MERGERS/ACQUISITIONS

ABB has acquired the Cellier Engineering Group. Cellier, a unit of Group ICBT of France, is a process automation company based in Aix-les-Bains that employs about 175 people. The company designs and installs complete production units and industrial process and control systems for paper, chemical, and other industries. Cellier also delivers software that allows control systems made by different companies to communicate easily with one another.

Jamesbury Inc., a Neles Automation company, has acquired StoneL Corp., supplier of field communications and automated valve monitoring equipment. Jamesbury Inc. is a supplier of high performance valve solutions.

GL&V has acquired ADDAX Australia Pty. of Melbourne, which specializes in equipment sales and after-sales service to the pulp and paper industry in Australia, New Zealand, and part of Asia.

Eka Chemicals, a business unit of Akzo Nobel, is acquiring Hopton Technol-ogies Inc., manufacturer of specialty chemicals for surface enhancements. The acquisition, which is subject to regulatory approval, supports Eka Chemicals' position as a supplier of chemicals that enhance the properties of paper and board. The acquisition will include manufacturing facilities in Albany, Ore., and Rome, Ga., and patents and proprietary knowledge in coating technology.

Parker Hannifin has acquired Ivensys' Pneumatic Business. Ivensys Pneumatics has facilities in France, the U.S., and the U.K.. It specializes in the design and production of equipment and controls for automated processes.

The Bayer Group, based in Leverkusen, Germany, has agreed to purchase the paper sizing and strength businesses of the specialty chemicals manufacturer Cytec Industries Inc. of West Paterson, N.J. The acquisition is designed to strengthen Bayer's global position in paper sizing agents and broaden the product portfolio of Bayer's Paper Industry Business Unit.

DeZurik has acquired Copes-Vulcan, a manufacturer of flow control equipment used in the power generation and process industries. DeZurik currently manufacturers globe and rotary control valves through ANSI Class 600, while Copes-Vulcan manufactures globe control valves through ANSI Class 4500. In addition, Copes-Vulcan manufactures de-superheaters, turbine bypass systems, and associated control equipment for severe duty and general service applications.

The deal between Kemira Chemicals and Neste Chemicals, concerning the purchase of Neste Chemicals' paper chemicals business including the paper chemicals business of Austrian Krems Chem-ie, has been closed. All relevant authorities have approved the transactions.

Hewlett-Packard has discussed with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) the acquisition of PwC's global management and information technology consulting practice. HP's overall business strategy is to invent customer solutions at the intersection of e-services, information appliances, and Internet infrastructure. Consist-ent with this strategy, HP has been strengthening its professional services capabilities to provide customers with comprehensive technology solutions.

Invensys has acquired the assets of the Walsh Group's Walsh Automation and Validation Technologies subsidiaries. The Walsh Group, a supplier of software to the pulp and paper and other industries, is a privately held company based in Montreal, Que. The Walsh units will operate under their present names as part of Invensys' newly formed Software Systems Div.

Thomason Mechanical Corp. has acquired Coletel Fab and Weld. Coletel is a Chino, Calif.-based conveyor company, providing turnkey services including: engineering, manufacturing, project management, and installation of material handling systems.

Testing Machines Inc., a N.Y.-based manufacturer of materials measurement systems, has acquired Adamel Lhomargy, the French provider of specialist measuring instrumentation. Adamel will continue to manufacture instruments, which include micrometers, burst and tear testers, and to provide pre- and post-sales support and service from its Paris facility.

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. has signed a letter of intent to sell its polyvinyl alcohol business to Celanese AG, Kronberg, Germany.

Christian Dalloz, French manufacturer of safety equipment, has acquired Fendall Co., which is an Arlington Heights, Ill.-based manufacturer of portable emergency eyewash stations. Dalloz believes that the Fendall brand product offering will complement Dalloz' eye protection group.

