- Email: [email protected]
Pall's second-quarter results show a rise in net earnings
NEWS barrels of oil,’ added Steve Robertson, Director, Douglas-Westwood. ‘In this context, it is vital to deal efficiently and cost-effectively with produced water to ensure fully optimised production and compliance with national and regional regulations.’ Established during 1990, DouglasWestwood is an independent provider of business research and analysis, strategy and commercial due diligence on the global energy services sectors. The company has offices in Canterbury UK, Aberdeen, Scotland and New York, USA and, to date, has completed over 600 projects and provided products and services to 400 clients in 60 countries. OTM Consulting is an independent firm of technology management consultants specialising in the upstream oil and gas, and alternative energy sectors. It helps operators and their suppliers to identify, commercialise and deploy new technology. OTM’s four main areas of expertise include market intelligence, technology strategy planning, technology commercialisation and knowledge sharing networks. Contacts: Douglas-Westwood Ltd, St Andrew’s House, Station Road East, Canterbury CT1 2WD, UK. Tel: +44 1227 780999, www.douglas-westwood.com OTM Consulting Ltd, 44 Quarry Street, Guildford GU1 3XQ, UK. Tel: +44 1483 598000, www.otmnet.com
Dow unveils next-generation Filmtec residential RO elements
D
ow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) used the WQA Aquatech USA 2010 exhibition and conference, which was held during March in Orlando, Florida, USA, to announce details of the next generation of Filmtec reverse osmosis (RO) membrane components for residential water treatment. The company, which is a business unit of The Dow Chemical Co and a major supplier of technologies for purification and separation processes designed to make water safer, cleaner and more available, says that the four new residential RO elements will replace the existing product line of Filmtec products. They will be available globally during the second quarter of 2010. The TW30-1812-24, TW30-1812-36, TW30-1812-50 and TW30-1812-75 elements
April 2010
meet the NSF/ANSI 58 standard and both US Environmental Protection Agency and Safe Drinking Water Act standards, ensuring that RO membranes provide a barrier to bacteria and viruses – creating healthier, better-tasting water for drinking and cooking. The new elements have also been designed for trouble-free system start-up and operation of under-the-sink and counter-top home water-purification systems, says the company. Furthermore, each component has multiple anti-counterfeiting features to ensure customers are purchasing a genuine Dow Filmtec product. These features, including a hologram label, innovative brine seal design and multicolour permeate tube, aim to increase the visibility of the products and better protect the health and safety of consumers. ‘Dow is pleased to introduce its next generation of Dow Filmtec residential RO elements – manufactured using a leading-edge automated fabrication process that has been enhanced with additional quality controls,’ commented Leticia Jensen, Marketing Manager, Residential & Commercial Applications, DW&PS. ‘As a result, the new product line is precisely manufactured to rigorous, pre-defined specifications. It helps us deliver a defect-free product and improve our service levels to meet increasing market demand, while building our customers reputation in the market place and increasing consumers’ satisfaction.’ All standard Filmtec residential elements are expected to be transferred to Dow’s new production line over the next twelve months, with high-volume and fastest-growing elements making the transition first, followed by the 50, 75, 100 gpd components. Dow says that it will also continue to manufacture elements on its existing production equipment. Contact: The Dow Chemical Co, Dow Water & Process Solutions, Customer Information Center, PO Box 1206, Midland, MI 48642-1206, USA. Tel: +1 989 636 9086, www.dowwatersolutions.com, www.dow.com
Pall’s second-quarter results show a rise in net earnings
P
all Corp’s financial results for the second quarter ended 31 January 2010 reveal an increase in sales and net earnings, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier. The US-based filtration, separation and purification company reports that sales for
In Brief H2O Innovation and 3M extend sales agreement to cover Canada H2O Innovation Inc has entered into a second sales representation agreement with 3M (also see Membrane Technology March 2010, page 1). Under this latest agreement, 3M Canada will represent the company’s complete line of customised water treatment systems and products in the oil and gas, and automotive assembly markets in Canada. ‘In addition to extending the geographical reach of the initial sales representation agreement, this second agreement demonstrates 3M Purification’s commitment to making its partnership with H2O Innovation a successful business initiative for both parties,’ commented Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer, H2O Innovation. Hyflux awarded EPC contract for first stage of Tembusu Desalination Plant In Singapore, Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyflux Ltd, has been awarded a S$43.8-million contract by TP Utilities Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned unit of power company Tuas Power Ltd, to undertake the engineering, procurement and construction works for stage one of the Tembusu Seawater Desalination Plant. The plant is part of Tuas Power’s Tembusu multi-utilities complex on Jurong Island. The facility, which will be developed in stages, will have a designed capacity to produce approximately 182 000 m3 (48 million gallons) of high-grade industrial water per day, which will be supplied to local petrochemical factories. KMS video demonstrates MegaMagnum RO elements US-based Koch Membrane Systems (KMS) has released a video showcasing its large-area MegaMagnum, spiral reverse osmosis (RO) elements. It shows key installations that use these elements – from its flagship site in Bundamba, Australia, to its latest sea-water installation at a copper-gold mine in Chile. To view the video, go to: www.kochmembrane.com/videos/mm_new.html Norit launches latest water-treatment systems at Aquatech India Norit NV of Zenderen, The Netherlands, used Aquatech India, which was held recently in New Delhi, as an opportunity to launch the next generation of its Aquaflex membrane system which, it claims has an unmatched performance and efficiency ratio throughout industry. Attendees were also given a glimpse of the new Norit Megablock, which is based on proprietary Norit Airlift membrane bioreactor technology.
