Business News

Johnson Matthey and Lithium Werks sign long-term agreement

Johnson Matthey (JM), a global leader in science that makes the world cleaner and healthier, has entered into a long-term battery materials supply agreement with energy storage and battery company Lithium Werks. Under the agreement, which will start 1 April 2019 and run for five years, JM will supply its lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cathode material manufactured at its facility in Changzhou, China. The cathode material is a key component in battery cells produced by Lithium Werks, for a range of applications, including material handling, large motive, maritime and energy storage. Through incorporating JM’s advanced LFP technology into Lithium Werks’ batteries, both companies are excited to work together to support the growing demand from industry and consumers for higher performing energy storage technologies. Commenting on the agreement, Alan Nelson, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Executive of JM’s Battery Materials business said: “We are pleased to enter into this agreement with Lithium Werks to supply our LFP. We look forward to developing our relationship further as JM continues to execute its strategy of break out growth in battery materials.” Commenting on the agreement, T. Joseph Fisher III, Chief Executive Officer, Lithium Werks said: “Having a secure long-term supply of cathode material from a solid supplier such as Johnson Matthey will provide additional certainty to our customers, and enable the transition to clean and sustainable renewable energy.” About Johnson Matthey Johnson Matthey is a global leader in science that enables a cleaner and healthier world. With over 200 years of sustained commitment to innovation and technological breakthroughs, we improve the performance, function and safety of our customers’ products. Our science has a global impact in areas such as low emission transport, pharmaceuticals, chemical processing and making the most efficient use of the planet’s natural resources. Today more than 14,000 Johnson Matthey […]

Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries Group announces its consolidation

Cryogenic Industries, Inc. and Nikkiso Cryo, Inc., subsidiaries of Nikkiso Co., Ltd (Japan), announce their functional consolidation as “Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries Group” (the Group). Consisting of Nikkiso Cryo, Inc. (Las Vegas, NV) and Cryogenic Industries, Inc. (Temecula, CA) and its subsidiaries, ACD, LLC, Cosmodyne, LLC, and Cryoquip, LLC, the group will provide innovative equipment and solutions in liquid gases and beyond. The Group’s creation involves the strengthening and development of five functional units of the companies. The Cryogenic Pumps unit aligns ACD’s and Nikkiso Cryo’s lines of pumps. The Cryogenic Process Systems unit incorporates turbo expanders along with LNG and Air Separation plants. The Heat Exchanger Systems unit focuses on cryogenic vaporizers, LNG and industrial gas equipment. The Cryogenic Services unit provides service and support through a broad network of global facilities. A newly created Integrated Cryogenic Solutions unit will allow for centralised management of product and project development across channels and in multiple market segments. Through joint research and innovation, the Group will provide increased engineering and systems solutions for market development. “One key benefit of our new business approach is the capacity to expand our offerings and provide a comprehensive product line for clean energy such as LNG and hydrogen, in addition to our existing line of products for industrial gases. We’re calling this segment our ‘One Clean Energy Group,’” said Peter Wagner, President and CEO of Cryogenic Industries. “We are looking forward to working together with Nikkiso Cryo as Nikkiso Cryogenic Industries Group, with our shared experience, resources and commitment to quality. This will allow us to focus more closely on our customers’ needs, providing individual support, service and solutions.” The functional consolidation will provide the opportunity for a more expansive look at the customer’s product experience and extend the Group’s global reach across increased markets. The […]

tna appoints Matthew Walters to lead African operations

Food processing and packaging solutions provider tna has appointed Matthew Walters as branch manager to head up its African operations. Based in tna’s Johannesburg (South Africa) office, Matthew will be responsible to support food manufacturers across the African continent with tna’s portfolio of cutting-edge equipment, such as fryers, conveyors, seasoning equipment, VFFS packaging systems and end of line solutions. At the same time, Matthew will be tasked with driving the sales of tna’s confectionery processing solutions, including its range of kitchens, starch moulding and finishing equipment, while helping to further develop tna’s local service and support team. With a degree in mechanical engineering, Matthew started his career at one of South Africa’s leading FMCG companies, where he was responsible for the successful implementation of a number of high profile projects. His experience in managing projects from start to finish, from strategy development and stakeholder engagement all the way through to installation and commissioning, will be instrumental in supporting tna’s customers with the advanced food processing and packaging technology they need to make the most out of South Africa’s flourishing snacks and confectionery sectors.

