April 20, 2009

Swedish manufacturer SKF reported sales declined 4.8% to SEK 14.8 billion (US$1.7 billion) in the first quarter of 2009. Profit fell 69.6% to SEK 394 million (US$46.2 million).
 
 We saw a very significant drop in our sales volumes in the first quarter and reduced our manufacturing level even more, said Tom Johnstone, president and CEO.  “Looking at the second quarter we expect to see a similar level of decline in volume year on year as we saw in the first quarter. However, we can see that the speed of decline sequentially is reducing which indicates that demand may be leveling out".
 
The decrease of 4.8% in net sales for the quarter, in SEK, was attributable to: volume -26.9%, structure 1.4%, price/mix 7.1% and currency effects …

Sweden-based Alfa Laval reported sales increased 10% to SEK 6.9 billion (US$809 million) in the first quarter 2009. In constant dollars, sales decline 4.8%. After taxes, profit was SEK 764 million (US$89.7 million).
 
Acquisitions completed during the first quarter are expected to contribute SEK 600 million to annual sales.
 
Second quarter demand is anticipated to be in line with or somewhat lower than the first quarter 2009. …

Flowserve Corp., Dallas, TX , a provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, has acquired privately owned CALDER AG, a Swiss Company, to expand the products and advanced technologies it offers to the growing global desalination markets. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
 
CALDER AG specializes in the design, engineering and supply of energy-recovery equipment and related proprietary technologies for the reverse osmosis process used in desalination plants. Energy-recovery equipment is critical technology within reverse osmosis that captures and reuses waste energy, which significantly lowers net energy consumption.
 
Global water desalination needs are growing very rapidly due to the demands of continued …