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MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS

A. Ahlstrom Corp. and the Austrian company, Andritz AG have signed an agreement enabling Andritz to acquire 50% of the shares of Ahlstrom Machinery Corp. Ahlstrom Machinery will continue its activities under the new name Andritz-Ahlstrom Corp., providing equipment, systems, and services to the pulp and paper industry worldwide. Both Andritz and A. Ahlstrom Corp. may exercise options in the future that would result in Andritz owning 100% of Ahlstrom Machinery Group.

Thermo Black Clawson has acquired Gauld Equipment Co., which will be-come a division of Thermo Black Clawson. The company will continue all operations in its Theodore, Ala., headquarters.

Rockwell Automation has acquired Entek IRD International Corp., provider of machinery condition monitoring solutions.

Intermat Inc., a provider of MRO content management tools and cataloging services, has been acquired by PSDI. PSDI provides business-to-business MRO e-commerce and enterprise asset maintenance.

Jaeco-Stewart Inc., a Connecticut-based manufacturer of metering pumps and reusable compression fittings, has been acquired by The New Caledonian Group Inc., a Delaware holding company. Jaeco’s products include diaphragm metering pumps, packed plunger metering pumps, and check valves. Currently located in Bethel, Conn., Jaeco, which has been renamed Jaeco Fluid Systems Inc., will move its operations to Exton, Pa., this spring.

SPX Corp., a provider of industrial products, services, and systems, has agreed to purchase the Fenner Fluid Power division of the Fenner Group of Yorkshire, England. Fenner Fluid Power is a supplier of medium pressure hydraulic power system components for mobile and stationary applications with facilities in Rockford, Ill., and Romford, England.

Pulpandpaper.net LLC has signed a sale agreement with Just2Clicks.com plc, the online trading company for heavy industry, making Pulpandpaper.net a Just2Clicks.com company.

 

JOINT VENTURES

ABB Automation Inc., a manufacturer of electric motors and drives, has signed an agreement to supply IEC motors to W.W. Grainger. The contract includes the supply of all general-purpose aluminum metric motors ranging from fractional to 30kW (40 hp), in frame sizes 63 to 200.

General Electric Co. and Toshiba Corp., Tokyo, Japan, have announced their intent to form an international joint venture to maximize their capabilities in large industrial drive systems for plant automation applications.

Paperloop.com, an Internet business and information exchange for the paper, printing, and converting industries, and PrintMarket, an Internet print buyer and seller marketplace, have announced the formation of a strategic alliance to provide industry users with an integrated array of Web-based services. In addition, paperloop.com and Schneider Logistics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schneider National Inc., a North American truckload transportation and logistics company, have announced an alliance in which Schneider’s business-to-business e-commerce logistics services will be utilized on paperloop.com’s Web site.

PaperExchange.com Inc. and Staples Inc. have entered into a strategic alliance and listing agreement. As part of the alliance, Staples intends to source paper online by posting requests for cut-sheet paper on the PaperExchange.com site.

fibermarket.com and Oracle Corp. have announced intentions to create fp-xchange, an open electronic marketplace for the global forest products industry, which includes paper, pulp, recovered fiber, solid wood, and related building products. fp-xchange is designed to enable buyers and sellers to transact and share information about supply, demand, and production, therefore minimizing inefficiencies from the forestry and paper industry supply chain.

GE Capital Rail Services and IntelliTrans Inc. have announced an investment and strategic alliance that will help to help to accelerate e-commerce efforts for GE Capital Rail Services’ customers. The joint venture, IntelliTrans LLC, will provide customers with an extensive array of services, all offered electronically, primarily through the Web.

Aggreko plc, supplier of temporary power, temperature control, and oil-free compressed air services, has signed a five-year global supply, design, and marketing agreement with Ingersoll-Rand, a manufacturer or oil-free compressed air equipment. Under the agreement, Ingersoll-Rand will supply all of Aggreko’s future oil-free air equipment requirements, and the two companies will jointly design new specialized oil-free air rental products.

AMI Bearing Inc., a producer and distributor of mounted ball bearings, has formed a joint venture with NGB Technologies for Industrial and Conveying Ltd., a manufacturer of thermoplastic products, including bearing housings. The new joint venture company is known as ANB Inc. and will have operations in Mount Prospect, Ill., and Tel Aviv, Israel.

