New partnerships
GE Power Conversion partners with Sulzer for parts, services and equipment
GE Power Conversion signed an agreement with Sulzer, making it an authorized parts, new equipment and service provider. Company officials say the deal will increase services, parts and new equipment availability, minimize repair times and reduce downtime. Sulzer will offer service center repairs as well as field services, including installation, startup assistance, troubleshooting, routine maintenance, testing and monitoring.
Jim Mugford, President and Global Head of Sulzer’s Electro Mechanical Services and Azeez Mohammed, CEO and president of GE Power Conversion, sign the deal. Image courtesy of Sulzer.
SABIC signs deal to use feedstock made from plastic waste
Chemical manufacturer SABIC signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with UK-based PLASTIC ENERGY, a chemical plastics recycling company, for the supply of feedstock to support SABIC’s petrochemical operations in Europe.
SABIC and PLASTIC ENERGY intend to build the first commercial plant in the Netherlands to refine and upgrade a valuable feedstock, known as TACOIL, a patented PLASTIC ENERGY product. The feedstock will be produced from the recycling of low-quality, mixed plastic waste otherwise destined for incineration or landfill. The plant is anticipated to enter commercial production in 2021.
MilliporeSigma signs OEM deal with BioDuro
MilliporeSigma signed an agreement with BioDuro for worldwide distribution of AISF ([4-(Acetylamino)phenyl]-ImidodiSulfuryl diFluoride), a shelf-stable, crystalline reagent for the synthesis of fluorosulfates and sulfamoyl fluorides. AISF was developed through a research collaboration with Pfizer Inc.
AISF is a stable, crystalline solid that allows for a user-friendly fluorosulfonation reaction setup, and it has excellent substrate scope. The reagent is easily manipulated in an open atmosphere and is stable at ambient temperature as either a solid or in solution, over a prolonged period of time.
Rawson, Azbil North America enter distribution partnership
Rawson, an ERIKS company, signed a distribution partnership with Azbil North America (formerly Yamatake). The agreement enables Rawson to sell and service Azbil’s portfolio of industrial automation and control products in Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.
Specializing in simple-to-complex valve and flow product solutions, Rawson provides solutions that are designed to ensure accurate, consistent and reliable flow measurement, regulation and control processes. By partnering with Azbil, Rawson gains access to products like pressure transmitters, electromagnetic flowmeters and temperature transmitters.
Trust Automation and Cynash partner on industrial cybersecurity solutions
Trust Automation Inc., a supplier of automation technology for defense and industrial applications, has partnered with Cynash Inc. to develop a next-generation cybersecurity platform that can detect and mitigate cyberattacks on industrial control systems that run critical energy, water, transportation and industrial infrastructure.
The platform builds upon Cynash’s SerialTap, a patented hardware sensor that passively monitors the serial communications used by the majority of the world’s industrial control systems. SerialTap can now pass the monitored network traffic to Trust’s Autonomic Intelligent Cyber Sensor (AICS), a machine learning system that employs autonomic computing techniques, fuzzy-logic algorithms and a service-oriented architecture to identify and counter malicious network traffic in real time.
Schneider Electric signs partnership deal with Transpara
Schneider Electric signed a global OEM and distribution partnership agreement with Transpara.
With Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IIoT capabilities and Transpara’s Visual KPI solutions, the partnership will aim to help customers in operationally intensive industries better understand and control the performance of their equipment. Company officials say customers will be able to quickly understand and eradicate unplanned downtime, make their processes more efficient and drive measurable improvements to the profitability of their operations, safely.
Acquisitions & Expansions
Emerson acquires Advanced Engineering Valves
Emerson has acquired Advanced Engineering Valves (A.E. Valves). The transaction will enable Emerson to provide its customers with Advanced Engineering’s portfolio of valves to improve process performance and reliability.
A.E. Valves produces and designs special industrial valves for the chemical, petrochemical, polymers, oil, coal gas, cryogenic and heavy industries.
