Rockwell Automation, Inc., Milwaukee, WI, has agreed to acquire UK-based Industrial Control Services Group Limited for & pound; 110 million (US$218.4 million) in cash. ICS does business as ICS Triplex, a global supplier of control and safety solutions to process industries.   ; ICS Triplex annual revenues are projected to be & pound; 70 million (US$138.9 million) for its current fiscal year which ends May 31, 2007.   ; Headquartered in Maldon, United Kingdom, ICS Triplex has more than 500 employees and operations across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North America. It serves industries including oil and gas exploration, production, transportation and refining as well as chemicals and power generation.   ; ICS Triplex will be included in …
Both the overall U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the manufacturing sector will decelerate in 2007 before regaining a measure of strength in 2008, according to a new report.   ;   ; The Manufacturers Alliance/MAPI Quarterly Economic Forecast predicts that inflation-adjusted GDP growth, 3.3 percent in 2006, will slow to 2.3 percent in 2007 before rebounding to 3.0 percent in 2008. By supplying major assumptions for the economy and running simulations through the Global Insight Macroeconomic Model, the Alliance generates unique macroeconomic and industry forecasts.   ; The deceleration in economic growth is primarily a consequence of the continued housing slump, soft business investment, a surprise downshift in exports, and inventory adjustment,” said Daniel …
RBC Bearings Incorporated, Oxford, CT, a manufacturer of highly-engineered precision plain, roller and ball bearings for the industrial, defense and aerospace industries, has acquired Phoenix Bearings Limited for $4.3 million in cash.
Phoenix, in Gloucestershire, England, manufactures bearings for the steel and mining industries as well as other general industrial applications with bore sizes ranging from 100 millimeters to one meter. Phoenix generated revenues of $4.5 million in its most recent calendar year.
RBC Bearings Incorporated is an international manufacturer and marketer of highly engineered precision bearings and …
Grainger President and COO Jim Ryan told analysts this week that the competitive landscape has shifted thanks to growing consolidation. Small regional and local distributors still command the overwhelming share of this market — more than 75%,” he said. “But they’re under attack from larger regional and national players. The billion-dollar plus players are growing at a disproportionate rate to the market and to their smaller competitors.
“…There is going to be a need for specialist distributors, and there is absolutely a place for large-scale distributors. The ones who will find it more difficult are the generalists in the middle.”
When asked about the potential impact of a possible HD Supply spinoff by Home Depot, Ryan said HD Supply’s position would not change. …
Dayton Reliable Air Filter has acquired Filter Services, Cincinnati, OH, according to the Dayton Business Journal.   ; Dayton Reliable Air Filter, with 30 employees, distributes air filters and does air filter service for commercial and industrial …
Illinois Tool Works has acquired Tregaskiss Welding Products of Windsor, Ontario, Canada.   ; Tregaskiss is a manufacturer of robotic and semi-automatic MIG welding torches and peripherals.   ; Tregaskiss, a privately held company, employs 179 people and offers its products through welding supply distributors in Canada and the U.S. The company will continue to operate independently, which is consistent with ITW’s decentralized organizational structure.   ; Other ITW welding companies include Hobart Brothers, Jetline Engineering, Smith Equipment, Tempil and Weldcraft.   ; ITW, Glenview, IL, is a $14.1 billion diversified manufacturer of highly engineered components and industrial systems and …
Anixter International Inc., Glenview, IL, distributor of communication products, electrical and electronic wire & cable and a distributor of fasteners and other small parts has acquired Eurofast SAS, Collegien, France, from Lisi SA for $27 million.
Eurofast is an aerospace fastener distributor in the aerospace and defense industries. For 2007, Eurofast is expected to generate sales of $22 million.
Commenting on the acquisition, Bob Grubbs, President and CEO of Anixter, said, This acquisition is another step in the geographic expansion of our OEM Supply business through the addition of important customers primarily within France in an end market where we have little penetration today within Europe.”
Anixter International has locations in 247 cities in …
Audax Group, Boston, MA, has acquired UTEX Industries, Inc. Headquartered in Houston, TX, UTEX is a manufacturer of complex gaskets and highly engineered seals to oil and gas, water distribution, and industrial end markets.   ; UTEX CEO Michael Balas will continue to lead the management team.   ; Audax Group Co-CEO Geoffrey S. Rehnert says the firm, which invests in middle-market companies, wants to capitalize on positive trends in the energy market. Audax plans to grow the business by expanding into new markets and executing strategic add-on acquisitions.
GE has agreed to sell GE Plastics to Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), a global petrochemicals manufacturer, for $11.6 billion in cash plus assumption of debt.
  ; GE Plastics is a $6.645 billion global supplier of plastic resins widely used in automotive, healthcare, consumer electronics, transportation, performance packaging, building and construction, telecommunications, and optical media. It is headquartered in Pittsfield, MA. and employs 10,300 people in 60 locations worldwide.   ; SABIC is  ; one of the world’s 10 largest petrochemicals manufacturers ranked by market capitalization (currently US$80 billion). The company produces polyethylene, polypropylene, glycols, methanol, and fertilizers as well as the fourth largest polymer producer. …
Fenton Hord, head of Wolseley plc’s U.S. building materials business, Stock Building Supply, will retire July 31, 2007.   ; Hord will be succeeded by Joe Appelmann as CEO, who has been with the company for 18 years.   ; Hord was with Wolseley for 20 years. When he was appointed CEO of the building materials arm in the U.S. in 1987, sales were $113 million. Revenues reached $5.3 billion in 2006.
