COMPANY NEWS

Fiberweb Announces $15 Million Expansion

London, UK-based Fiberweb, a manufacturer of high performance, technical nonwoven fabrics, has announced a $15 million expansion at their Middle Tennessee location.

This follows their $12 million investment in 2010/2011 to build a state-of-the-art research and development center designed to solidify Fiberweb's position a leader in materials technology. And a 2009/2010 investment of $25 million to construct an onsite shale-gas powered utility plant, placing the company's four-year investment in the site at $50 million.

Fiberweb will celebrate this expansion with a ground breaking ceremony on May 17, 2013, at 1 pm central, held at 70 Old Hickory Blvd., Old Hickory, TN, where Fiberweb executives will share information about the company's plans for growth. A reception will follow the groundbreaking.

The company will also show its appreciation to its employees, their families and guest from neighboring businesses, with an on-site carnival taking place Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18.

"This $15 million capital project strengthens Fiberweb's position as a global leader in the development and manufacture of high-tech materials, and demonstrates our commitment to doing this in Middle Tennesse," says Gary Dies, vice president operations. "The manufacturing industry plays a vital role in the economic development of Tennessee, contributing more than 360,000 jobs to communities throughout the state. Fiberweb is proud of the part we play in the overall economic health of the communities in which we live and work."

The two-year expansion project will include the construction of a new 300,000-square foot warehouse and distribution center. This will concentrate all operations into one location, streamlining processes, and reducing the company's carbon footprint.

Fiberweb's operations in Old Hickory include a state-of-the-art research and development center and the manufacturing of high-performance technical fabric products, such as water filtration fabric, breathable membranes for homebuilding, geotextiles and home care products.

Buckeye Technologies to be Acquired by Georgia-Pacific

Buckeye Technologies Inc. and Georgia-Pacific LLC have reached a definitive agreement for Georgia-Pacific to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Buckeye Technologies' common stock for $37.50 per share in cash. The transaction, subject to completion, is valued at approximately $1.5 billion, including debt.

Under the terms of the agreement, which has been unanimously approved by both companies' boards of directors, stockholders of Buckeye Technologies will receive $37.50 in cash per share, representing a premium of approximately 29% based on the average closing price of Buckeye Technologies' common stock over the last week.

Buckeye Technologies, based in Memphis, TN, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of specialty fibers and nonwoven materials made from wood and cotton. The company's manufacturing assets include a specialty pulp mill at Perry, FL; cotton cellulose mills at Memphis, TN, and Lumberton, NC; and mills producing nonwovens at Mt. Holly, NC, and Steinfurt, Germany. Buckeye Technologies also has global sales offices in Beijing, the UK, France, Italy and Switzerland. The company has approximately 1,200 employees worldwide.

"This transaction enables our stockholders to realize significant value, while also representing an important next step in the growth of Buckeye Technologies," says John Crowe, chairman and CEO. "We are pleased that Georgia-Pacific recognizes the significant value of our company's special and unique assets, talented employees, and research and development capabilities. Georgia-Pacific's acquisition of Buckeye will provide our company and our employees with exciting future growth opportunities. We will continue to execute on our business plan in partnership with a committed new owner that has a long history of delivering superior business performance through its dedication to operational excellence and innovation."

"Buckeye Technologies' competitive assets and capabilities strongly complement Georgia-Pacific's existing cellulose business and products. The talented employees, innovation capabilities, advanced technologies, and specialty fibers and nonwovens businesses of Buckeye Technologies will provide a significant platform for continued growth and success," says Jim Hannan, CEO and president, Georgia-Pacific.

Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of building products, tissue, packaging, paper, cellulose and related chemicals. The company employs nearly 35,000 people worldwide.

Georgia-Pacific expects to launch a cash tender offer for all outstanding shares of Buckeye Technologies' common stock. The tender offer is subject to the expiration or termination of any waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, other regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, and requires at least 75% of the outstanding shares of Buckeye Technologies' common stock to be tendered, consistent with the threshold for approval of a merger specified in Buckeye Technologies' certificate of incorporation. The transaction is not conditioned on financing. In certain circumstances, the parties have agreed to complete the transaction through a merger, subject to receipt of stockholder approval.

Barclays is serving as exclusive financial advisor and Dechert LLP is serving as legal advisor to Buckeye Technologies. UBS and Blackstone are serving as financial advisors to Georgia-Pacific.

Ahlstrom Partners With Dow on Water Filtration Applications

Ahlstrom has entered into a collaboration agreement with Dow Water & Process Solutions, part of the Dow Chemical Company to use Ahlstrom's Disruptor technology in drinking water applications. Ahlstrom Disruptor is a unique nanoalumina technology designed for a wide range of water filtration applications.

