Movers & Shakers: Biofuel from wastewater, industry awards

Nov. 3, 2016

The SMART Green Gas project aims to obtain 100 percent Spanish origin, renewable biofuel from wastewater to be used in compressed natural gas-powered vehicles.

Acquisitions, expansions & partnerships

NI partnership to advance the Industrial Internet of Things

National Instruments (NI) is partnering with SparkCognition and IBM on the Condition Monitoring and Predictive Maintenance Testbed. As part of NI’s ongoing efforts with the Industrial Internet Consortium to advance the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), this update to the testbed will allow an unprecedented level of interoperability among operational technology and informational technology as organizations search for better methods to manage and extend the life of aging assets in heavy machinery, power generation, process manufacturing and many other industrial sectors.

Schneider Electric acquires Applied Instrument Technologies

Schneider Electric acquired Applied Instrument Technologies Inc., (AIT) a provider of online process analyzers for the hydrocarbon, petrochemical, chemical, pharmaceutical and steel-making industries. The acquisition adds to Schneider Electric’s process automation portfolio that already includes Foxboro plant instrumentation, Foxboro and PlantStruxure PES process automation systems, Modicon PAC systems and Triconex safety systems.

Based in Upland, California, AIT has an installed base of more than 1,000 systems and a breadth of spectroscopy and chromatography solutions, including a comprehensive portfolio of process analyzers and associated implementation services. The integration will be finalized in late 2017.

Hoover Container Solutions, Ferguson Group & CHEP Catalyst & Chemical Containers complete merger

Hoover Container Solutions, Ferguson Group and CHEP Catalyst & Chemical Containers, three leading global providers of container solutions products in the energy, petrochemical and general industrial markets, finalized their merger to form the independent joint venture company, Hoover Ferguson Group.

Global supply chain solutions company, Brambles Limited, the owner of Ferguson and CCC, and First Reserve and Hoover management, the owners of Hoover, completed the transaction on October 21. The joint venture is 50 percent owned by Brambles and 50 percent owned by Hoover shareholders. The combined Hoover Ferguson business establishes one of the largest global fleets of rigid steel intermediate bulk containers and cargo container units.

JARP Industries completes asset acquisition of Ordered Motion Systems

JARP Industries, a manufacturer of custom hydraulic cylinders, completed an asset purchase agreement of Ordered Motion Systems Inc. (OMS), a producer of large bore, telescopic cylinders. Manufactured primarily for the oil and gas industries, these cylinders play a key role in large, complex applications such as mast and substructure raising and walking systems, drilling rig erection, and oil pumping.

Warren Equity Partners announces acquisition of IPC Lydon LLC

Warren Equity Partners is partnering with Jay Cashman to acquire a majority interest in IPC Lydon LLC. IPCL specializes in maintenance, repair and upgrade services to the material handling, power generation, wastewater treatment and general industrial markets. IPCL, based in Avon, Maine, was previously a wholly owned subsidiary of Jay Cashman Inc., one of the largest heavy civil and marine contractors in the U.S. Jay Cashman, chairman and owner of Cashman, will retain a significant equity interest in the company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Pepperl+Fuchs teams up with ecom instruments

Pepperl+Fuchs, a globally leading company in explosion protection by intrinsic safety and in industrial sensors, acquired ecom instruments GmbH, a leader for mobile industrial devices for hazardous areas. The company developed explosion-proof cellphones, 4G smartphones and tablets. With this Pepperl+Fuchs complements the portfolio and the know-how in explosion protection with mobile solutions.

Dresser-Rand business to supply compressor trains to Ghana

The Dresser-Rand business, as part of Siemens Power and Gas, recently secured a contract to supply two compressor trains to an onshore receiving facility in Ghana, Africa. This marks the first time the Dresser-Rand business has sold a DATUM compressor driven by a Siemens gas turbine.

The client, Eni Ghana Exploration and Production Limited (Eni Ghana), is a subsidiary of the Italian oil company Eni S.p.A., the operator of the Offshore Cape Three Points (OCTP) project in Ghana. The first compressor unit is scheduled for delivery in September 2017, the second in October 2017 and Eni Ghana expects to have the plant fully operational in February 2018.

The Siemens SGT-400 gas turbine will be manufactured in Lincoln in the U.K. Image courtesy of Siemens.

Dresser-Rand business to supply turbine-generator sets for Egypt’s Zohr gas field

Dresser-Rand received an order from Egypt-based Belayim Petroleum Company (Petrobel) for three model SGT-400 industrial gas turbines, including associated electrical generators. The total order value is in the double-digit million euros range.

