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April News in Brief
Published:  01 April, 2008

º  Siemens is supplying all of the drives and electrical equipment for a 670m-long Chinese paper-making machine, thought to be the largest of its type in the world. The order, placed by Hainan Jinhai Pulp & Paper and valued in the "two-digit million Euro" range, includes 185 Sinamics drives with a combined output of more than 40MW, as well as various other drives, motors, converters and a medium-voltage distribution system. The plant, due to be completed next year, will produce more than 1m tonnes of graphic paper a year.

º  Phoenix Contact has bought Berlin-based Innominate Security Technologies, which specialises in embedded security devices for industrial applications. The deal follows a strategic partnership formed by the two companies last year, under which Innominate has been supplying its mGuard technology for Phoenix’s Ethernet Security products.

º  The US motor supplier Regal Beloit is buying two Chinese motor manufacturers for $27.6m cash and $8m in liabilities, giving it its first wholly owned Chinese motor factory. Wuxi Hwada Motor and Wuxi New Hwada Motor produce IEC and Nema motors up to 5MW and sell about half of their output in China, with 35% going to Europe. Regal Beloit expects the businesses to add $75–80m in sales.

º  Ansys, the US developer of simulation software and technologies for optimising product development, is buying the electronic design automation specialist, Ansoft, for around $832m. Their combined revenues are expected so be $485m. Ansys says the acquisition will enhance the breadth, functionality, and interoperability of its engineering simulation portfolio, and will help customers to accelerate product developments.

º  Autodesk, the company behind AutoCAD software, has bought the Moldflow Corporation for around $279m. Moldlflow develops software for predicting how plastic components will behave during manufacturing. Autodesk plans to use this capability to enhance its digital prototyping offering, allowing manufacturers to optimise their designs early in the development process. Moldflow, which has 285 staff in the US and Australia, had revenues last year worth $56m.

º  Australia’s SCADAgroup, which claims to be the world’s largest privately owned SCADA products and services company, has bought the US wireless instrumentation specialist Adaptive Instruments, which uses the Accutech brand name.

º  The US bearings manufacturer Timken has opened two new plants in Asia: one manufacturing industrial tapered roller bearings in Chennai, India; and another producing aerospace and precision bearings in Chengdu, China. Timken now has seven manufacturing plants in Asia, employing more than 4,500 people, and generating more than $400m of revenue.

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