Ahlstrom developed Disruptor, which removes a wide range of tiny contaminants from water, in response to the global need for clean drinking water.  DW&PS will incorporate Ahlstrom's high performance, break-through Disruptor filter medium into a new set of drinking water purification products that provide excellent pathogen rejection while operating at high flow and low pressure.

"One of the key goals in our product development is to create products that purify air and liquids in a sustainable way. We are excited about the opportunity to work with Dow since we see a wealth of opportunities for providing pure water solutions through combining our expertise with Dow's industry-leading product offering," says Fulvio Capussotti, executive vice President, Advanced Filtration, Ahlstrom.

Ahlstrom Disruptor virtually removes microorganisms that can cause sickness. Its unique combination of large pore size and very high electrical attraction potential enable efficient removal of virus-sized particles at a high flow rate at very low pressure.  Disruptor can be utilized in a number of drinking water applications, such as under-the-sink purification, tap water filters and water pitcher filters. It can be used in areas with no electricity, it requires no use of chemicals, and does not generate waste water.

"Global trends such as population growth and urbanization put pressure on already strained water sources," says Snehal Desai, global business director for DW&PS. "We see a real need for new innovations to expand access to clean safe drinking water in an easy, effective and sustainable way. Our collaboration with Ahlstrom extends our product offering to people who need effective water treatment but may not have access to pumps or electricity."

Freudenberg Invests in Filtration Business with Aquabio Acquisition

The Freudenberg Group has acquired the British company Aquabio Limited, with effect from March 1, 2013. Based in Hallow, Worcestershire, UK, Aquabio is a leading specialist in water and wastewater reuse for large-scale industrial applications. Founded in 1997, the company has 16 employees, and designs and supplies turnkey membrane filtration systems for water and wastewater recycling. “With the acquisition of Aquabio, the Freudenberg Group now has additional know-how in water filtration. This represents a further strategic step in the development of Freudenberg Filtration Technologies,” stresses Dr. Mohsen Sohi, Speaker of the Freudenberg Group Management Board. Customers include well-known companies such as Alpro, Müller, Procter&Gamble or Unilever.

“The aim of the Freudenberg Group is to expand our portfolio in the rapidly growing market of industrial water filtration,” explains Dr. Sohi.  Steve Goodwin, Managing Director of Aquabio Ltd., who will continue to lead the UK based water treatment specialist, sees considerable market opportunities for Aquabio. As a global company, the Freudenberg Group will provide Aquabio with the opportunity to expand, especially internationally, in the food, beverage, paper, pharmaceutical and chemical industries.

Dr. Andreas Kreuter, Speaker of the Management Board of Freudenberg Filtration Technologies, explains: “Industrial companies are increasing their investment in water and wastewater filtration to preserve scarce resources and to fulfill exacting environmental regulations. Aquabio provides excellent cutting-edge filtration technology particularly for industrial wastewater recycling and reuse. The company fits perfectly to the portfolio of Freudenberg Filtration Technologies which has been offering technically demanding filtration solutions for more than sixty years.”

Micro and ultrafiltration membranes, which form part of Aquabio’s product portfolio, guarantee the removal of bacteria and solid particles. With MBR filtration technology, effluent of high enough quality can then be reused in industrial processes. Furthermore wastewater can even be reused as drinking water through the application of high-performance membranes in combination with tertiary hyperfiltration and disinfection technologies. Further advantages of MBR filtration over conventional processes include a small footprint, easy retrofit and upgrade of existing wastewater treatment plants.

Lockheed Martin Achieves Patent for Perforene Filtration Solution

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has been awarded a patent for Perforene™ material, a molecular filtration solution designed to meet the growing global demand for potable water.

The Perforene material works by removing sodium, chlorine and other ions from sea water and other sources.

“Access to clean drinking water is going to become more critical as the global population continues to grow, and we believe that this simple and affordable solution will be a game-changer for the industry,” said Dr. Ray O. Johnson, senior vice president and chief technology officer of Lockheed Martin. “The Perforene filtration solution is just one example of Lockheed Martin’s efforts to apply some of the advanced materials that we have developed for our core markets, including aircraft and spacecraft, to global environmental and economic challenges.”

The Perforene membrane was developed by placing holes that are one nanometer or less in a graphene membrane. These holes are small enough to trap the ions while dramatically improving the flow-through of water molecules, reducing clogging and pressure on the membrane.

At only one atom thick, graphene is both strong and durable, making it more effective at sea water desalination at a fraction of the cost of industry-standard reverse osmosis systems. 

