•The interconnection and switch manufacturer Molex Incorporated is buying the industrial networking and electrical infrastructure supplier Woodhead Industries for $256m.

• Honda is building a new factory in Japan that will quadruple its production of electric motors for hybrid vehicles to 200,000 a year, and could reduce the price of smaller hybrid cars. The £36m plant is due on stream in 2008, in time for the launch of a new small Honda hybrid in 2009.

•The management of the logistics automation and systems integration business Dematic have bought the company from Siemens, with backing from a private equity investor, Triton. Dematic, which employs 4,000 people and has sales worth some €800m, was formerly part of Siemens Logistics and Assembly Systems.

• Swiss sensor-maker, The Kistler Group, has taken over the German torque sensor, force-displacement system and motor test stand specialist, Dr Staiger Mohilo, which is based near Stuttgart.

• Pepperl+Fuchs has bought Cooper Crouse-Hinds` German-based Intrinsic Safety Instrumentation (ISB) business which Cooper acquired in 1995 as part of CEAG. ISB`s products include remote I/O, DIN-rail devices and Zener barrier components.

• Atlas Copco has bought the industrial division of the Italian ABAC Group for €119.5m. The division, which employs 650 people, makes piston and screw compressors sold under the Abac, Balma, Alup and Agre brands.

• US conglomerate Ametek has bought British-based Land Instruments International for an undisclosed sum from an investor group led by 3i. Land, whose headquarters are in Dronfield, specialises in analytical instrumentation and had sales last year worth around £22m.

• Siemens Automation & Drives has bought the German automated optical inspection specialist, Opto-Control Elektronik Prüfsysteme for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will add high-speed 3D inspection abilities to Siemens` surface-mount activities.