ZYFRA Group to acquire data-mining company VIST Group
ZYFRA Group, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) developer, will acquire VIST Group, one of the industrial leaders in development and implementation of technologies for digital mining, for $30 million. The acquisition means ZYFRA will now operate in Belorussia, Mongolia and Morocco.
ZYFRA applies data science combined with industrial expertise to provide end-to-end solutions for optimizing production speed, quality and costs for industries such as machinery, metallurgy, oil and gas and mining. ZYFRA currently operates in Finland, China, Russia, Bulgaria and India.
Food equipment manufacturer tna opens new facility in Australia
Food processing and packaging equipment manufacturer tna has opened an Australian manufacturing site to support the global demand for its packaging solutions. The new factory will allow tna to triple the manufacturing capacities for its equipment, including its flagship vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packaging system, the tna robag.
Hoffmann Neopac to open plant in North Carolina
Packaging manufacturer Hoffmann Neopac will open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in the spring of this year. The Wilson, North Carolina plant will produce two models of the company’s small-diameter Polyfoil tube.
According to a company press release, the new facility will have floorspace for several additional packaging lines to meet anticipated North American growth in the small tubes niche, especially in the pharma, cosmetics and animal health.
Haldor Topsoe opens office in Indonesia
Haldor Topsoe, which provides catalysts and proprietary technologies for the chemical and refining industries, has opened an office in Jakarta. Company officials said the office will help support Indonesian refining customers as the country’s demand for ammonia, methanol and DME grassroots plants is expected to grow.
Awards, Milestones & Certifications
Oxiteno joins American Chemistry Council
Oxiteno, a manufacturer of surfactants and specialty chemicals, has joined the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the leading trade association representing the U.S. chemical industry. The council’s mission is to deliver business value through exceptional advocacy using political engagement, communications and scientific research.
Steelscape wins 2018 NCCA Safety Award
The National Coil Coating Association (NCCA) presented its 2018 Safety Award to Steelscape representatives from the facility in Kalama, Washington, at NCCA’s fall meeting.
The NCCA Safety Committee selected Steelscape from a list of 37 plants. The entries were judged on the basis of data reported to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The safety committee interviewed and visited the top three plants to evaluate their safety programs.
Steelscape Kalama was the first plant to win this award when the program was initiated in 2003 and has received this award eight other times.
The Witte Company founder Richard Witte. Image courtesy of The Witte Company.
The Witte Company celebrates 80th anniversary
Process equipment manufacturer The Witte Company is celebrating its 80th anniversary. The company produces vibratory fluid bed dryers, coolers, classifiers, screeners and other machinery.
Siemens gains IEC 62443 certification for secure system integration services
Siemens has gained TÜV SÜD certification for the secure system integration of process automation and drive solutions in compliance with the international IEC 62443-2-4 standards. The integration projects, verified on the basis of two standard solutions in the oil and gas processing industry and in a waste incineration plant, have been certified in conformity with IEC 62443-2-4 and -3-3 and were implemented using the Simatic PCS 7 process control system. The projects involved process automation, drive solutions and comprehensive security measures and functions designed to deliver secure plant operation.
Rockwell Automation receives IEC 62443 security certification
Rockwell Automation’s security development lifecycle (SDL) approach is now certified to meet the IEC 62443-4-1 security standard. Rockwell Automation is now using the certified SDL at all global development locations to support the development of all hardware and software products. TÜV Rheinland performed the independent certification of the Rockwell Automation SDL.
AOAC-RI certifies Hygiena UltraSnap Surface ATP Test
Safety and sanitation testing firm Hygiena’s UltraSnap Suface ATP Test has gained certification from the AOAC Research Institute, a product certification group.
The UltraSnap Surface ATP Test is used for identifying the possible presence of microbial contamination.
As required for AOAC-RI certification, Hygiena used a third-party laboratory to test the results of UltraSnap on stainless steel surfaces in five food matrices, essentially reproducing a food processing facility.
