’s regular cash dividend of US$0.15 per share will be paid on 16 December 2011. This is the 225th consecutive quarterly cash dividend paid by Donaldson over 56 years. www.donaldson.com • SPX Corp’s quarterly dividend of US$0.25 per common share is payable on 4 January 2012 to shareholders of record on 14 December 2011. www.spx.com
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Filtration Industry Analyst
garden, agricultural, and motorcycle industries. The Kuss product range includes in-tank fuel filters, embedded pleated paper filters, specialty automotive filters, specialty industrial filters, and intake and cabin air panel filters. Cummins will remain a key customer of and supplier to Kuss. Hasnain Merchant, formerly general manager of the Findlay, Ohio location, will become CEO of Kuss. “Although Kuss was non-core to Cummins due to its primary end markets, the company has developed a strong product portfolio, has talented and dedicated employees, and presents attractive growth opportunities. We look forward to partnering with IOP to focus on continuing to grow the business,” said Merchant. For further information, visit www.cummins.com and www.iopfund.com
Lanxess increases ion exchange resin prices
S
pecialty chemicals company Lanxess is to increase prices globally for its Lewatit ion exchange resins. The price increases will vary by application and region. In the Asia-Pacific region, for example, a price rise of 7.5% will apply to Lewatit resins for industrial water treatment and ultrapure and nuclear applications. Prices in the specialised water segment will also increase by 7.5%. In Europe and North America, the prices of Lewatit resins for industrial water treatment, ultrapure and nuclear applications and specialties will go up by 4%. Adsorber and exchange resins used in the pharmaceutical industry and exchange resins for the chemical processing segment will increase 7.5%.
For further information, visit www.lewatit.com and www.lanxess.com
RWL Water Group builds portfolio with Eurotec acquisition
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WL Water LLC has acquired a controlling interest in Eurotec WTT, an Italian manufacturer of wastewater treatment systems. Headquartered in Padova, Italy, Eurotec has more than 200 installations worldwide.
The company specialises in the aerobic and anaerobic treatment of sludge and the processing of biomass into energy sources. Established in 2010 by Ronald Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder cosmetics empire, RWL Water Group is a privately-held holding company focused on creating global water treatment solutions to meet the growing need for clean water. RWL Water Group’s portfolio of water and wastewater treatment companies already includes advanced membrane technology specialist Nirosoft in Israel and aeration systems manufacturer Aeromix in the US. The combined companies give RWL Water Group an installed base of more than 3000 water treatment systems in over 60 countries. “Eurotec is a key acquisition in RWL Water Group’s growth strategy that will allow us to expand our waste-to-energy offerings, and provide a singular advantage to middle market customers seeking full-service capabilities to handle their water concerns,” said Lauder. “The combined strength of the three portfolio companies will allow our customers to access the most competitive water and wastewater treatment offerings specifically designed to meet their needs. Our goal is to help unlock the hidden value in their operations and facilitate the reuse of resources to increase their economic and environmental sustainability.” “Under RWL Water Group, Eurotec will significantly expand its waste-to-energy offerings, as well as its presence in the food processing industry, globally,” said Maurizio Tiarca, managing director and sales manager of Eurotec WWT. For further information, visit www.eurotecwtt.it
Future Technologies to distribute HTI technology in Middle East
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orward osmosis membrane specialist Hydration Technology Innovations LLC (HTI) has reached a distribution, services and cooperation agreement with Dubai-based Future Technologies LLC. Future Technologies will distribute HTI’s FO OsMem membrane technology for industrial applications, including the downstream oil & gas industry, in the Middle East. “Future Technologies is an ideal fit for the distribution of our forward osmosis technology within the Middle East/North Africa (MENA)
November 2011