In addition to desalination, the Perforene membrane can be tailored to other applications, including capturing minerals, through the selection of the size of hole placed in the material to filter or capture a specific size particle of interest. Lockheed Martin has also been developing processes that will allow the material to be produced at scale.

The company is currently seeking commercialization partners.

The patent was awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin is a global security and aerospace company that employs about 120,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.  The Corporation’s net sales for 2012 were $47.2 billion.

LiqTech Intern’l and FMC Technologies Enter Into Multi-year Agreement

LiqTech International, Inc. (LIQT), a clean technology company that manufactures and markets highly specialized filtration technologies, announced that it has entered into an agreement with a global leader in oilfield equipment and services, FMC Technologies, Inc. (FTI), for the use of its state-of-the-art disruptive silicon carbide membrane technology for oil/gas applications. The exclusive agreement will bring LiqTech International's silicon carbide membrane technology into the highly attractive unconventional shale oil/gas sector and will allow for the development of new water treatment systems.  The agreement includes a multi-year, multi-million dollar commitment towards LiqTech technology in order for FMC Technologies to maintain exclusivity.

The use of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technology is one of the most significant advancements in hydrocarbon recovery in decades, driving a resurgence of onshore oil and gas activity in North America.  The hydraulic fracturing process involves injecting large amounts of water and sand into a well to increase the cracks in dense formations, thereby enhancing flow characteristics.  Following the process, a significant amount of water returns to the surface and must be treated or injected into deep underground disposal wells.  LiqTech's silicon carbide membrane, and its greatly enhanced filtration capabilities, is a potential enabling technology for the treatment and reuse of this produced water.

LiqTech International, Inc., a Nevada corporation, is a clean technology company that for more than a decade has developed and provided state-of-the-art technologies for gas and liquid purification using ceramic silicon carbide filters, particularly highly specialized filters for the control of soot exhaust particles from diesel engines and for liquid filtration.

FMC Technologies, Inc. (FTI) is a leading global provider of technology solutions for the energy industry.

Bosch Rexroth Expands Into Filtration Market

Bosch Rexroth has expanded its product portfolio in the UK market to include its own range of filtration systems.

The range expansion is the result of Bosch Rexroth’s acquisition of K & H Eppensteiner GmbH & Co in 2009, one of Europe’s most established filter manufacturers. As a result, the Eppensteiner range of filtration products is now being rebranded Bosch Rexroth and being made available in the UK.

The breadth of the range covers all aspects of filtration with high flow rates and several pressure ranges in return and pressure types such as inline, manifold, tank mounted, duplex and all with indication options. They can be applied to a range of applications, from agriculture through to rail, mobile and industrial. The new product portfolio also contains all filter accessories, including filter programs, oil purification, measuring instruments and specific condition monitoring systems.

Crucially, the expanded range will include the award winning LE (N) 0040-0400 series filtration system, which has an innovative filter head design resulting in a ‘cyclone effect’ which diverts the inlet flow in a specific direction which enhances the flow properties and dirt absorption capacity. In addition, the filter also boasts a newly designed bowl which improves element mounting and stability which keeps the element in place ensuring constant pressure distribution.

Chris Gray, Filtration Product Manager for Bosch Rexroth, commented: “The expansion of the Bosch Rexroth product portfolio into filtration enables our UK customers to access a complete hydraulic package from a single source. Filtration has been a clear gap in the Bosch Rexroth hydraulics portfolio which I am delighted to say has now been filled with the highest quality filtration products.”

Mar Cor Purification Buys Siemens’ Hemodialysis Water Business

Cantel Medical Corp subsidiary Mar Cor Purification is expanding its water purification and filtration operations with the purchase of Siemens Water Technologies’ hemodialysis water business unit.

With about 600 dialysis customers in the US and Canada and 2012 revenue of approximately US $9 million, the acquisition significantly expands Mar Cor Purification’s North American footprint.

Curtis Weitnauer, president and CEO of Mar Cor Purification, said: “The acquisition of the Siemens hemodialysis water customer base enables Mar Cor to realise increased efficiencies from our existing field service operations while also expanding our footprint into new geographies. With this geographic expansion, Mar Cor will further improve its ability to service its large national customers. We look forward to continuing to provide our unique dialysis products and services to our new and existing customers.”

“This acquisition strengthens our position as a leading provider of water purification products and services to the dialysis industry,” said Cantel Medical president and CEO Andrew Krakauer. “We remain confident that our water purification and filtration segment will continue to demonstrate industry leading performance.”

3M Purification Preferred Filter Supplier for Cover Group

Diversified technology company 3M has announced a three-year agreement with refreshment service provider Cover Group.

