Endress+Hauser is manufacturing more and more flowmeters in Suzhou, China, with the principal growth drivers being water and wastewater industry. Endress+Hauser Flowtec, global leader in flow measurement technology, has reacted by enlarging its plant in the east of the People's Republic.

The extension work was recently completed after getting underway in March 2012. "With respect to production logistics, the new building allows us to respond even more quickly and flexibly to our customers' demands," says Gerhard Jost, Managing Director of Endress+Hauser Flowtec. An extra 3,600 square meters – increasing the total floor space to 18,000 square meters – is earmarked mainly for the production of measuring tubes as main components of magnetic flowmeters.

Water, the growth driver:

Klaus Endress, CEO of the Endress+Hauser Group, sees the new expansion as part of a sustained growth strategy: "We develop our production sites around the globe to be close to our customers wherever they are in the world." The expansion in Suzhou is designed to meet the growing demands of the Chinese market.

One of the most important targets adopted in China's 2010 five-year plan was the nationwide upgrading of the water infrastructure. "This gives us the unique chance to get established in this growth market with high quality measuring instruments," explains Managing Director Gerhard Jost. "Whether in water treatment, sewage plants or water distribution, the exact measurement of water flows is a critical factor in process control."

In the presence of Klaus Endress and Gerhard Jost, the extension in Suzhou was formally inaugurated on 8 August 2013. Among the guests of honor were many representatives from politics and business: Kilian Widmer, Head of the Swiss Business Hub in Shanghai; Andreas Luchsinger, President of the Swiss-Chinese Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai; high-ranking representatives of the state quality authority from Central Beijing, from Jiangsu Province and the City of Suzhou. Other guests of honor came as representatives of the local city authority, the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) and customers and suppliers from the Suzhou region.

Foster Wheeler AG (Nasdaq: FWLT) announced today that a subsidiary of its Global Engineering and Construction Group has been awarded a project management and consultancy (PMC) services contract by the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Limited Liability Company for its Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical (NSRP) Complex to be constructed in the Nghi Son Economic Zone, Thanh Hoa Province, Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

The Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Limited Liability Company is a joint venture company formed by and between the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, Vietnam; Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., Japan; Kuwait Petroleum Europe B.V., Netherlands; and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., Japan.

The Foster Wheeler contract value was not disclosed and will be included in the company's second-quarter 2013 bookings.  The NSRP Complex will consist of an integrated refinery, processing 200,000 barrels of crude oil per stream day, and petrochemical complex, with associated infrastructure, utilities and offsites facilities. The refinery is designed to process Kuwait Export crude. The plant will have the facilities for full conversion, with an integrated aromatics complex and polypropylene production. The expected total investment for the project is US$9 billion.

Foster Wheeler will manage and administer, in an integrated team with the client, the engineering, procurement and construction contractor consortium through to the completion of performance testing. The NSRP complex is expected to commence commercial operation in 2017.

“Foster Wheeler successfully completed the front-end engineering design for the NSRP complex, and subsequently provided project management services during the tendering phase for the main EPC contract,” said Umberto della Sala, President and Chief Operating Officer, Foster Wheeler AG. “We are delighted to be continuing our involvement with this strategic project during the implementation phase. Our performance during the earlier stages of the project, our refining expertise and our experience in executing major projects in Asia were critical factors in our success in winning this significant award.”

Technip has been awarded by Shaanxi LNG Investment & Development Co Ltd an engineering, design and procurement contract, worth approximately €35 million, for a mid-scale liquefied natural gas (LNG) plant. The plant will be located in the Yangling Demonstration Area, Shaanxi Province, China.

The contract covers the conceptual engineering study, the basic engineering design (BED) for its processes, BED and detailed design of the LNG storage tank, as well as procurement for key equipment including the main cryogenic heat exchanger, the mix refrigerant compressor, the boil-off gas compressor and the cryogenic control valves, among others. The LNG plant will have a capacity of 500,000 tons per year and will be based on an Air Products liquefaction process.

Technip’s operating centers in Shanghai, China, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, are executing the project, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-2014.

This project acknowledges Technip’s historical and unique LNG expertise but also reinforces its continuous involvement in the growing mid-scale LNG market in China, after the success of the Ningxia Hanas LNG plant.

Mitsubishi Electric Corporation has announced today the acquisition of F.A. TECH CO.,LTD. (F.A. TECH), a Factory Automation (FA) product distributor and long-time partner in Thailand, to expand Mitsubishi Electric's FA business there, which is already experiencing significant growth. Through the acquisition, Mitsubishi Electric expects to raise FA sales in Thailand to JPY 20 billion (USD 210 million) by the fiscal year ending in March 2018.

Mitsubishi Electric established a new company, Mitsubishi Electric Factory Automation (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MELFT), on April 22 in preparation to take over the operations of F.A. TECH beginning in September. The FA product and Computerized Numerical Controller (CNC) sales and service divisions of Mitsubishi Electric Automation Thailand Co., Ltd. (MEATH) will also be transferred to MELFT. The new company will operate from the premises of the current F.A. TECH office in Bangkok.

MEATH will continue to manufacture and sell industrial motors, pumps, electrical discharge machines and laser processing machines.

The acquisition of F.A. TECH will strengthen the Mitsubishi Electric Group's FA solution, sales and technical capabilities. For over 20 years, F.A. TECH has been a leading partner of Mitsubishi Electric, providing reliable, high-quality sales and technical support for Mitsubishi Electric FA products and CNCs sold in the automotive and industrial markets. Robust growth is forecast in Thailand's factory automation market, particularly in the automotive industry, which is attracting increasing foreign investment.