NEWS region,” said Walt Schultz, CEO of HTI. “We are confident that the combination of Future Technologies’ experience in the water and wastewater industries, along with their strong relationships in the MENA market, will bring great success to this partnership.” “In line with our strategy to bring advanced technologies and solutions to our clients in the Middle East, we are pleased to have teamed up with HTI, pioneers in forward osmosis technology,” said Kai-Uwe Buerger, CEO of Future Technologies. “During the course of negotiations with HTI, we had soon realised that we can provide added value to our clients, and have already identified a number of possible clients. A pilot plant is currently under discussion for dispatch into the Middle East.” For further information, visit www.htiwater.com and www.futuretechme.com
Calgon Carbon amends credit facility
C
algon Carbon Corp has completed a number of amendments to its revolving credit facility. The new agreement, which expires on 17 November 2016, permits borrowings up to US$125 million and could be increased to US$175 million. The agreement is unsecured and subject to customary affirmative and negative covenants for credit agreements of this type. This new agreement amends and restates the company’s US$95 million five-year credit agreement, dated 8 May 2009. Steve Schott, Calgon Carbon’s chief financial officer, said: “I am very pleased with the amendments made to our credit agreement. These amendments, which include increasing our borrowing capacity, extending the agreement’s expiration date, lowering our borrowing costs, eliminating the banks’ security interests in our assets, and reducing or eliminating many of the prior restrictive provisions, position us well for the ongoing execution of our strategic plan.” First Commonwealth Bank is the administration and syndication agent for the agree-
November 2011
ment which also includes RBS Citizens NA and First National Bank of Pennsylvania as co-documentation agents.
Meeting. Ahlstrom currently holds 269 005 of its own shares, corresponding to approximately 0.58% of the total shares and votes.
For further information, visit www.calgoncarbon.com
For further information, www.ahlstrom.com
Crossflow membrane market to reach US$12bn by 2017
LiqTech partners with Scandinavian Brake Systems on DPF
S
L
ales of crossflow membrane equipment and consumable membrane modules will increase from US$8.6 billion this year to more than US$12 billion in 2017. This is according to the latest forecasts from the McIlvaine Co’s RO, UF, MF World Market report. Reverse osmosis (RO) equipment will be the biggest market and will enjoy a US$1.7 billion increase to US$4.7 billion in 2017, while membrane sales for RO equipment will be worth just under US$1.5 billion by the end of the forecast period.
For further information on RO, UF, MF World Market, visit www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water. html#no20
Ahlstrom completes share buyback
A
hlstrom Corp has completed the share repurchase program announced on 15 September 2011 (see Filtration Industry Analyst, September 2011). The filter media manufacturer has acquired 250 000 of its own shares at an average price of E12.45 through public trading on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki Exchange. The shares were acquired for the implementation of the company’s share-based incentive plan. Evli Bank plc acted as a stock broker in the repurchases. Ahlstrom’s board of directors is authorised to acquire 4 million of the company’s own shares by the end of the 2012 Annual General
iqTech International Inc has entered into a strategic alliance with Scandinavian Brake Systems to use the production capacity of its Notox division. LiqTech and Notox have been competitors in the automotive diesel particulate filter (DPF) market. Now LiqTech will sell and market DPF in the global market and Scandinavian Brake Systems will produce DPF for LiqTech. LiqTech CEO, Lasse Andreassen, said: “For many years we have had the greatest respect for Scandinavian Brake Systems and their high quality production facilities. We have been fortunate to develop our business and establish a market position in North America, Asia and Europe in competition with Scandinavian Brake Systems and their division Notox. Now joining forces, LiqTech will increase production capacity by more than 200%, which will enable us to focus on the next stage of our strategic goal, the OEM market in the US, Asia and Europe.” Scandinavian Brake Systems CEO Hans Fuglgaard added: “We have built a state of the art production facility for Notox, investing more than US$50 million; with our agreement with LiqTech International, we can now start to utilise our facility’s potential. Notox is very experienced in production, but has had difficulties with sales and marketing. We have admired the progress of LiqTech International and see the alliance as a perfect match when approaching the new market opportunities for DPF.” For further information visit www.liqtech.com and www.sbs.dk
Filtration Industry Analyst
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