FESTech Software Solutions and Global Integrated Software Solutions (GISSI) have announced an alliance between FESTech’s Web-based training enterprise known as STC Campus, and GISSI’s online IT testing and examination site, known as ExamsOnline.com. The alliance provides STC Campus students free access to certification tests from major vendors like Microsoft and Novell.

Computer Sciences Corp. has entered into an agreement with paperX.com to build Europe’s first virtual trading floor for the continent’s $48 billion paper industry.

 

MARKETING/LICENSING

Sinclair International and ES Constant Inc. have signed an agreement giving ES Constant exclusive representation rights for all Sinclair systems, products, and services for the Western U.S.

Avian Groupusa and Murakami Color Research Laboratory have announced an agreement between the two companies. Avian Groupusa will act as an exclusive representative for the sales, service, and technical support of the Murakami line of color and appearance instrumentation in the U.S.

 

EXPANSIONS/MODERNIZATIONS

AstenJohnson, the Charleston, S.C.-based paper machine clothing manufacturer, is expanding production at its Appleton, Wis., plant. The plant is Appleton will receive 11 machines and add 20 jobs in the restructuring. The new equipment, including five looms and six automated seamers, will increase the Appleton plant’s production by 25%.

 

NEW COMPANIES

Miller Freeman Inc., a United News & Media company, and Pegasus Capital Advisors have announced the formation of paperloop.com, a new, equally-owned global company that will finance, develop, and deliver products and services across multiple mediums including the Internet, print, conferences, and trade shows.

 

REORGANIZATION

AstenJohnson is planning to realign its North American production operations for paper machine clothing, as well as its U.S. and Canadian administration, sales, and marketing organizations, during the next six to 18 months. Approximately 50 administrative, sales, and marketing support positions will be relocated to Charleston, S.C., from the company’s Walterboro, S.C., Jonesboro, Ga., and Kanata, Ont., facilities.

Emerson Electric Co. has announced the creation of Emerson Performance Solutions, which will consist of engineering, consulting, monitoring, maintenance, and professional services designed to improve the operational performance of industrial and process customers.

Tranter Inc. has reorganized its Texas Edgefield Divisions into wholly-owned subsidiaries, Tranter PHE Inc. and Tranter Radiator Products Inc. Tranter Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dover Corp.

 

TECHNOLOGY

Bosch Automation Technology has been awarded two U.S. patents entitled “Pressure Proportioning Regulator Valve and Vane Machine Including the Same” and “Vane Machine Having a Controlled Pressure Acting on the Vane Ends.”

 

PRICING

DuPont has announced a price increase for its titanium dioxide products used in the paper industry. The Price of DuPont Ti-Pure RPS-Vantage and DuPont Ti-Pure RPD-Vantage will increase $0.04/lb in the U.S. and C$0.06/lb in Canada.

Clariant Corp. has announced an increase of $0.02/lb to the off-list prices of its V-Brite and K-Brite sodium hydrosulfite products.

Kronos has announced a price increase on its anatase titanium dioxide grades sold in North America. The price increase will be $0.05/lb in the U.S. and C$0.07/lb in Canada.

Kemira Pigments Inc. has announced an increase in the U.S. and Canada for all anatase grades of titanium dioxide. Prices for truckload quantities will increase by $0.05/lb in the U.S. and C$0.08/lb in Canada. Products affected by this increase include Kemira 110, Kemira 110s, Kemira 220, Kemira 310, Kemira UDA, Kemira UDA Prime, Kemira 820, and Kemira UDR-P.

As of April 1, 2000, The Dow Chemical Co. has increased the list and off-list prices of all Versene chelating agents in North America. The price for Versene Na and Versene Ca will be increased by 6.5%, the price for all other grades of Versene chelating agents will be increased by 10%.

 

AWARDS

Motion Industries has presented Rockwell Automation with a Key Supplier Award. This award recognizes excellence in providing quality and service as a supplier partner.

 

CERTIFICATIONS

The chemical manufacturing operation of Air Products Polymers L.P. in Calvert City, Ky., has received ISO 9002 certification.

Sulzer Metco, manufacturer and distributor of thermal spray coating equipment, has achieved ISO 9001 certifi-cation.

 

NAME CHANGES

Tuthill Corp., Kinney Vacuum Div., has announced its name, Tuthill Vacuum Systems (TVS). TVS encompasses Kinney Vacuum of Massachusetts, Atlantic Fluidics of Connecticut, and Tuthill Vacuum Systems-Europe of England.