Membrane Technology
7
NEWS the second quarter were $560.4 million – an increase of 3.2% compared with the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. Sales in localcurrency terms decreased 2.8%. Foreign currency translation increased reported sales by $32.5 million or 6% in the quarter. Net earnings totalled $49.6 million, compared with $38.9 million posted for the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. Both diluted and pro forma earnings per share (EPS) were $0.42, compared with diluted EPS of $0.33 and pro forma EPS, excluding restructuring and other charges, of $0.38 in 2009. The estimated impact of foreign currency translation increased second-quarter 2010 EPS by $0.04. For the first six months, diluted EPS were $0.98, compared with $0.68 a year earlier. Pro forma EPS, excluding restructuring and other charges as well as non-recurring favourable items affecting interest expense and provision for income taxes, were $0.82, compared with $0.78 in 2009. The estimated impact of foreign currency translation increased both measures of EPS for the latest six-month period by $0.06. Commenting on the results, Eric Krasnoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pall, said: ‘Life Sciences continues its strong performance. Operating profit increased 27% in the quarter following a 38% increase in the first quarter. These results were driven by exceptional performance in BioPharmaceuticals.’ ‘In Pall Industrial, Energy, Water & Process Technologies and Aerospace & Transportation saw a sales decline in the quarter. Microelectronics came back solidly with a 15% sales increase (in local currency). Pall Industrial’s results have impeded growth in the first half of the year. Orders in many key sub-markets have now started to rebound and we continue to expect Industrial sales will grow in the second half of this fiscal year. Orders are also building in the capital expenditure sensitive Energy, Water & Process Technologies markets. We are looking to fiscal 2011 for recovery in Aerospace & Transportation,’ continued Krasnoff. ‘We are steadily executing plans to grow the top line and further strengthen Pall’s overall financial performance. Productivity improvement programmes continue to reduce costs while improving service to customers. Gross margins improved 350 basis points over last year, particularly reflecting a favourable mix along with ongoing productivity enhancement efforts.’ Within BioPharmaceuticals, consumables in the pharmaceuticals sub-market grew by about 15% for the second consecutive quarter – aided by demand for the com8
Membrane Technology
pany’s single-use products in biotechnology manufacturing. Sales in the blood filtration sub-markets grew slightly overall and better in Asia, says Pall. This region has benefited from increasing adoption of universal leukoreduction. The improvement in Life Sciences’ operating profit was primarily driven by favourable product, market and sales channel mix as well as the benefit of pricing increases and cost-savings that outpaced inflation. Microelectronics sales increased by almost 15% as the semiconductor industry is recovering. Growth in the western hemisphere and most of Asia was solid, reflecting increased fab utilisation rates and capital spending. Orders increased by 45%. Energy, Water & Process Technologies’ sales were affected by the deferral of orders for large capital jobs over the last year, particularly in the energy and municipal water sub-markets. The firm says that it is now seeing order growth in the municipal water, food and beverage, and industrial manufacturing submarkets. Within Aerospace & Transportation, the commercial aerospace sub-markets declined by almost 7%, which relates to the weakness in the regional and private jet markets. Military aerospace sales decreased by 27%, reflecting deferrals in military spending. Sales to the transportation sub-market were down over 7%. Pall Industrial’s gross margin improvement reflects favourable product mix. Ongoing costreduction programmes are mitigating inflation and the impact of volume reduction. Krasnoff concluded: ‘Pall Industrial orders and backlog are growing and we expect a return to top-line growth in the second half of the fiscal year. We expect overall BioPharmaceuticals’ sales growth-rate to be moderate for the remainder of this fiscal year because of timing of demand within the biotechnology market. Company-wide system sales are forecast to grow as capital spending ramps up. Contacts: Pall Corp, 25 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Millipore adds to Milli-Q range and introduces software
M
illipore Corp of Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, has introduced the Milli-Q Direct system – the latest addition to its range of Milli-Q