Petrobel, a joint venture formed by Italian oil and gas company, Eni, and Egypt’s General Petroleum Corporation, is developing the Zohr gas field, located about 200 kilometers off Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline. The order scope also encompasses a service package that includes spare parts supply and on-site maintenance. The turbine-generator sets are slated for delivery in early 2017.

AMR to acquire PEMCO Corporation

AMR Inc. signed a definitive agreement to acquire the PEMCO Corporation, a designer, engineer and manufacturer of electrical and power distribution equipment in Bluefield, Virginia. PEMCO provides custom electrical solutions to a many global industries including mining, oil and gas, utility, power generation, transit and nuclear. The acquisition is expected to be completed in early November 2016.

The AMR and PEMCO brands will be merged and marketed as AMRPEMCO.  It will continue to deliver all existing product lines and services while enhancing its marketing to better position itself for faster domestic and international growth. AMRPEMCO will also utilize the combined engineering resources to better serve its existing customer base and develop new product and service offerings.

GTI team selected by US Department of Energy to lead power plant project

Gas Technology Institute (GTI), with partners Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and GE Global Research, was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for an $80 million award to design, build and operate a 10 megawatts electrical (MWe) carbon dioxide (sCO2) pilot power plant. The goal of this project is to advance the technology development of sCO2 Brayton power cycles.

GTI will design, construct, commission and operate a versatile 10 MWe sCO2 pilot-plant test facility located at SwRI’s San Antonio, Texas, campus. The project will operate at a turbine inlet temperature of at least 700oC aimed at advancing the state-of-the-art high-temperature sCO2 power cycle performance from proof-of-concept to a validated prototype operational system.

Image courtesy of Elite Control Systems Ltd.

Edrington awards key contract to Elite Control Systems for new Macallan distillery

Elite Control Systems Ltd., a provider of systems integration and engineering support services, was awarded a major contract by Scotland’s leading premium spirits company Edrington for its new distillery and visitor center for The Macallan whisky, a luxury Scotch malt whiskies.

Edrington will rely on Elite Control Systems to write the full process software control package and provide ongoing support services following commissioning. This combination of technology and 24-hour technical support will ensure that the automated control systems that Edrington uses to operate the new plant function properly so production remains on track and the visitor center remains open to welcome thousands of visitors year-round.

Fluenta signs partnership agreement with MEGEX

Fluenta, a provider of ultrasonic flare metering for the oil, gas and chemical markets, signed a partnership agreement with MEGEX, a products and services supplier specializing in flow measurement and condition monitoring solutions. MEGEX is based in Thailand and will offer sales, installation and servicing of the full Fluenta product range to customers in South East Asia.

Emerson and FLEXIM combine flow portfolio

Emerson and FLEXIM are collaborating to help process customers optimize their flow process design, flowmeter selection and installation on capital projects to reduce execution risk and costs. With customers under severe pressure to reduce schedule and cost targets on capital projects, Emerson’s project teams, using FLEXIM’s clamp-on, ultrasonic flow metering portfolio in combination with Emerson’s broad, inline flow metering offering, are able to consult early and throughout the project cycle to reduce engineering, piping and installation costs as well as schedule risk.

Fluid Components International opens Saudi Arabia joint venture

Fluid Components International (FCI) established Fluid Components Saudi Arabia Ltd., a joint venture with GAS Arabian Services Co., Ltd.

FCI’s new joint venture in Saudi Arabia offers high-quality service and support for local and regional users of FCI instrumentation. The facility provides immediate access to FCI engineering and technical support, local spare parts inventory and supply, repair and recalibration services, factory certified field service personnel, client product and service training, site dispatching and on-site installation and start-up assistance.

Gannett Fleming expands to Pacific Northwest

Gannett Fleming, a multinational leader in engineering and infrastructure solutions, expanded its operations to the Pacific Northwest with the opening of a new office in downtown Seattle, Washington. Gannett Fleming plans, designs and delivers complex transportation networks, transit systems, maintenance facilities, and water resource facilities through both traditional and alternative delivery methods. Additionally, the firm brings its construction management talent and sought-after dam and geotechnical engineering expertise to the region.

Schneider Electric acquires MaxEAM

Schneider Electric announced the acquisition of MaxFAM, a software company with complementary applications that extend Avantis PRO Enterprise Asset Management. The acquisition further solidifies the portfolio and adds valuable domain expertise to Schneider Electric’s existing team. This acquisition delivers additional value to industrial organizations seeking to maximize return on assets.

