Emerson to buy Aventics from Triton
Emerson agreed on terms to acquire Aventics from Triton for a cash purchase price of €527 million. Aventics deals in smart pneumatics technologies that power machine and factory automation applications. It builds on Emerson’s capabilities and solutions in discrete and hybrid automation markets, including food and beverage, packaging, automotive assembly and medical equipment. The acquisition is expected to close in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 subject to regulatory approvals, Aventics’ finalization of necessary consultations and other customary closing conditions.
KROHNE opens flow and level instrument manufacturing facility
KROHNE Inc. opened its flow and level instrument manufacturing and calibration facility in Beverly, Massachusetts. The new headquarters facility will produce new and existing flow and level products while continuing to serve as the main distribution hub to North American markets for all other products. Administration, sales, service and marketing and a new training center will also be located in Beverly. The new production building will be connected to a two-story office building, tripling the floor space compared to the existing facility in Peabody, Massachusetts. Production and distribution operations will also be transferred to the new space.
BASF and Solenis combine paper and water chemicals businesses
BASF and Solenis combined BASF’s paper wet-end and water chemicals business with Solenis. The entity aims to deliver additional value for paper and water treatment customers. For the paper industry, the product portfolio of the combined enterprise will cover the entire range of functional and process wet-end chemicals, solutions for the water cycle for paper mills, as well as comprehensive service capabilities. For the water treatment industry, the joint organization will offer Solenis’ high-quality service capabilities and BASF’s broad water treatment chemicals platform. Closing is anticipated for the end of 2018 at the earliest.
Image courtesy of BASF
Yara International, BASF opens ammonia plant in Texas
Yara International ASA and BASF opened an ammonia plant in Freeport, Texas. The $600 million facility uses a cost-efficient and sustainable production process based on byproduct hydrogen instead of natural gas. The plant, located at BASF’s site in Freeport, has a capacity of 750,000 metric tons of ammonia per year. Conventional ammonia plants use natural gas to produce the hydrogen needed during ammonia production. Yara Freeport’s hydrogen-based technology allows the plant to forego this initial production step, leading to lower capital expenditure and maintenance costs. By using hydrogen, which originates from the production processes of various petrochemical plants nearby, Yara Freeport intends to safeguard resources and mitigate environmental impact.
Gray Construction acquires engineering, design solutions firm
Gray Construction acquired InLine Engineers, an engineering and design solutions firm for the food and beverage industry. InLine Engineers will continue its work to provide engineering and project management services that lead to specialized solutions for the processing, packaging and facility challenges in the food and beverage industry under the leadership of Gregg Coleman and Kevin Reid.
KOFAB and Meyer Industries launch new company: Precision Food Innovations
Two companies in the conveying industry, KOFAB and Meyer Industries, created a new company called Precision Food Innovations (PFI). PFI is a company specializing in conveying, bulk material handling and food processing equipment. It has the ability to customize solutions to integrate into existing systems. The company will operate as the food division under the umbrella of Precision Inc., an employee-owned manufacturer and distributor of conveyor products and solutions founded in 1977. PFI will join the industrial division Precision, Pulley & Idler (PPI), under parent company, Precision Inc.
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group opens Washington office
Barry-Wehmiller Design Group opened a new office in Bellingham, Washington, strengthening the company’s presence in the Pacific Northwest. The office is located near a concentration of major oil refineries and advances the firm’s plan to expand its presence in the oil-refining, natural-gas processing and petrochemical sectors. The Bellingham office is led by Design Group Director Matt Hamilton, who has spent most of his career as an engineer, project manager and program director. Design Group provides engineering and IT consulting for companies and employs 1,400-plus engineering and technical specialists. Barry-Wehmiller supplies engineering consulting and manufacturing technologies for the packaging, corrugating, sheeting and paper-converting industries.
Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. Ltd. opens production facility in San Antonio
Nissei Plastic Industrial Co. Ltd. opened a subsidiary, Nissei Plastic Machinery America Inc., in San Antonio, Texas. The production facility, at 115,000 square feet, cost $21 million in capital investment. Production at the facility includes medium- to large-scale hybrid injection molding machines (mold clamping force of 600 to 1,440 U.S. tons) with the main components supplied by Nissei plants in Japan, China and Thailand. The plant also includes a technical center equipped with demonstration machines for mold and material, which enables testing with customers prior to purchase.