laboratory water purification systems. The provider of technologies, tools and services for the global life science industry has also introduced new software for monitoring water quality in real time and long-term data archiving. The Milli-Q Direct system was designed to respond to the scientific community’s need for an economical, single-source approach to producing pure and ultra-pure water. It produces water of a quality that exceeds the requirements of the most demanding norms, says the company. Milli-Q Direct is a convenient and versatile water-delivery system. Water can be dispensed either manually or automatically, at low or high flow-rates. In addition, a range of Application Pak final filters makes it possible to adapt the Milli-Q Direct system to a user’s specific applications by adding a BioPak, VOC-Pak, EDS-Pak, LC-Pak or Millipak polisher. The system’s small footprint will also help laboratory managers make best use of available space. The Milli-Q Direct can be installed on a bench, or wall-mounted, to ensure the best fit for a laboratory’s existing configuration. Simplified procedures make it easy for users to maintain the system, and an radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag ensures quick and easy traceability of consumables. In other news, Millipore reports that it has introduced Millitrack, a Web-based graphical user-interface software tool that is targeted at users of the company’s water purification systems. The new software enables long-term electronic archiving of water quality records, as well as remote access to a water purification system for real-time remote monitoring. In the interest of full traceability, Millitrack software enables users to save monitoring data – including resistivity and conductivity measurements, total organic carbon (TOC) levels, and system parameters – from their water purification system on a long-term basis. Records that are archived and indexed using Millitrack software also can be exported to a database file so that can be manipulated using a data management tool, for example, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), enterprise content management (ECM)/scientific data management systems (SDMS), or electronic laboratory notebook (ELN). ‘Millitrack software streamlines data storage and control,’ commented Eric Beguec who is Millipore’s worldwide service and validation product marketing manager.
April 2010
Dow unveils next-generation Filmtec residential RO elements
D
ow Water & Process Solutions (DW&PS) used the WQA Aquatech USA 2010 exhibition and conference, which was held during March in Orlando, Florida, USA, to announce details of the next generation of Filmtec reverse osmosis (RO) membrane components for residential water treatment. The company, which is a business unit of The Dow Chemical Co and a major supplier of technologies for purification and separation processes designed to make water safer, cleaner and more available, says that the four new residential RO elements will replace the existing product line of Filmtec products. They will be available globally during the second quarter of 2010. The TW30-1812-24, TW30-1812-36, TW30-1812-50 and TW30-1812-75 elements
April 2010
meet the NSF/ANSI 58 standard and both US Environmental Protection Agency and Safe Drinking Water Act standards, ensuring that RO membranes provide a barrier to bacteria and viruses – creating healthier, better-tasting water for drinking and cooking. The new elements have also been designed for trouble-free system start-up and operation of under-the-sink and counter-top home water-purification systems, says the company. Furthermore, each component has multiple anti-counterfeiting features to ensure customers are purchasing a genuine Dow Filmtec product. These features, including a hologram label, innovative brine seal design and multicolour permeate tube, aim to increase the visibility of the products and better protect the health and safety of consumers. ‘Dow is pleased to introduce its next generation of Dow Filmtec residential RO elements – manufactured using a leading-edge automated fabrication process that has been enhanced with additional quality controls,’ commented Leticia Jensen, Marketing Manager, Residential & Commercial Applications, DW&PS. ‘As a result, the new product line is precisely manufactured to rigorous, pre-defined specifications. It helps us deliver a defect-free product and improve our service levels to meet increasing market demand, while building our customers reputation in the market place and increasing consumers’ satisfaction.’ All standard Filmtec residential elements are expected to be transferred to Dow’s new production line over the next twelve months, with high-volume and fastest-growing elements making the transition first, followed by the 50, 75, 100 gpd components. Dow says that it will also continue to manufacture elements on its existing production equipment. Contact: The Dow Chemical Co, Dow Water & Process Solutions, Customer Information Center, PO Box 1206, Midland, MI 48642-1206, USA. Tel: +1 989 636 9086, www.dowwatersolutions.com, www.dow.com
