♦  ABB has won a £1.6m order from Outokumpo to supply four 1.2MW fan drive systems to extract fumes at its stainless melting and continuous casting plant in Sheffield. The systems, including drives, HV motors and transformers, will replace existing direct-on-line motors, and are expected to cut energy use significantly.

♦  National Instruments is offering up to £25,000 worth of software, support and training to selected small-to-medium sized businesses that are developing embedded devices using NI technology. More details from www.ni.com/uk/grant

♦  The mechanical motion products specialist Abssac has moved to purpose-built premises in Evesham with four times the office and warehouse space of its previous site. The company`s phone number is now 01386 421005.

♦  The Luton-based control systems specialist Autotech is investing more than £150,000 in a new robot simulation service that will simulate, validate and program robotic and automated manufacturing processes before they are delivered to site. It says the service will cut development times and costs, and eliminate errors

♦  Siemens Energy has acquired a stake of just under 10% in Bristol-based Marine Current Turbines (MCT), which develops electricity generators powered by tidal currents. In the past two months, MCT has raised £8.5m which will help its plans to deploy the UK’s first commercial tidal energy array within two years. Since April 2008, MCT has been operating a 1.2MW prototype tidal turbine in Strangford Lough in Northern Ireland.

♦  Abingdon-based Bowman International has acquired most of the assets of the sintering division of MPS Industrial Solutions (formerly known as EGA Sinter) after it went into administration. Last year Bowman acquired Oilite Bearings.