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Pall's earnings rise strongly
NEWS place. Some of these operate as companies, while some work together in consortia. The report comments on the debate over the role of private companies in the EU water industry. In many countries, public–private partnerships play an important role, but in a small number of countries, the private sector plays a major, or at least significant role. Private companies are expanding their business in the EU, especially in some of the new member states, but progress is slow and non-uniform in the context of the whole EU, says the market research firm. Water conservation will be an important theme in the future, predicts the company. It is most unlikely that there will ever be a unified EU water market (as is the case for electricity and gas), because of the major problems associated with interlinking discrete aspects of natural water resources. According to the report, competition will be manifest through the competitive merits of the various combinations of public and private companies, demonstrating that they can operate over a long period to give a satisfactory service at an acceptable cost. Contact: Laura Wood, Research and Markets Ltd, Guinness Centre, Taylors Lane, Dublin 8, Ireland. Fax: +353 1 4100 980, Web: www.researchandmarkets.com
Tap water converted to RO water Massachusetts-based Millipore Corporation has announced the availability of its RiOs 3 waterpurification system that is designed to meet the needs of laboratories that require up to 30 liters per day of high quality, pure water from a tap. This adaptable system is suitable for general non-critical laboratory applications, such as manual cleaning and rinsing, and for preparing buffers. It also can be used to provide feed-water for glassware washers, autoclaves and humidifiers, or as a pretreatment for ultrapure water systems, including Millipore’s Synergy and Milli-Q units.
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The compact and lightweight system can be wall-mounted or installed on a bench. Type III reverse osmosis (RO) product water is produced at a flow rate of 3 liters per hour at 20°C. The product water is free of ionic contaminants (typically > 94%) and free of organics, bacteria and particles (> 99%). The water can be used on demand or stored in the integrated 6-liter reservoir in optimal condition for use when needed. The RiOs 3 system’s backlit color graphic screen displays product water quality, system functions and reservoir water level parameters, which enables users to check the status at a glance. Maintenance is reduced to a few minutes once or twice a year to change the system’s SmartPak cartridge, which combines pretreatment and a reverse osmosis membrane in a single consumable unit. A handy quick reference guide, located at the base of the system, provides users with all essential operating information. Contact: Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com
Pall’s earnings rise strongly US-based filtration, separation and purification company Pall Corporation has reported strong earnings for its first quarter ended 31 October 2005. Reported earnings were $25.1 million, compared with $21.7 million a year earlier. On a pro forma basis, earnings totalled $25.3 million, excluding restructuring and other gains/charges, net of related tax effect, compared with $26.4 million. Sales increased by 4% to $431.2 million compared with $414.7 million, posted for the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Overall, Industrial sales increased by 6% and operating profit margin was 10.7% — on par with the previous year. Operating profit increased 4.5% to $28 million, driven by improvements in Aerospace and Microelectronics, says the company, though this was partly offset by the product mix in General Industrial.
Sales in General Industrial increased by 5% in the quarter. Within this segment, Machinery & Equipment sales rose by 9%, reflecting strong growth in Asia, where sales increased by 32.5%. Fuels & Chemicals sales grew by 5%; Power Generation sales increased by 5.5% in the quarter driven by growth in Europe and Asia. Food and Beverage sales were up 2%. While Municipal Water sales were level with the previous year’s first quarter, orders increased by 56%. Microelectronics sales were up 4%, driven by growth in the display and data storage markets. Aerospace had a good quarter, says Pall, with sales increasing 12.5%, driven by growth in both the Military and Commercial portions of the business. For Life Sciences, sales increased by 2% in the quarter. The operating profit margin declined to 15.1%. In the quarter, Pall transferred remaining corporate research and development into the business units with the lion’s share going into Life Sciences. BioPharmaceuticals sales for the quarter increased 5%, driven by strong growth in consumables. Market trends continue to be strong in biotechnology, says the company. Within Medical, sales in the firm’s BioSciences sub-market increased by 8%, with laboratory product sales up for the sixth consecutive quarter. Sales in the Blood Filtration sub-market dropped 3%. Contact: Pall Corporation, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Membrane filtration systems added to WTL The UK’s Water Technology List (WTL) was recently expanded to include a new technology category, efficient membrane filtration systems for wastewater reuse, which can deliver more sustainable use of water. The WTL is part of the scheme for Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECAs) for water efficient technologies and includes products
that meet the published water efficient eligibility criteria. Businesses purchasing products from the WTL will not only benefit from saving money on their water bills, but can also claim ECAs which provide up-front tax relief and can boost cash flow. The inclusion of these systems in the WTL reportedly offers businesses a major incentive to invest in this type of equipment. In addition to the core membrane element and module, all the necessary pretreatment and post-treatment equipment and other ancillary equipment, including pipework, required to ensure the functionality of the whole system, are eligible for ECAs. The types of systems that will qualify for support under the scheme include microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and membrane bioreactors — providing the system is installed for the treatment of wastewater to enable the recovery and reuse of at least 40% of the treated effluent within the site, and the system meets the eligibility criteria set out on the WTL website. Dr Stuart Ballinger of Envirowise says: ‘The inclusion of this new category under the scheme signals the UK Government’s continued commitment to helping businesses reduce their water consumption.’ ‘In particular, support for efficient membrane filtration systems offers businesses a major incentive to invest in this type of equipment,’ he continues. ‘It is a win–win situation, as they can now benefit through reducing their water and effluent costs and obtain accelerated tax relief on their investments.’ Envirowise estimates that sites, that have not previously examined their water consumption, can usually achieve around 30% savings on water and effluent bills immediately by implementing simple water management measures at little or no cost to the business. By investing in WTL products these savings can increase to 50% as they form part of a more structured and longterm water-saving project. Envirowise is funded by UK’s Department of Trade and Industry, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and works
Membrane Technology January 2006
Tap water converted to RO water Massachusetts-based Millipore Corporation has announced the availability of its RiOs 3 waterpurification system that is designed to meet the needs of laboratories that require up to 30 liters per day of high quality, pure water from a tap. This adaptable system is suitable for general non-critical laboratory applications, such as manual cleaning and rinsing, and for preparing buffers. It also can be used to provide feed-water for glassware washers, autoclaves and humidifiers, or as a pretreatment for ultrapure water systems, including Millipore’s Synergy and Milli-Q units.
