Comment

22 April 2009

Web exclusive: April Industry Newz, 2nd edition

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden visited the ABB distribution transformer factory in Jefferson City, Mo., to recognize the plant’s contribution to a wind farm in the state as a prime example of how funds from the U.S. federal stimulus package are creating green jobs while expanding the country’s renewable energy portfolio. ABB signed an agreement with ZPMC (Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Co.Ltd), a manufacturer of cranes and steel structures, to jointly develop more efficient propulsion solutions for deep sea offshore vessels. ABB won an order worth around $20 million from Oncor to supply a Static VAr Compensator unit to support the transmission grid in north Texas. ABB won an order from the E.ON Benelux N.V. to supply the complete process control system based on System 800xA extended automation for a new high-efficiency power plant. ABB won a contract for about $490 million as part of the El Merk oil and gas project in Algeria. ABB won an order worth $550 million to connect the Irish and U.K. power grids using technology that will strengthen the reliability and security of electricity supplies in each country, and enable Ireland to expand its wind power capacity. ABB won orders worth $56 million from Algeria’s state-owned power company, Sonelgaz, to supply two substations and 10 mobile substations.

Bosch Packaging Technology, a supplier of holistic systems in the world of packaging and process technology, changed subsidiary names: U.S.-based Doboy Inc., New Richmond, is now Bosch Packaging Technology, Inc. The Dutch Tevopharm B.V., Schiedam, is Bosch Packaging Technology B.V. The Swiss Demaurex SA, Lausanne, is Bosch Packaging Technology SA. The Dutch Robert Bosch Verpakkings machines B.V., Weert is now Robert Bosch Packaging.

CiDRA Minerals Processing, Inc. has received from Bechtel Chile Ltda its third expansion contract to supply SONARtrac process monitoring systems to Minera Los Pelambres in Chile, the world’s fifth largest copper mine.

Emerson acquired epro GmbH of Gronau, Germany, to expand its online machinery monitoring capability with a full API 670-compliant protection offering. It is also expected to speed availability of next generation solutions. Emerson Process Management will provide its PlantWeb digital plant architecture with Foundation fieldbus technology for the $375 million expansion of Shanghai Coking & Chemical Corporation’s coal gasification plant in Shanghai, doubling the plant’s output of methanol and carbon monoxide to help meet the region’s growing need for methanol.

The Fieldbus Foundation released its updated Foundation fieldbus host test kit DD application module (Version 1.1.0), which includes hardware and software for testing the functionality of a fieldbus host and its conformance with the FOUNDATION host profile specifications. The Foundation’s two initial fieldbus host systems also passed its new host profile registration process.

Honeywell’s 2009 Honeywell Users Group Americas symposium 14-18 June in Phoenix, Ariz., will focus on Return on Imagination to provide process manufacturing professionals a fresh perspective on solutions that deliver bottom-line benefits and drive plant efficiencies.

The Institute of Clean Air Companies formed an agreement with the Chem Show to be an endorsing association of the chemical process industry’s bi-annual exhibition and conference—partnering to address air quality issues and promote industrial progress.

Invensys Process Systems joined OPTFUEL, a European consortium researching the feasibility of using second-generation biofuels to power automobiles. Under the leadership of Volkswagen AG, the project will pave the way for the large-scale production of second-generation transport biofuels based on wood and forestry residues.  Invensys Process Systems received the 2009 Frost & Sullivan South East Asia Industrial Technologies Award for customer service leadership for safety systems at a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Oracle is poised to become a hardware player with its plans to buy Sun Microsystems for $9.50 a share in cash, or about $7.4 billion including debt.

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors, a subsidiary of OSRAM and provider of manufacturing optoelectronic semiconductors for illumination, visualization, and sensing, signed a distribution agreement with Mouser Electronics, Inc., an electronic component distributor focused on the rapid introduction of new products and technologies to electronic design engineers.

Precision Power International, Inc., which delivers high-level, global engineering solutions, launched into the life science and laboratory marketplace to provide a suite of purpose-built power protection products for instrumentation, informatics, and laboratory design applications.

Quantum3D, Inc., a provider of commercial-off-the-shelf real-time visual computing solutions, will upgrade its ExpeditionDI, an immersive, man-wearable training system, to ExpeditionDI Block 3, which includes a new graphics processor that delivers a 300% performance improvement, as well as enhanced weapon instrumentation designed to improve realism for training infantryman.

Real-Time Innovations, middleware experts, will supply Volkswagen AG, Electronics and Vehicle Research department, with its real-time messaging middleware across different projects to integrate advanced driver assistance systems into the car.

Rockwell Automation revealed its InSite Services, a suite of managed services that helps manufacturers reduce costs, improve production-system performance, and increase operating cash flow.

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. combined its Antaris family of FT-NIR analyzers and Siemens SIPATT software platform to provide a comprehensive solution for advanced process understanding and continuous control and improvement in drug development and manufacture.

Wonderware, a business unit of Invensys, added Wonderware HMI Reports to its offering of operations management software solutions; it is a simple reporting solution for use with Wonderware InTouch HMI and other plant and industrial data sources. Chr. Hansen, a world producer of ingredients for food, pharmaceutical, nutritional and agricultural industries, selected Wonderware software to manage operations at its facilities worldwide.

Yokogawa Electric Corporation subsidiary, Yokogawa Middle East B.S.C., received five orders to supply automation and control systems for the construction and upgrade of power plants in Egypt.

Career moves

Glenn Binder, vice president of sales for SigmaTEK Systems, LLC, appointed Adria Iles corporate accounts manager.

Lantronix appointed Jeff Kost vice president of worldwide sales.

Eric Stefan joined Kice Industries, Inc. to work in the technical sales group out of the Wichita home office.