CP Kelco announces investment in pectin capacity increase

CP Kelco, a leading global producer of specialty hydrocolloid solutions, announced today it will invest to increase its pectin production capacity at its Limeira, Brazil facility by 10%. This investment will enhance market supply by the end of 2019. “All around the world our customers are creating innovative beverages that require nature-based ingredients. In Asia, for example, we see robust growth in drinking yogurts and low pH protein drinks, in which pectin is an essential ingredient for creating high-quality products,” said Jérôme Béra, Senior Vice President, Global Marketing. “As these markets expand, we are committed to continuing our investments and already have other projects planned to add capacity as needed and in a timely manner to support our customers’ growth aspirations.” As the pectin market grows, industry leader CP Kelco continues to make strides in meeting the demand for nature-based functional ingredients. GENU® Pectin is a specialty ingredient made from citrus peel and used in a wide range of foods, beverages, personal care products and other consumer goods. CP Kelco’s GENU Pectin portfolio includes non-GMO, vegan, and organic compliant products. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, CP Kelco is a leading producer of specialty hydrocolloids with offices and facilities across the globe. Featuring an extensive range of hydrocolloid solutions and serving over 100 countries, CP Kelco leverages its capabilities to bring concepts and ideas to real-world products in a broad range of applications. The company’s specialty ingredients touch a wide variety of consumer and household products and industrial applications, tailored to meet the needs of regional consumers. Key product lines are Gellan Gum, Pectin, Xanthan Gum, Carrageenan, Diutan Gum, Carboxymethyl Cellulose, and Microparticulated Whey Protein Concentrate, as well as other unique biopolymers. Visit www.cpkelco.com for more information.

Lucidworks Hires Robert Lau as COO for Global Emerging Markets and APAC

Robert Lau is building Lucidworks’ presence and go-to-market strategy in Global Emerging Markets, including the Asia-Pacific region Lucidworks, leader in AI-powered search applications, has hired Robert Lau as Chief Operating Officer for Global Emerging Markets and APAC. Lau has over two decades of experience in engineering, marketing, sales, and operations in the software industry, most recently leading APAC operations at Splunk and Elastic. As Lucidworks begins to expand to the Asia-Pacific region and beyond, Lau and his team will be building new strategic partnerships, increasing brand awareness, and championing Lucidworks in these emerging markets. Lucidworks views the Asia-Pacific region as an important part of business expansion and development, with a growing need for digital commerce and digital workplace solutions to help organizations better understand and serve their customers and employees. In addition to Lau’s hire, the team has almost doubled in the past year in anticipation of this global growth. Operations have been established in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Japan, Korea and Singapore, and the team is focused on building an effective partner ecosystem to best serve customers in these markets. In the second half of the year, Lucidworks will be expanding its presence in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region as well. “The Asia-Pacific region is experiencing a shift from web 2.0 to 3.0 with the proliferation of 5G networks led by regional operators creating a fresh need for intelligent enterprise solutions,” says Lau. “A majority of consumers are now choosing to shop online for their daily wants and needs, and they expect a highly personalised user experience. Lucidworks’ Fusion will provide great value to organizations that are capitalizing on this digital market. I’m honored to be a part of the Lucidworks executive team as we continue to share our commitment to innovation with our future partners […]