T.F. Hudgins announces merger with Allied Reliability Inc.

Texas-based T.F. Hudgins Inc. announced it will merge with Charleston, South Carolina-based Allied Reliability Inc. Founded in 1947, T.F. Hudgins provides a portfolio of engineered products and services to improve the reliability of high-value equipment. Primary end markets include midstream oil and gas, petrochemical, refining and other industrial process industries. Founded in 1997, Allied Reliability Group delivers operational reliability solutions including condition monitoring, electrical services, consulting and training, staffing and integrated product solutions for commercial and industrial manufacturing industries.

ProSep inks distribution agreement with Puffer-Sweiven

ProSep, an oil, gas, and water treatment specialist, signed a distribution agreement with Puffer-Sweiven, a supplier of products and services for process control and flow control.

The partnership aims to leverage ProSep’s mixer and produced water technologies with Puffer-Sweiven’s history as a distributor across multiple industries and ultimately expand ProSep’s offerings beyond the upstream oil and gas market. The initial terms of the agreement will cover the Gulf Coast region, including Texas and New Mexico. The companies also plan to pursue opportunities in Latin America, where Puffer-Sweiven has offices in Venezuela, Colombia, Chile and Ecuador.

Sun Capital Partners affiliate completes sale of Critical Flow Solutions

Sun Capital Partners Inc., announced that an affiliate has completed the sale of Critical Flow Solutions, a provider of products and services to the petroleum refining industry, to CIRCOR International Inc. The deal has an enterprise value of $210 million.

Critical Flow, based in Sandy, Utah, was formed in May 2015 when the Sun Capital affiliate acquired three business units of Curtiss-Wright Corporation. The first, DeltaValve LLC, offers solutions for the delayed coking process of refineries. The second business, TapcoEnpro International, provides solutions for the fluid catalytic cracking process of refineries.  Earlier this year, the Company divested the third unit, GROQUIP, a regional pressure valve distribution business, yielding substantial proceeds from the sale.

Appointments

Steel Tube Inc. appoints quality assurance and safety manager

Steel Tube Inc. recently completed a multimillion-dollar expansion. The company named Steve Davis to head its Quality and Safety department. His career in manufacturing spans 33 years, including small companies and large corporate environments. He is also an entrepreneur and has owned and operated two small businesses.

ITT elects Nicholas C. Fanandakis to board of directors

ITT Inc. elected Nicholas C. Fanandakis to its board of directors. Fanandakis, 59, is the executive vice president and chief financial officer of E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co. (DuPont).

Fanandakis formerly served as group vice president of DuPont Applied BioSciences and vice president of Corporate Plans, as well as in a variety of operational, marketing and product management roles in the petrochemicals, chemical and pigments, specialty chemicals and industrial solutions areas.

ValvTechnologies Inc. names director of manufacturing operations

ValvTechnologies Inc., manufacturer of zero-leakage severe service isolation valve solutions, named Herman Benard Jr., as its director of manufacturing operations. Based in Houston, Texas, Benard will have senior management responsibility for ValvTechnologies manufacturing groups, leading the achievement of production, productivity, quality, safety and customer satisfaction goals, as well as spearheading manufacturing process continuous improvements.

Oilfield Helping Hands appoints new president

Oilfield Helping Hands (OHH), a nonprofit charitable organization comprised of volunteers devoted to providing financial assistance to oilfield workers in financial crisis, appointed Gregory Rachal as president. As president, Rachal will ensure that OHH remains a premier support resource for oilfield families in crisis within six regional chapters in active oilfield communities across the US. Since it was founded in 2003, OHH has raised more than $3.3 million for more than 300 families affected by financial hardships.

Awards, milestones & achievements

Schaeffler wins 2016 Materialica Design + Technology Award

Schaeffler received the 2016 Materialica Design + Technology Award in the Surface & Technology category for its Sensotect coating system at the international Materialica trade show in Munich. Sensotect is an thin coating technology with which Schaeffler is introducing intelligent coating systems to the automotive and industrial sectors.

Viega wins Plastics Pipe Institute’s 2016 Project of the Year Award

Viega received Plastics Pipe Institute’s 2016 "Project of the Year" award in the building and construction division for its Big Bear Area Regional Wastewater Agency heating bed project using Vega’s innovating Climate Mat. The winning project used approximately 22,500 linear feet of 5/8-inch ViegaPEX Barrier crosslinked polyethylene tubing at nine-inch centers to make up the Climate Mats and cover the 16,000-square foot slab area. Before the slab was poured, the pre-engineered mat system was rolled out and installed in less than a day.