Pall’s second-quarter results show a rise in net earnings
P
all Corp’s financial results for the second quarter ended 31 January 2010 reveal an increase in sales and net earnings, compared with the corresponding period a year earlier. The US-based filtration, separation and purification company reports that sales for
In Brief H2O Innovation and 3M extend sales agreement to cover Canada H2O Innovation Inc has entered into a second sales representation agreement with 3M (also see Membrane Technology March 2010, page 1). Under this latest agreement, 3M Canada will represent the company’s complete line of customised water treatment systems and products in the oil and gas, and automotive assembly markets in Canada. ‘In addition to extending the geographical reach of the initial sales representation agreement, this second agreement demonstrates 3M Purification’s commitment to making its partnership with H2O Innovation a successful business initiative for both parties,’ commented Frédéric Dugré, President and Chief Executive Officer, H2O Innovation. Hyflux awarded EPC contract for first stage of Tembusu Desalination Plant In Singapore, Hydrochem (S) Pte Ltd, a subsidiary of Hyflux Ltd, has been awarded a S$43.8-million contract by TP Utilities Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned unit of power company Tuas Power Ltd, to undertake the engineering, procurement and construction works for stage one of the Tembusu Seawater Desalination Plant. The plant is part of Tuas Power’s Tembusu multi-utilities complex on Jurong Island. The facility, which will be developed in stages, will have a designed capacity to produce approximately 182 000 m3 (48 million gallons) of high-grade industrial water per day, which will be supplied to local petrochemical factories. KMS video demonstrates MegaMagnum RO elements US-based Koch Membrane Systems (KMS) has released a video showcasing its large-area MegaMagnum, spiral reverse osmosis (RO) elements. It shows key installations that use these elements – from its flagship site in Bundamba, Australia, to its latest sea-water installation at a copper-gold mine in Chile. To view the video, go to: www.kochmembrane.com/videos/mm_new.html Norit launches latest water-treatment systems at Aquatech India Norit NV of Zenderen, The Netherlands, used Aquatech India, which was held recently in New Delhi, as an opportunity to launch the next generation of its Aquaflex membrane system which, it claims has an unmatched performance and efficiency ratio throughout industry. Attendees were also given a glimpse of the new Norit Megablock, which is based on proprietary Norit Airlift membrane bioreactor technology.
Membrane Technology
7
NEWS the second quarter were $560.4 million – an increase of 3.2% compared with the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. Sales in localcurrency terms decreased 2.8%. Foreign currency translation increased reported sales by $32.5 million or 6% in the quarter. Net earnings totalled $49.6 million, compared with $38.9 million posted for the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. Both diluted and pro forma earnings per share (EPS) were $0.42, compared with diluted EPS of $0.33 and pro forma EPS, excluding restructuring and other charges, of $0.38 in 2009. The estimated impact of foreign currency translation increased second-quarter 2010 EPS by $0.04. For the first six months, diluted EPS were $0.98, compared with $0.68 a year earlier. Pro forma EPS, excluding restructuring and other charges as well as non-recurring favourable items affecting interest expense and provision for income taxes, were $0.82, compared with $0.78 in 2009. The estimated impact of foreign currency translation increased both measures of EPS for the latest six-month period by $0.06. Commenting on the results, Eric Krasnoff, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Pall, said: ‘Life Sciences continues its strong performance. Operating profit increased 27% in the quarter following a 38% increase in the first quarter. These results were driven by exceptional performance in BioPharmaceuticals.’ ‘In Pall Industrial, Energy, Water & Process Technologies and Aerospace & Transportation saw a sales decline in the quarter. Microelectronics came back solidly with a 15% sales increase (in local currency). Pall Industrial’s results have impeded growth in the first half of the year. Orders in many key sub-markets have now started to rebound and we continue to expect Industrial sales will grow in the second half of this fiscal year. Orders are also building in the capital expenditure sensitive Energy, Water & Process Technologies markets. We are looking to fiscal 2011 for recovery in Aerospace & Transportation,’ continued Krasnoff. ‘We are steadily executing plans to grow the top line and further strengthen Pall’s overall financial performance. Productivity improvement programmes continue to reduce costs while improving service to customers. Gross margins improved 350 basis points over last year, particularly reflecting a favourable mix along with ongoing productivity enhancement efforts.’ Within BioPharmaceuticals, consumables in the pharmaceuticals sub-market grew by about 15% for the second consecutive quarter – aided by demand for the com8