Sentinel Lubricants Corporation of Canada and Vinings Industries Canada have closed on an agreement for Vinings to acquire the assets of Sentinel's Pulp and Paper Division. This will include Vinings acquiring Sentinel's current pulp and paper product lines and all personnel dedicated to the Pulp and Paper Additives Business.

Vulcan Performance Chemicals has acquired OmniKem Inc. based in Downington, Pa. OmniKem specializes in process chemicals for tissue and towel manufacturing and for contaminant control in all paper grades.

 

JOINT VENTURES

Metso Corp.'s fiber and paper technology business area, Valmet, and Albany International Corp. have agreed to a program intended to produce a broad cooperation in technology, marketing, sales, and services for the paper industry. The new arrangement is aimed at developing improved products and services for papermakers by taking advantage of complementary aspects of the businesses and technologies of the two companies.As apart of the cooperation, Valmet has been given a right to sell certain Albany belts in connection with its sale of new paper machines and the rebuilding and servicing of existingmachines.

GE Global eXchange Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers have teamed to build standardized tools for integrating and extending business applications over the Internet. The tools, created jointly by GXS and Pricewater-houseCoopers, are called intelligent integration adapters, and they are designed to make it easier to install and maintain custom integration solutions.

eSprocket has announced a strategic alliance with Fleet Capital Corp. that will centralize financing, appraisal, and inspection services, working to enable eSprocket customers to efficiently negotiate multiple aspects of complex sales transactions in a single, secure environment. Fleet Capital Corp. is the second largest bank owned commercial finance company in the U.S. eSprocket operates the Internet's leading negotiation-based b2b exchange for the capital equipment industry.

ABB has formed a partnership with Sinopec Corp., Asia's largest refiner. ABB has agreed to invest in the company through an IPO. ABB will be a strategic investor, joining several other multinationals. Sinopec is also the largest chemicals producer in China with approximately 47% of the domestic ethylene capacity in 1999.

Fibermarket, a b2b e-commerce marketplace for the recovered fiber industry, is partnering with Schneider Logistics Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Schneider National Inc., a North American truckload transportation provider, in an effort to streamline transportation transactions for the industry.

INC2inc has formed a partnership with Menlo Logistics. The deal allows all INC2inc's trading partners to leverage real-time load tracking and tracing through the Internet, along with continuous move optimization, and the ability to consolidate, expedite, reschedule, and divert shipments at any time in the shipping cycle.

PaperExchange.com Inc. and Grade Finders Inc., publisher of a major buyers' guide for printing paper, have announced an exclusive strategic alliance. This agreement gives PaperExchange exclusive rights to fully integrate Grade Finders' Competitive Grade Finder, a comprehensive resource for printing paper, into its online paper procurement process. As part of PaperExchange's transaction platform, members will be able to use a new quick search facility when buying or selling printing and writing paper grades using the Grade Finders' industry standard classification process.

PaperExchange has also announced a strategic alliance with MAJIQ Systems and Software, a supplier of order fulfillment and production management systems. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will work together to integrate MAJIQ's Elixir software with PaperExchange's critical market information and Internet capabilities.

GE Fanuc and Ztango Partner have partnered to develop integrated wireless reporting and monitoring solutions to enable remote supply chain and service force links via standards-based Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) and Short Message Service (SMS) wireless communications.

Andersen Consulting has teamed with PTC to offer manufacturers and on-line exchanges the ability to collaborate with key partners, suppliers, and customers throughout all phases of a product's lifecycle. Andersen and PTC will work together to develop new PTC Windchill-based solutions and methodologies.

 

NEW FACILITIES

Akzo Nobel Functional Chemicals has opened a new chelates manufacturing facility in Lima, Ohio. The Lima site has more than doubled its staffing, and has significantly increased capacity to meet expected future demand for intermediate and finished chelated products.