SEAT and Aqualia create the first 100 percent Spanish alternative fuel from wastewater

SEAT and Aqualia joined forces to develop the SMART Green Gas project, which aims to obtain 100 percent Spanish origin, renewable biofuel from wastewater to be used in compressed natural gas-powered vehicles. To kick off the collaboration, both companies have begun performing pilot tests in the wastewater treatment plant located in Jerez. As part of their collaboration, SEAT has provided Aqualia with two SEAT Leon TGI vehicles to conduct the necessary testing with the biomethane obtained from the wastewater to confirm and verify the entire production chain until the fuel is obtained and used.

This joint project constitutes a step forward in the development of a circular economy and the construction of resilient cities. In addition, it will help drive research and the creation of alternative fuels in the Spanish automotive sector by producing renewable, 100 percent local gas, whose main advantage is that the full use of biomethane-powered cars will enable CO2 emissions to be reduced "Well to Wheel" compared with vehicles powered by petrol.

Society of Women Engineers recognizes Rockwell Automation

The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) recognized the Rockwell Automation Insider Risk Team with the Global Team Leadership award for its impact on the society and the engineering community. Dawn Cappelli, vice president and chief information security officer at Rockwell Automation, accepted the award in Philadelphia at WE16, SWE’s annual conference, during the formal awards banquet.

The Global Team Leadership award gives recognition for a geographically diverse team that makes outstanding technical contributions in the field of engineering and technical management, demonstrating innovative thinking to overcome global challenges. It is presented annually to a team with women in technical leadership roles that meets or exceeds project objectives.

EPA recognizes SC Johnson with Green Power Leadership Award

SC Johnson received a 2016 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These annual awards recognize the country’s leading green power users for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s voluntary green power market. The EPA presented SC Johnson with an Excellence in Green Power Use award at the 2016 Renewable Energy Markets Conference in San Francisco.

SC Johnson was one of seven organizations nationwide to receive an Excellence in Green Power Use Award. The award recognizes EPA Green Power Partners who distinguish themselves by demonstrating leadership in procuring green power from a utility green power product, a power purchase agreement, or a renewable energy certificate (REC) product.

Winners of CPhl Pharma Awards announced

The winners of the 13th CPhl Pharma Awards were announced Oct. 4 in Barcelona, at the CPhl Pharama Awards Gala held the first day of CPhl Worldwide 2016. Launched in 2004, the CPhl Pharma Awards recognize pharmaceutical companies that turn inspiration into innovation by celebrating thinkers and creators breaking new ground in the industry and strongly advocating companies that are committed to driving the industry forward. 

The 2016 winners are:

  • Excellence in Pharma: API Development — Novel Synthesis of Dronederone Intermediate, Cambrex
  • Excellence in Pharma: Formulation and Excipients — Parteck SRP 80 Excipient, Merck KGaA [*] (Excipients)
  • Using Intrinsically Enteric Capsule Technology To Deliver Enteric Protection and Delayed Release Achieved Without Functional Coating, Capsugel (Formulation)
  • Excellence in Pharma: Manufacturing Technology and Equipment — The Future of Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing: ConsiGma, GEA Group
  • Excellence in Pharma: Bioprocessing — BioSC Lab: DSP Purification Breakthrough for the Biopharma Industry, Novasep
  • Excellence in Pharma: Analysis, Testing and Quality Control — NanoLIBS, B&W Tek
  • Excellence in Pharma: Drug Delivery Devices — 3M Intelligent Control Inhaler – The new future for addressing patient adherence and competence in Asthma and COPD patients, 3M
  • Excellence in Pharma: Packaging — PYCLEAR PROTECTION: Patient Protection & Cost-Efficiency, Pylote SA
  • Excellence in Pharma: Supply Chain, Logistics, and Distribution — MENA region, Raising Star with New Challenges, Pharma Venture Mena FZC
  • Excellence in Pharma: Contract Services and Outsourcing — OptiForm Solution Suite and OptiForm Solution Suite Bio, Catalent Pharma Solutions
  • Excellence in Pharma: Regulatory Procedures and Compliance — Emprove Program, Merck KGaA [*]
  • Excellence in Pharma: Corporate Social Responsibility — Centella asiatica Project in Madagascar, Indena S.p.A.
  • Excellence in Pharma: CEO of the Year — Udit Batra, Ph.D., Member of the Executive Board of Merck and CEO, Merck KGaA

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