• Following Danaher Motion`s acquisition of the German linear motion specialist, Neff Antriebstechnik Automation, in May, Neff`s products will now be marketed globally under the new Thomson Neff brand. The products covered include screw drives, linear drives and wormgear screwjacks. Until now, Danaher`s linear motion products have been sold under the Thomson name.

• Rockwell Automation has sold its FirstPoint Contact business to Concerto Software, as part of its strategy to focus on industrial automation. Concerto expects the contact centre business to generate annual revenues of $250m.

• Chuck Knight, Emerson`s chairman since 1974, has retired and has been succeeded by David Farr, who is also the company`s chief executive. Knight, 68, joined Emerson in 1972 as vice-chairman. During his time with the company, sales have risen 16-fold to more than $15bn, and net earnings 18-fold, to more than $1.4bn.

• The US demand for sensors, transducers and housings is forecast to grow by 7.8% a year to reach $13.8bn by 2008. The fastest growth, according to the Freedonia Group, will be in the proximity and positioning market, where sales will grow by 14.7% a year to reach $2.26bn by 2008.

• ICS Triplex has formed an alliance with Yokogawa Electric to provide control technology for Yokogawa`s Stardom network-based compressor control system.