4
The compact and lightweight system can be wall-mounted or installed on a bench. Type III reverse osmosis (RO) product water is produced at a flow rate of 3 liters per hour at 20°C. The product water is free of ionic contaminants (typically > 94%) and free of organics, bacteria and particles (> 99%). The water can be used on demand or stored in the integrated 6-liter reservoir in optimal condition for use when needed. The RiOs 3 system’s backlit color graphic screen displays product water quality, system functions and reservoir water level parameters, which enables users to check the status at a glance. Maintenance is reduced to a few minutes once or twice a year to change the system’s SmartPak cartridge, which combines pretreatment and a reverse osmosis membrane in a single consumable unit. A handy quick reference guide, located at the base of the system, provides users with all essential operating information. Contact: Millipore Corporation, 290 Concord Road, Billerica, MA 01821, USA. Tel: +1 978 715 4321, www.millipore.com
Pall’s earnings rise strongly US-based filtration, separation and purification company Pall Corporation has reported strong earnings for its first quarter ended 31 October 2005. Reported earnings were $25.1 million, compared with $21.7 million a year earlier. On a pro forma basis, earnings totalled $25.3 million, excluding restructuring and other gains/charges, net of related tax effect, compared with $26.4 million. Sales increased by 4% to $431.2 million compared with $414.7 million, posted for the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Overall, Industrial sales increased by 6% and operating profit margin was 10.7% — on par with the previous year. Operating profit increased 4.5% to $28 million, driven by improvements in Aerospace and Microelectronics, says the company, though this was partly offset by the product mix in General Industrial.
Sales in General Industrial increased by 5% in the quarter. Within this segment, Machinery & Equipment sales rose by 9%, reflecting strong growth in Asia, where sales increased by 32.5%. Fuels & Chemicals sales grew by 5%; Power Generation sales increased by 5.5% in the quarter driven by growth in Europe and Asia. Food and Beverage sales were up 2%. While Municipal Water sales were level with the previous year’s first quarter, orders increased by 56%. Microelectronics sales were up 4%, driven by growth in the display and data storage markets. Aerospace had a good quarter, says Pall, with sales increasing 12.5%, driven by growth in both the Military and Commercial portions of the business. For Life Sciences, sales increased by 2% in the quarter. The operating profit margin declined to 15.1%. In the quarter, Pall transferred remaining corporate research and development into the business units with the lion’s share going into Life Sciences. BioPharmaceuticals sales for the quarter increased 5%, driven by strong growth in consumables. Market trends continue to be strong in biotechnology, says the company. Within Medical, sales in the firm’s BioSciences sub-market increased by 8%, with laboratory product sales up for the sixth consecutive quarter. Sales in the Blood Filtration sub-market dropped 3%. Contact: Pall Corporation, 2200 Northern Boulevard, East Hills, NY 11548, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Membrane filtration systems added to WTL The UK’s Water Technology List (WTL) was recently expanded to include a new technology category, efficient membrane filtration systems for wastewater reuse, which can deliver more sustainable use of water. The WTL is part of the scheme for Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECAs) for water efficient technologies and includes products
that meet the published water efficient eligibility criteria. Businesses purchasing products from the WTL will not only benefit from saving money on their water bills, but can also claim ECAs which provide up-front tax relief and can boost cash flow. The inclusion of these systems in the WTL reportedly offers businesses a major incentive to invest in this type of equipment. In addition to the core membrane element and module, all the necessary pretreatment and post-treatment equipment and other ancillary equipment, including pipework, required to ensure the functionality of the whole system, are eligible for ECAs. The types of systems that will qualify for support under the scheme include microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, reverse osmosis and membrane bioreactors — providing the system is installed for the treatment of wastewater to enable the recovery and reuse of at least 40% of the treated effluent within the site, and the system meets the eligibility criteria set out on the WTL website. Dr Stuart Ballinger of Envirowise says: ‘The inclusion of this new category under the scheme signals the UK Government’s continued commitment to helping businesses reduce their water consumption.’ ‘In particular, support for efficient membrane filtration systems offers businesses a major incentive to invest in this type of equipment,’ he continues. ‘It is a win–win situation, as they can now benefit through reducing their water and effluent costs and obtain accelerated tax relief on their investments.’ Envirowise estimates that sites, that have not previously examined their water consumption, can usually achieve around 30% savings on water and effluent bills immediately by implementing simple water management measures at little or no cost to the business. By investing in WTL products these savings can increase to 50% as they form part of a more structured and longterm water-saving project. Envirowise is funded by UK’s Department of Trade and Industry, and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and works
Membrane Technology January 2006