Airgas, Inc., Radnor, PA, has acquired the aqua ammonia operations of Continental Nitrogen & Resources in Rosemount, MN, which had more than $2 million in revenues in 2006.   ; The business will be integrated into Airgas Specialty Products, a leading national distributor of ammonia products and services, various process chemicals, and refrigerants.   ; Other operations of CNR were not included.
This acquisition is in line with our strategy to expand our aqua ammonia business and capabilities and serve our growing customer base across the U.S.,” said Chuck Broadus, president of Airgas Specialty Products, Duluth, GA.
Airgas Specialty Products has 24 locations nationwide for distribution of anhydrous ammonia and aqua ammonia products and services and …
Diversified industrial manufacturer Eaton Corporation, has acquired the technology and related assets associated with SMC Electrical Products, Inc.’s industrial medium-voltage adjustable frequency drive business.   ; This acquisition complements Eaton’s already strong position as a manufacturer of medium-voltage motor control products,” said Randy Carson, Eaton senior vice president and president -Electrical Group. “By incorporating this product into our power distribution and control assemblies portfolio, we will be able to provide our customers with a comprehensive solution to address their motor starting needs.”   ; Eaton Corporation had 2006 sales of $12.4 billion.  ; Eaton has 61,000 employees and sells products to customers in more than 125 …
State Industrial Products, Cleveland, OH, has acquired Ohio Soap Products of Parma, OH, a Cleveland suburb.
  ; Ohio Soap is a manufacturer and distributor of institutional ware washing equipment and cleaning products with $10 million in annual sales and 100 employees.   ; Founded in 1911, privately-owned State Industrial Products has 1,200 employees and annual sales of more than $100 …
Industrial production increased 0.7 percent in April after a decrease of 0.3 percent in March. Output in the manufacturing sector moved up 0.5 percent in April; the increase was led by advances in motor vehicles and parts and in high-technology goods.   ; The output of utilities increased 3.5 percent; temperatures were relatively warm in March but fell below seasonal norms in April. Mining output decreased 0.3 percent in April. At 113.0 percent of its 2002 average, overall industrial production for April was 1.9 percent above its year-earlier level.   ; The rate of capacity utilization for total industry rose 0.4 percentage point, to 81.6 percent, a level 0.6 percentage point above its 1972-2006 average.   ; Market Groups All major market …
The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced the following residential construction statistics for April 2007:
Pearlman Industries, Inc., Commerce, CA, which was recently acquired by Harbour Group, has acquired Dimensional Tools, Inc., Dallas, TX.   ; Dimensional Tools, based in Dallas, will become part of Pearlman’s Keystone Tools division.
Dimensional Tools is a distributor of products for the stone fabrication market. It has locations in Dallas and Phoenix as well as a fleet servicing customers in the field.   ; Pearlman Industries, Inc. is a supplier of diamond cutting products and abrasives to professionals in diverse end-markets, including stone, tile, construction, welding, and equipment rental. The company has two divisions: Pearl Abrasives, which develops branded abrasives and diamond products sold through distributors to a wide range of industries; and …
Praxair, Inc., Danbury, CT, has agreed to buy a 50% stake in the industrial gases business of Yara International ASA of Norway.
The joint venture would initially include Yara’s existing industrial gases businesses in Norway, Denmark and Sweden. The venture would operate under the name Yara Praxair AS and would be based in Oslo, Norway. The intentions are to establish the new company during the third quarter.
Yara generated annual sales of US$150 million in fiscal year 2006.
Combining the strong market position and name recognition that Yara enjoys in Scandinavia with Praxair’s operational expertise and technology offerings, particularly in the areas of energy and environmental applications, creates a very compelling partnership,” said Steve Angel, chairman …
HeidelbergCement AG, Heidelberg, Germany, has agreed to buy Hanson plc for about & pound; 8 billion (US$15.8 billion). The transaction forms the second largest building materials group worldwide.   ; HeidelbergCement is one of the top producers of building materials worldwide, with its core products being cement, ready-mixed concrete and concrete products, aggregates, building materials and other products. It had sales in 2006 of & euro; 9 billion (US$12.2 billion).   ; Hanson supplies heavy building materials to the construction industry, with sales of & pound; 4.1 billion (US$7.9 billion) in 2006. Its products fall into two categories: aggregates, which includes crushed rock, sand and gravel, ready-mixed concrete, asphalt and cement-related products; and building …
Release taken from Statistics Canada.  ; All dollars are Canadian.
Canadian manufacturers had a strong March, following a slight increase in factory shipments in February, as previous supply disruptions caused by the rail strike and the refinery fire in Ontario were rectified.
In March, manufacturers shipped goods worth an estimated  ; $50.1  ; billion (Canadian), representing a  ; 2.8% gain over the previous month. For the first quarter, shipments were up  ; 1.0% compared to the fourth quarter of  ; 2006.
Using constant dollars, which take price fluctuations into account, the volume of shipments rose  ; 1.6% to  ; $45.1  ; billion, the fourth increase in five months.
Diversified industrial manufacturer Illinois Tool Works Inc., Glenview, IL, reported sales in many North American end markets continue to be weak.   ; Sales for the quarter ended April 30, 2007, increased 15%. That included a 10% increase from acquisitions (minus divestitures), 2% growth from base revenues, and 3% from translation and other items.   ; Sales in Engineered Products/North America were down 2% from the same period a year ago; Engineered Products/International sales were up 27%. Specialty Systems/North America sales were up 9%; Specialty Systems/International sales were up 21%.   ; ITW is a $14.1 billion diversified manufacturer of highly engineered components and industrial systems and consumables. The company has 750 business units in 49 …
By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.