Under the terms, 3M’s Purification division will be the preferred filter supplier to Cover Group offering expert technical and product support to its 18 members serving the vending, coffee and water cooler equipment markets throughout the UK and Ireland.

“3M has a long standing cooperation with Cover Group having supplied water filters to individual members for a number of years, and we have held numerous technical meetings and trials at 3M premises for the group,” said Marcus Whiteley, Account Manager, Water Group, 3M’s Purification division. ”We are delighted to expand our working partnership so that our filters can be fitted in customer equipment as standard, wherever possible and practical. We have the expertise to understand machine and water type requirements and can help members with product selection, application advice and troubleshooting to address the specific needs of customers.”

Water is a key ingredient for creating a great-tasting beverage, yet water quality varies from place to place so the type of filter required greatly depends on where the customer is based and the water hardness or softness level. Water can impact the taste and appearance of a beverage and can block up machines with limescale. Going down the one-filter-fits-all approach can lead to disruptive equipment downtime and increased maintenance costs in the long term, whilst threatening customer satisfaction and profit margins. By specifying 3M filters and filtration systems optimised for different water types, Cover Group’s 18 members can save customers valuable time and money by ensuring that their machines are kept up and running, and the beverages flowing.

Products covered by the agreement include the AP2 Water Filters from 3M for mains-fed water coolers, the ScaleGard Pro Water Filter Range from 3M for hard water areas and the HF Brew Water Filters from 3M for soft water areas.

NEW PRODUCTS

Envirogen Water Technologies Introduces Range of Filter Cartridges

Envirogen Water Technologies, a global water treatment and filtration provider, recently launched their own range of cartridges.  Carrying the Envirogen brand, the cartridges are claimed to offer long life, high efficiency and low operating cost.

Envirogen Water Technologies says that the cartridges are manufactured using the most modern equipment and techniques to meet the specific requirements of numerous applications. Using depth and membrane media, the cartridges range in micron rating from 0.2 micron microbial up to 200 microns absolute, and are available in standard industry lengths from 5-40 inches with end fittings to meet most standard filter designs, ensuring the Envirogen range of cartridges can fit securely into existing filtration systems as well as new.

These filters are already being used in markets such as food and beverage, healthcare, and industrial markets including oil and gas.

Eastman Launches Microfibers Platform

Eastman Chemical has launched the new and innovative Eastman Cyphrex microfibers at IDEA13. These microfibers offer tunable fiber properties of size, shape and material that provide the wet-laid nonwoven producers with advantages that aren’t currently available says the company. The microfibers have demonstrated nearly drop-in compatibility with existing wet-laid nonwoven processes. Cyphrex microfibers have the potential to be used in such markets as air, water or fuel filtration; specialty papers; and battery separators.

“The technology behind Eastman Cyphrex microfibers and the functionality it enables is unique and revolutionary, unlike anything else on the market,” says Mark Costa, executive vice president, Eastman Chemical Company. “These microfibers unlock possibilities that provide innovation in the nonwovens marketplace by allowing cost-effective access to a previously unavailable size range of highly uniform synthetic fibers. Consequently, we believe these new possibilities will result in breakthrough product performance, quality and value for specialty nonwovens.”

Eastman has invested in growing its application development expertise to help address specific customer and market needs. This experience, combined with the capability to manipulate the size, shape and material of Eastman Cyphrex microfibers, enables what it says are market-changing solutions for a new level of performance.

Eastman Cyphrex microfibers, which are less than 5 microns in diameter, deliver a high surface-to-mass ratio and offer a narrow diameter distribution. They provide optionality of fiber cross-sections in shapes such as round, flat and wedge. The fiber material can consist of different polymer types, such as PET, PP and nylon, and has consistent properties that enable new formulations and design flexibility.

The ability to customize size, shape and material offers functional and competitive advantages for nonwovens media in areas such as strength, uniformity and targeted permeability.

“To satisfy challenging industry needs, the technology behind Eastman Cyphrex provides a revolution in microfibers,” says Fred Dulin, director, microfibers platform, Eastman Chemical Company. “Our innovation allows precise, consistent and unique fiber designs that are thoughtfully and purposefully created for varied applications across numerous markets.”

Eastman has long had an investment in research and development and manufacturing for many successful products. To support the Eastman Cyphrex microfibers, at its Kingsport, TN, headquarters, Eastman has a world-class synthetic fibers developmental spinning line as well as a nonwoven and specialty paper research lab.

McIlvaine Company

Northfield, IL 60093-2743

Tel:  847-784-0012      Fax:  847-784-0061

E-mail:  editor@mcilvainecompany.com

Website:  www.mcilvainecompany.com