- Email: [email protected]
European MF acquisition
European MF acquisition Filtration supplier ESCO Technologies Inc has acquired Italian company BEA Filtri SpA in an all-cash deal. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. BEA Filtri will join ESCO's PTI filtration business, formerly known as Advanced Membrane Technology Inc, which has its main office and manufacturing facility in California. BEA Filtri is headquartered in Milan and supplies i'fltration products to the pharmaceutical, food and beverage, healtheare, and petrochemical markets. The company's annual sales are in the region of U S$10. 5 million. According to Dennis J Moore, ESCO's chairman and CEO, the acquisition is an important strategic move for the company because it broadens its microfiltration (MF) product range and increases ESCO's participation in European markets. Forfurther information contact: ESCO Technologies Inc, 8888 Ladue Road, Suite 200, St. Louis, MO 63124-2090, USA. Tel: +1 314 213 7200; Fax: +I 314 213 7250; Website: www. escostJ,corn
GKN's split finalised
• At the b e r g of the year GKN announced that it was in talks to merge its industrial services operations with those of Australian logistics company Brambles Industries. However, disagreement over pricing and taxation complications resulted in a significant delay. Now the full details of the merger have been released and it will create a business worth close to £7 billion (LIS$9.9 billion). The new company will have a market capitalization of AS 19 billion ($9.6 billion) and sales of about £3 billion ($4.3 billion). GKN's former CEO Sir CK Chow has been named as the CEO of the new combined services business. Once the merger is complete GKN will continue to operate as a separate company focusing on its mainstream engineering
he
engineering businesses may struggle to survive as an independent entity. In an effort to allay fears Sir CK Chow said the engineering side of the company possessed the critical mass to prosper in a competitive global industry. The company also said it would be channelling its cash flows into the businesses to encourage growth. In addition, Mr Beresford indicated that GKN would be looking at focused acquisitions in areas that would add to shareholder value. For more information contact: GKN plc, 7 Cleveland Row, London SWIA 1DB, UK. Tel: +44 207 930 2424; Fax: +44 207 930 3255; E-maih [email protected]; Website: www.gknplc.com
Boosting membrane output Japanese membrane manufacturer Nitto Denko Corp is increasing the production of its polymer separation membranes used in drinking water applications and in the generation of ultrapure water for the semiconductor industry. According to the company, it will invest approximately ¥2 billion (LIS$16.4 million) in installing more production equipment at its manufacturing bases in Japan and the LISA in order to double its overall supply capacity.
Currently, the company is producing around ¥ 10 billion ($81.9 million) worth of polymer separation membranes. Following the production expansion it expects that figure to increase by approximately 10%, and to double by 2003. The company is also studying production in China, anticipating growing demand there for filters for potable water. Although Nitto Denko has a 30% share of the overall global market for membranes and
over a 50% share of the market for reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, this business presently accounts for less than 3% of total group sales. The company anticipates that membrames will become one of its core businesses in the future. For more information contact: Nitto Denko Corp, 1-I-2 Shimohozumi, Ibaraki Osaka, 567-8680,Japan. Tel: +81 726 22 2981; Fax: +81 726 26 1505; Website: www.nitto.co.jp ~english
USA's largest RO desalination plant In a deal worth approximately LIS$74 million, Covanta Energy Corp, New jersey, LISA, is to build and operate a 95 million litre/day potable water RO desalination facility in Tampa Bay, Florida, Under the agreement, Covanta will design and build the facility and then operate the
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July/August 2001
plant for the next 30 years. The project, which is claimed to be the largest RO desalination drinking water project in the LISA, uses Covanta's DualSand filtration technology to produce potable water at a cost of approximately $2.6 per 5000 litres. According to Covanta, this is the least
expensive potable water of any desalination plant. The facility will produce 95108 million litres/day and is designed so it can be expanded to 132 million litres/day. It will use sand filtration technology for pre-treatment followed by extensive banks of RO membrane cartridges. The
plant is scheduled to be in service by end of 2002. Forfurther information contact: Covanta Energy Corp, 40 Lane Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004, USA. Tel: +1 973 882 9000; Fax: +1 973 882 9121; Website: www.covantaenergy.com
Filtratlon+Selmratlen
GKN's split finalised
• At the b e r g of the year GKN announced that it was in talks to merge its industrial services operations with those of Australian logistics company Brambles Industries. However, disagreement over pricing and taxation complications resulted in a significant delay. Now the full details of the merger have been released and it will create a business worth close to £7 billion (LIS$9.9 billion). The new company will have a market capitalization of AS 19 billion ($9.6 billion) and sales of about £3 billion ($4.3 billion). GKN's former CEO Sir CK Chow has been named as the CEO of the new combined services business. Once the merger is complete GKN will continue to operate as a separate company focusing on its mainstream engineering
he
engineering businesses may struggle to survive as an independent entity. In an effort to allay fears Sir CK Chow said the engineering side of the company possessed the critical mass to prosper in a competitive global industry. The company also said it would be channelling its cash flows into the businesses to encourage growth. In addition, Mr Beresford indicated that GKN would be looking at focused acquisitions in areas that would add to shareholder value. For more information contact: GKN plc, 7 Cleveland Row, London SWIA 1DB, UK. Tel: +44 207 930 2424; Fax: +44 207 930 3255; E-maih [email protected]; Website: www.gknplc.com
Boosting membrane output Japanese membrane manufacturer Nitto Denko Corp is increasing the production of its polymer separation membranes used in drinking water applications and in the generation of ultrapure water for the semiconductor industry. According to the company, it will invest approximately ¥2 billion (LIS$16.4 million) in installing more production equipment at its manufacturing bases in Japan and the LISA in order to double its overall supply capacity.
Currently, the company is producing around ¥ 10 billion ($81.9 million) worth of polymer separation membranes. Following the production expansion it expects that figure to increase by approximately 10%, and to double by 2003. The company is also studying production in China, anticipating growing demand there for filters for potable water. Although Nitto Denko has a 30% share of the overall global market for membranes and
over a 50% share of the market for reverse osmosis (RO) membranes, this business presently accounts for less than 3% of total group sales. The company anticipates that membrames will become one of its core businesses in the future. For more information contact: Nitto Denko Corp, 1-I-2 Shimohozumi, Ibaraki Osaka, 567-8680,Japan. Tel: +81 726 22 2981; Fax: +81 726 26 1505; Website: www.nitto.co.jp ~english
USA's largest RO desalination plant In a deal worth approximately LIS$74 million, Covanta Energy Corp, New jersey, LISA, is to build and operate a 95 million litre/day potable water RO desalination facility in Tampa Bay, Florida, Under the agreement, Covanta will design and build the facility and then operate the
6
July/August 2001
plant for the next 30 years. The project, which is claimed to be the largest RO desalination drinking water project in the LISA, uses Covanta's DualSand filtration technology to produce potable water at a cost of approximately $2.6 per 5000 litres. According to Covanta, this is the least
expensive potable water of any desalination plant. The facility will produce 95108 million litres/day and is designed so it can be expanded to 132 million litres/day. It will use sand filtration technology for pre-treatment followed by extensive banks of RO membrane cartridges. The
plant is scheduled to be in service by end of 2002. Forfurther information contact: Covanta Energy Corp, 40 Lane Road, Fairfield, NJ 07004, USA. Tel: +1 973 882 9000; Fax: +1 973 882 9121; Website: www.covantaenergy.com
Filtratlon+Selmratlen