DANISH APC COMPANY CHANGES HANDS

DANISH APC COMPANY CHANGES HANDS

FIAAugust.qxd 7/22/02 3:08 PM Page 12 Filtration Industry Analyst IN BRIEF/NEWS IN BRIEF • Donaldson Co Inc has completed the acquisition of Ult...

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FIAAugust.qxd

7/22/02

3:08 PM

Page 12

Filtration Industry Analyst

IN BRIEF/NEWS

IN BRIEF • Donaldson Co Inc has completed the acquisition of Ultrafilter International AG for 72 million (see Filtration Industry Analyst, July 2002). • Blood filtration specialist Whatman HemaSure has appointed Kentec Medical as a Western US sales distributor, and Independent Medical Associates Inc (IMA) as a southeast US sales distributor for its r\LS Pre-Storage Leukoreduction Filtration System for red blood cells. Whatman HemaSure says that the addition of Kentec and IMA is a direct response to the market’s demand for a more efficient red blood cell filter and the increased interest in the r\LS since its release in October 2001. • McLeod Russel (UK) Ltd has published a new catalogue for its panel, bag, HEPA and ULPA filters featuring the Vokes and Luwa brand names. • puraDYN Filter Technologies Inc has signed a distribution agreement with Globaltronic Intertrade Co Ltd, a supplier of industrial, mechanical and electronic products in Thailand. puraDYN’s international and domestic distribution network has increased by 45% since the beginning of the year. • MFRI Inc has completed new financing consisting of a US$28 million three-year secured revolving line of credit with a financial institution and a five-year US$6 million term loan shared by two insurance companies, both previous lenders to the company. MFRI’s previous non-compliance was waived in connection with the new arrangements. • Sionix Corp has retained System Simulations to completely revamp the Sionix website.

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August 2002

DANISH APC COMPANY CHANGES HANDS FLS miljø’s global air pollution control business (APC) has been transferred to its sister company F.L. Smidth Group as part of an ongoing restructuring process to improve profitability. F.L. Smidth provides services, machinery, equipment, and complete production lines and plants to the cement and mineral industries worldwide, while APC, which has an annual turnover of nearly DKr1 billion, serves mainly the cement, processing and power generating industries. Its transfer will enable F.L. Smidth to offer complete service and maintenance solutions comprising all phases of production including environmental aspects. This is an area from which F.L. Smidth expects to derive a steadily growing portion of its sales and earnings in the future. APC will be organized as a separate company within F.L. Smidth named F.L. Smidth Airtech A/S. It will be headed by its present manager Thomas Otterberg. The transfer will involve around 450 APC employees in Denmark, the UK, France, Spain and the USA. It will have no effect on parent company FLS Industries’ earnings forecast for 2002.

USFILTER ADDS TO OIL-RECYCLING GROUP USFilter Recovery Services (Mid-Atlantic) Inc has completed the acquisition of certain assets of EarthLiquids, a company specializing in the collection and management of used oil and oily wastewaters. EarthLiquids’ parent company, The EarthCare Company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

protection earlier this year, and the US Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas (Fort Worth Division) approved the transaction in June. EarthLiquids’ service network of 140 waste transport trucks and five centralized waste processing and recycling facilities will be combined with USFilter Recovery Services’ existing operations throughout the south and midAtlantic states. The USFilter operation has already been directing day-to-day activities under a management services agreement. The acquisition will provide USFilter’s customers with an expanded service network for recycling used oil, hydrocarbon–water mixtures, glycol, wastewater, used oil filters and related waste products.

from engines. “We have succeeded in developing a conceptual solution, based on our proven separation technology, that will enable them to perform crankcase gas ventilation practically without external pollution,” said Sigge Haraldsson, president and CEO of the Alfa Laval group. Regulations that require crankcase gases to be cleaned are under discussion in Europe and the USA, and are expected to be implemented in the next few years as total engine emission comes more and more into focus. The global production of 5–16 litre diesel engines is around 2.5 million engines per year. In Europe and the USA, the output for commercial vehicles is some 1.2 million engines annually.

ALFA LAVAL LOOKS AT CRANKCASE PROBLEM

FLEETGUARD ENLISTS PARTNERS FOR EMISSION SOLUTIONS

The two Swedish multinationals Alfa Laval and Haldex have started joint technical and commercial investigations on opportunities for uniting their knowledge and resources to clean crankcase gases from diesel engines. They intend to combine Alfa Laval’s expertise in separations with the manufacturing and marketing strengths of Haldex, a specialist in proprietary technology related to motor vehicles’ dynamics, performance, safety and fuel efficiency. The new partnership will target an annual estimated market worth around SKr1 billion in Europe and the USA. Alfa Laval believes that future demands for cleaner air will require manufacturers of diesel engines – for trucks and buses, construction machinery and electric and marine applications – to clean the crankcase gas that is ventilated

Fleetguard Inc’s new Emission Solutions business (see Filtration Industry Analyst, April 2002) is teaming up with Johnson Matthey, Engelhard Corp, Siemens and Motorola to support what it describes as its “aggressive business plan”. Johnson Matthey, a highly diversified global advanced material technology firm, will supply a broad range of catalytic technology through Emission Solutions to Cummins distributors. This will be used to retrofit Cummins engines to reduce vehicle emissions below current standards. Engelhard Corp, the Fortune 500 surface and materials science company, will provide components for particulate filters and oxidation catalysts, while Siemens will supply catalyst components for selective catalytic reduction. Motorola has been chosen to