6 August 2009
Web exclusive: August Industry Newz
ABB reported second-quarter revenues of $7.9 billion—a 2% decline in local currencies—and earnings before interest and taxes of $1 billion, despite higher restructuring-related costs to adapt to the challenging economic environment. ABB won orders worth over $540 million from the Abengoa Group to deliver the key technology for the world’s longest power transmission link to be constructed in Brazil. The power highway will link two new hydropower plants in the northwest of the country with São Paulo, Brazil’s main economic center, over a distance of 2,500 kilometers. Power will be transmitted at very high voltage (600 kilovolts) to minimize transmission losses. Progress Energy selected ABB’s HCEP medium voltage instrument transformers for their Smart Grid implementation plans, confirming the utility’s focus on high-quality solutions for the future evolution of the U.S. power grid.
Adept Technology, Inc., a provider of intelligent vision-guided robotics and global robotics services, is expanding its distribution channel in Japan and has signed Nihon Kizai as its newest distributor to cover the Japanese market.
Honeywell completed the expansion of its Houston Customer Solutions Center, which serves as the company’s main North American hub for its customers in the process manufacturing industries. The 76,000-square-foot center houses technicians, project managers, and senior engineers who assemble and test complex automation systems destined for U.S. and international locations. Honeywell received a three-year maintenance and support contract with Turkey’s largest private sugar producer, Konya Sugar Inc. As part of the Solution Enhancement Support Program contract, Honeywell also will upgrade the Experion Process Knowledge System at Konya Sugar’s Cumra production site.
EnOcean, the inventor of wireless energy harvesting for automated buildings, exported self-powered wireless light switches and door/window sensors to be installed in a 5-star hotel located in Hang Zhou, Zhe Jiang. The light switches and door/window sensors shipped to China are the only of their kind—the switches and sensors operate without wires and without batteries.
Invensys Operations Management partnered with Codelco, copper producer, on a corporate-wide development agreement to improve the performance and longevity of Codelco’s processing assets at the smelters areas, increasing the overall economic value of that company’s business.
Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski signed into law the nation’s first program requiring paint manufacturers to safely manage leftover latex and oil-based paint from consumer and contractor painting jobs. The law is expected to result in the proper management of an estimated 800,000 gallons of leftover paint each year and to provide Oregon governments with service valued at over $6 million.
Career Moves
Dezineforce, a provider of web-based, on-demand engineering design optimization, appointed Peter Kelly vice president of sales, promoted Richard Harding from services manager to vice president of technical services, and hired Arun Muthirulan as vice president of marketing.
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