Emerson to acquire division of General Electric
Emerson will acquire Intelligent Platforms, a division of General Electric. Intelligent Platforms’ programmable logic controller (PLC) technologies will enable Emerson to provide its customers broader control and management of their operations, the company said. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition is aimed to help Emerson expand opportunities in machine control and discrete applications and target hybrid markets like metals and mining, food and beverage and packaging. Both companies’ technologies are aimed at driving digital transformation in their end markets.
"Adding GE’s Intelligent Platforms business makes Emerson an even stronger player in the automation space and expands our capabilities to serve the needs across process, hybrid and discrete markets," said Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr. "This is another important investment in our global portfolio of automation technologies, offering discrete and machine control capabilities that complement our process control expertise to provide better solutions to our customers."
Intelligent Platforms is based in Charlottesville, Virginia, with approximately 650 employees worldwide and sales of $210 million in 2017.
The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of fiscal 2019, subject to regulatory approvals, GE’s consultation with employee representatives where required and other customary closing conditions.
In other Emerson news, the company acquired Ireland-based HTE Engineering Services Ltd., which will join the Assembly Technologies business within Emerson’s Automation Solutions platform. This acquisition is intended to help Emerson more effectively tap new market opportunities by further enhancing its joining technologies solutions.
KROHNE opens new Beverly, Massachusetts manufacturing facility
KROHNE Inc. opened its new state-of-the-art flow and level instrument manufacturing and calibration facility in Beverly, Massachusetts. The new headquarters will produce new and existing flow and level products. Administration, sales, service, marketing and a training center will also be located in Beverly. The new production building will be connected to a new two-story office building. Production and distribution operations will also be transferred to the new space.
"2018 will be a watershed year for KROHNE in North America as we move into our brand-new factory in Beverly, Mass., where a variety of key products will be produced," said Stephan Mimler, CEO of KROHNE Inc. "KROHNE is dedicated to the idea of producing the absolute best process measurement instrumentation for worldwide process industry users, and now, we will bring that production to the USA. This will surely enhance our opportunity for timely deliveries and for providing a broader range of resources to serve customer needs better.”
Schenck Process acquires Process Components Ltd
Schenck Process acquired Process Components Ltd (PCL), including its subsidiary, Kemutec Group Inc., which includes the kemutec, KEK-GARDNER, mucon brands and PPS Air Classifier Mills, from EPIC Private Equity. PCL is a U.K.-based manufacturer and designer of powder processing and handling equipment for the food, pharmaceutical chemical and environmental industries.
"The acquisition of PCL with its very well-established product lines, a large installed base as well as a great reputation of its brands KEK-GARDNER, PPS Air Classifier Mills, mucon and kemutec enriches the expertise and capabilities of Schenck Process," said Jay Brown, president Food, Chemicals & Plastics at Schenck Process. "We are delighted to add key process steps in the area of mixing, milling and classification for our customers."
The parties agreed not to disclose the financial terms of the transaction.
Pfeiffer Vacuum opens new high-tech production site in Romania. Photo courtesy of Pfeiffer Vacuum
Pfeiffer Vacuum opens production facility in Romania
Pfeiffer Vacuum opened its new production location in Cluj, Romania. The growth of the Pfeiffer Vacuum Group and the demand for vacuum technology made the new building necessary, the company said. As a business location, Cluj concentrates on the information technology, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering sectors.
"The new building has increased our production and service capacity for turbopump and backing pump components. This is part of our new growth strategy including a global investment program with a volume of EUR 150 million," said Eric Taberlet, CEO of Pfeiffer Vacuum Technology AG.
Stonehouse Process Safety launches
The new Stonehouse Process Safety (Stonehouse) launched to provide process safety consulting, testing, training and litigation support services in the areas of dust flash fires and explosions, NFPA 652, gas and vapor flammability, electrostatic hazards and thermal decomposition. The company will be headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey, and will service the pharmaceutical, chemical, food, legal/insurance, metals, plastics, rubber and other process manufacturing industries. Vahid Ebadat, Ph.D., M.Inst.P, MIET, C.Phys., serves as CEO of Stonehouse.
"Stonehouse develops practical, proven, and long-term solutions to technically challenging process safety issues,” said Ebadat. Companies of all sizes will benefit from our process safety expertise and practical, customized solutions, supported by applicable data from our state-of-the-art laboratories."
Ebadat has worked extensively as a process and operational hazards consultant for the chemical, pharmaceutical, food, oil and gas and paper and wood industries. He has served as a committee member of NFPA 77 (Static Electricity), NFPA 654 (Dust Explosions) and ASTM E27 (Hazard Potential of Chemicals). Earlier in his career, Ebadat served as CEO of Chilworth Technology Inc. for more than two decades.
Photo courtesy of Seeq
Seeq applications available as SaaS on Microsoft Azure
Seeq Corporation made available to its customers advanced analytics solutions via software as a service (SaaS) on Microsoft Azure. Seeq enables engineers and scientists in process manufacturing to rapidly analyze, predict, collaborate and share insights to improve production. Customers include companies in the oil and gas, pharmaceutical, chemical, energy, mining and food and beverage industries.
"The move to cloud platforms for advanced analytics on large manufacturing data sets is clearly underway and will only accelerate," said Michael Risse, vice president and chief marketing officer (CMO) at Seeq Corporation. "Our goal is to ensure our customers have the advantages of Seeq insights on their cloud platform of choice."
Seeq will now offer its software as a SaaS application on Azure to address customer interest in cloud-based analytics solutions.
Seeq partners with many leading process automation firms including Emerson Automation Solutions, Inductive Automation, Honeywell, Schneider Electric and OSIsoft.
Tribute Inc. launches new website highlighting flagship product
Tribute Inc., a provider of enterprise resource planning (ERP) business management software for industrial distributors, launched its new website that offers easy access to the company’s flagship product, TrulinX. TrulinX is designed to meet the needs of industrial distributors that provide value-add services such as system integration, OEM kits and fabrication services for the following industries: fluid power and motion control, industrial hose and accessories, fluid handling and sealing, instrumentation and process control, automation and robotics and pump distribution.
Users will find it easier to work with a return on investment (ROI) analysis tool to determine how much their organization will save by implementing TrulinX, the company said. The DisTribute blog, with relevant industry articles, will now be located on the Tribute website as well. Visit the new www.tribute.com.