Membrane Technology
pany’s single-use products in biotechnology manufacturing. Sales in the blood filtration sub-markets grew slightly overall and better in Asia, says Pall. This region has benefited from increasing adoption of universal leukoreduction. The improvement in Life Sciences’ operating profit was primarily driven by favourable product, market and sales channel mix as well as the benefit of pricing increases and cost-savings that outpaced inflation. Microelectronics sales increased by almost 15% as the semiconductor industry is recovering. Growth in the western hemisphere and most of Asia was solid, reflecting increased fab utilisation rates and capital spending. Orders increased by 45%. Energy, Water & Process Technologies’ sales were affected by the deferral of orders for large capital jobs over the last year, particularly in the energy and municipal water sub-markets. The firm says that it is now seeing order growth in the municipal water, food and beverage, and industrial manufacturing submarkets. Within Aerospace & Transportation, the commercial aerospace sub-markets declined by almost 7%, which relates to the weakness in the regional and private jet markets. Military aerospace sales decreased by 27%, reflecting deferrals in military spending. Sales to the transportation sub-market were down over 7%. Pall Industrial’s gross margin improvement reflects favourable product mix. Ongoing costreduction programmes are mitigating inflation and the impact of volume reduction. Krasnoff concluded: ‘Pall Industrial orders and backlog are growing and we expect a return to top-line growth in the second half of the fiscal year. We expect overall BioPharmaceuticals’ sales growth-rate to be moderate for the remainder of this fiscal year because of timing of demand within the biotechnology market. Company-wide system sales are forecast to grow as capital spending ramps up. Contacts: Pall Corp, 25 Harbor Park Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050, USA. Tel: +1 516 484 5400, www.pall.com
Millipore adds to Milli-Q range and introduces software
M
illipore Corp of Billerica, Massachusetts, USA, has introduced the Milli-Q Direct system – the latest addition to its range of Milli-Q
laboratory water purification systems. The provider of technologies, tools and services for the global life science industry has also introduced new software for monitoring water quality in real time and long-term data archiving. The Milli-Q Direct system was designed to respond to the scientific community’s need for an economical, single-source approach to producing pure and ultra-pure water. It produces water of a quality that exceeds the requirements of the most demanding norms, says the company. Milli-Q Direct is a convenient and versatile water-delivery system. Water can be dispensed either manually or automatically, at low or high flow-rates. In addition, a range of Application Pak final filters makes it possible to adapt the Milli-Q Direct system to a user’s specific applications by adding a BioPak, VOC-Pak, EDS-Pak, LC-Pak or Millipak polisher. The system’s small footprint will also help laboratory managers make best use of available space. The Milli-Q Direct can be installed on a bench, or wall-mounted, to ensure the best fit for a laboratory’s existing configuration. Simplified procedures make it easy for users to maintain the system, and an radiofrequency identification (RFID) tag ensures quick and easy traceability of consumables. In other news, Millipore reports that it has introduced Millitrack, a Web-based graphical user-interface software tool that is targeted at users of the company’s water purification systems. The new software enables long-term electronic archiving of water quality records, as well as remote access to a water purification system for real-time remote monitoring. In the interest of full traceability, Millitrack software enables users to save monitoring data – including resistivity and conductivity measurements, total organic carbon (TOC) levels, and system parameters – from their water purification system on a long-term basis. Records that are archived and indexed using Millitrack software also can be exported to a database file so that can be manipulated using a data management tool, for example, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), enterprise content management (ECM)/scientific data management systems (SDMS), or electronic laboratory notebook (ELN). ‘Millitrack software streamlines data storage and control,’ commented Eric Beguec who is Millipore’s worldwide service and validation product marketing manager.
April 2010