Reaping the benefits of smart manufacturing

Manufacturers can have many hundreds or even thousands of endpoints in their network, from laptops, PCs, and mobile devices to networked production-line machines spread throughout the facility. These connected systems deliver operational efficiencies and even competitive advantage to manufacturers. Smart manufacturing has helped manufacturers achieve productivity gains of 17 to 20 per cent and quality gains of 15 to 20 per cent. However, smart manufacturing also introduces cyber risks, which must be addressed in the most time-efficient, reliable way, according to ForeScout. Steve Hunter, senior director, Asia Pacific and Japan, ForeScout, said, “In the past, production-line machines were air-gapped; they didn’t have a network connection, so they were safe from cyberthreats. Now, with every machine and device connected to the corporate network and the internet to facilitate smart manufacturing, that safety buffer is removed. Therefore, it’s essential for manufacturers to know what devices are in their network, how vulnerable they are, and their compliance status. All endpoints, including Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, need to be secured.” In many industries, endpoint management is conducted using agents, with IT departments choosing a combination of agents to address their specific requirements. However, the use of agents can create performance issues in manufacturing operations, meaning an agent-based approach is not well-suited to manufacturers. When networked operational or production-line devices are scanned, it can impair performance, reboot the device, or even crash it entirely. This causes expensive downtime. These devices are often vulnerable because they’re older, rarely patched, and less protected against threats. Even new IoT devices can become exploited, because they’re generally not designed with security top of mind. These new IoT devices are often deployed without configuring the few security settings available to them, such as leaving default credentials in place. This lets malicious actors use the unsecured IoT device to access […]

A year to bring about positive change

There are two crucial areas business needs to address this year. You know what these are: Climate Change and Productivity. Sceptics say that Climate Change doesn’t exist. They either don’t know any better or they may be right. But for the good of us all we still need to look at current business practices and determine what changes can be made to address the situation. What are we emitting into the atmosphere? What source of energy do we use that may be causing an environmental problem and what can be done to rectify the situation? What is our individual role in climate change? When we hear that ice are melting, water levels rising and temperatures increasing then we do indeed have a problem. Productivity is harder to measure because there are a lot of people in society who contribute a lot without the financial reward. Their efforts are not on payrolls or widely known about. There are reasons for this of course: homemakers don’t have the same esteem as a bank manager, nor the salary that goes with just as much (if not more) hard work. Productivity and a living wage or a fair wage, not just a scrapping by wage is a difficult subject. Companies don’t want to raise wages and salaries unless they really need to. They want to make a profit for shareholders and no more was this apparent than at the recent Davos gathering. Someone owns the oil and someone else owns the property and the workers gather around for a share of the crumbs. Productivity keeps the wheels turning, to making the goods for market and positioning our country as an export earner on the world stage. The highest percentage of what we manufacturer comes from the land. Not that what we make in […]

Hypertherm introduces new consumable kits for XPR cutting systems

Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systems and software, is shipping consumable kits for its XPR X-Definition Plasma systems. These new consumable starter kits are available with or without a torch for mild steel and non-ferrous cutting applications. The kits include a variety of consumables to allow for cutting at different amperages, using all of the gas process types supported by the XPR170 and XPR300 bsystems. The consumables contain several patent pending technologies to improve consumable life and cut quality. Examples include Cool nozzle and Arc response technology, the latter of which protects consumables from the negative impact of ramp down errors, a regular occurrence in real-life cutting. By reducing the impact of ramp down errors, XPR consumables can last up to three times longer than those on older generation systems. In addition, XPR consumables are designed with ease of use in mind. An EasyConnect feature allows operators to quickly plug the torch lead into the torch connect console without the use of tools, while a patent pending QuickLock electrode delivers easy quarter turn tightening to further reduce setup time. Another new design feature is a quick change torch that enables an operator to rapidly change torches with just one hand. “Whether you are cutting mild steel, stainless steel, or aluminum, these new starter kits will make it easy for XPR customers to get all of the consumables they need in one convenient kit,” said Martin Geheran, product manager for plasma torches and consumables. “We think customers will also enjoy the convenience of the kits that come with a torch as it will give them the option of having a second torch, or even multiple torches, pre-loaded with consumables for even faster change-outs.” Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such […]