 

EXPANSIONS/MODERNIZATION

Kemira Chemicals Oy's subsidiary, Kemira Kemi AB, is establishing a Recycling Competence Center (RCC) in Helsingborg, Sweden. The establishment of RCC is in line with Kemira Chemicals' strategy to focus on recycling, water treatment chemicals, and environmental chemicals.

Solvay Minerals Inc. has begun the first phase of a capacity expansion at its Solvay Soda Ash joint facility near Green River, Wyo. The joint venture is 80% owned by Solvay Minerals and 20% by Asahi Glass Co. of Japan.

The Siemens Automation and Drives Group and Yaskawa Electric Corp. are expanding their joint venture in Japan, Yaskawa Siemens Automation and Drives Corp. (YSAD), in the field of low-voltage switchgear technology. To this end, Yaskawa will switch its activities in the Yaskawa Controls Corp. to the new Controls & Distribution Div. of YSAD. Siemens will switch its relevant activities from Siemens Kabushiki Kaisha in Tokyo to the new division.

 

MARKETING

National Starch and Chemical Co. and the pulp and paper div. of Hercules Inc. have formed a strategic marketing alliance for the sale of more than 300 million lb of National's papermaking chemicals starch product line. The agreement covers the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and will be effective Jan. 1, 2001. National Starch will continue its papermaking chemicals starch research, development, and manufacturing activities; and Hercules will manage the marketing, sales, and technical support of the product line in those regions.

GE Industrial Systems and Conmark Instruments Inc. have announced an agreement whereby GE will exclusively market Conmark's digital video systems used in the pulp and paper industry for process monitoring and diagnostics to reduce web breaks.

American Baler Co., manufacturer of custom and standard baling equipment, has added three new dealers. Roadrunner Paper services the entire state of New Mexico, Columbus Industries Inc. services mid-western Illinois, and Environmental Equipment Services services all of Arizona.

Quickdraft, manufacturer of pneumatic material conveying/trim removal systems, has announced that RCS Inc. will be representing its company in North and South Carolina.

 

REORGANIZATION

VerticalNet has formed three units to focus on core areas of e-commerce. The three units are: VerticalNet Markets, VerticalNet Exchanges, and VerticalNet Solutions. The Markets unit will provide commerce content and on-line services to the company's fifty-seven markets, including paper. The Exchanges unit will focus on direct, material, open, and spot markets. The Solutions unit will focus on b2b software and will combine the company's existing technology with that of acquired companies.

Netzsch Inc. and Netzsch Instru-ments Inc. have merged to form one unit of the globally operating Netzsch companies. The combined company, known as Netzsch Inc., with North American headquarters in Exton, Penn., will be able to expand its product lines and to improve customers' service. The company will now have four core businesses: NEMO progressing cavity pumps, filtration systems, grinding and dispersion machinery, and thermal analysis equipment.

 

TECHNOLOGY

Led by Ariba, IBM, and Microsoft, a total of 36 companies representing a broad spectrum of technology and business leaders have joined together to create and support the Universal Descrip-tion, Discovery, and Inte-gration (UDDI) standard. UDDI is targeted at facilitating the acceleration of b2b integration and commerce on the Internet by providing a platform-neutral set of specifications to enable businesses to de-scribe themselves and their preferred means of conducting e-business transactions.

 

PRICING

Air Products and Chemicals Inc. has increased prices of all grades of polyvinyl alcohol. Prices will increase by five cents/lb in the U.S. and Canada, and $100/mton outside North America.

 

CERTIFICATIONS/AWARDS

Fifteen Motion Industries facilities have achieved ISO 9002 certification. The facilities located in the U.S. include: Birmingham, Ala.; Montgomery, Ala.; Valdosta, Ga.; Warren, Mich.; Benton Harbor, Mich.; Dearborn, Mich.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Farmington, N.M.; Albany, N.Y.; Toledo, Ohio; Portland, Ore.; and Orem, Utah. The facilities located in Canada include Windsor, Ont.; London, Ont.; and Sarnia, Ont.