MainMan service enhances uptime, safety and maintenance efficiency

Without Konecranes’ efficient cranes and time-saving maintenance programmes, ARC’s business wouldn’t be able to function. Steel reinforcing specialist, Australian Reinforcing Company (ARC), is benefitting from comprehensive, time-saving maintenance programmes and enhanced safety provided by Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology. ARC uses three cranes in its Launceston facility, with lifting capacities from 3t to 6.3t, to move heavy steel products of varying shapes and sizes, including reinforcing bars, reinforcing mesh, pipe cages and a huge range of customised fabrications. ARC’s products are used in industries as diverse as building and construction, infrastructure, civil engineering, energy and water and waste. “Our cranes are essential to our business. Without Konecranes’ efficient and outstanding service, we wouldn’t be able to function,” says ARC Launceston Branch Manager, Ms Wendy Emanuel. “We’ve used Konecranes right from the beginning and it’s not just the maintenance they perform that sets them apart – it’s their staff. The technicians are well-equipped, knowledgeable and polite. Their managers and support staff are easy to talk to and provide valuable feedback after a project has been completed,” she said. With more than 600,000 pieces of lifting equipment under service contract worldwide, Konecranes is the world’s leading crane service organisation. It is constantly introducing new technologies and innovations to improve maintenance efficiency, enhance safety and minimise downtime. MainMan Planned Maintenance Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance service is designed to provide an in-depth picture of the condition of all cranes and related equipment, as well as routine maintenance work, such as adjusting and lubricating, with the intent of satisfying the manufacturer’s maintenance recommendations. This service includes a preventive maintenance inspection, visual checks, routine maintenance, and operational and functional testing of your lifting equipment. Konecranes’ MainMan Planned Maintenance technology is part of its Lifecycle Care Preventative Maintenance Program, which looks at the whole life of the […]

Schneider Electric partners with Nozomi Networks to secure and protect critical infrastructure

Schneider Electric has signed a global partnership agreement with Nozomi Networks, the leader in industrial cybersecurity and operational visibility. Under the terms of the agreement, Schneider Electric will collaborate with Nozomi to provide customers in the industrial manufacturing and critical infrastructure segments advanced anomaly detection, vulnerability assessment and other cybersecurity solutions and services, helping them to control, prevent and mitigate risks to their operations and business performance. The partnership enables Schneider Electric to respond more aggressively to immediate demand for effective, operational technology cybersecurity services, solutions and expertise in oil and gas, power, building automation and other industrial sectors. Schneider Electric will offer Nozomi Networks’ advanced solutions for industrial control system cyber resiliency and real-time operational visibility to customers worldwide. Schneider Electric will combine its EcoStruxure IIoT process automation and industrial control solutions with Nozomi’s SCADAguardian platform for real-time operations visibility, including: • Advanced ICS Cybersecurity Solutions: The bundled solution will deliver the deep network visibility and OT cybersecurity industry operators require in one, comprehensive and highly scalable solution. Nozomi Networks SCADAguardian solution provides accurate asset discovery, superior threat detection and flexible and scalable deployment options to Schneider Electric customers. • Nozomi Networks Certified Consultants: Schneider Electric consultants around the world will continue to be trained as certified Nozomi Networks engineers, scaling to support clients throughout their cybersecurity solution implementation, and providing expert OT threat hunting and forensic analysis. • SCADAguardian Live in Schneider Electric Sites: Schneider Electric customers can experience Nozomi Networks’ real-time operational visibility and cybersecurity solutions via live threat scenarios running in Schneider Electric sites around the world. EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric’s open, interoperable, IoT-enabled system architecture and platform. EcoStruxure delivers enhanced value around safety, reliability, efficiency, sustainability and connectivity for customers. EcoStruxure leverages advancements in IoT, mobility, sensing, cloud, analytics and cybersecurity to deliver Innovation at […]

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