Business briefs

Minneapolis-based SICK, a global factory automation solutions company, entered into distribution agreements with Madison Electric Company and Standard Electric Company for the distribution of the company's complete line of industrial sensors, safety systems, and automatic identification products in Michigan.

SAKOR Technologies, Inc., a developer of test instrumentation products for a variety of industries, announced pistons supplier Karl Schmidt Unisia, Inc. selected seven DynoLab PT test control systems for use at its new Engineering and Test Center in Fort Wayne, Ind. The facility focuses on durability testing and specialized testing for gasoline and diesel engines and components.

Testing and quality assurance company National Technical Systems, Inc. chose Ember Corporation's 802.15.4-compliant and ZigBee ready hardware platform as its standard for evaluating wireless mesh networking products. Ember will set the performance, interoperability, and compliance thresholds for all hardware and software built to take advantage of emerging wireless technologies such as ZigBee.

Michigan-based Stahlin Non-Metallic Enclosures, manufacturer of fiberglass enclosure products, is Ohiobased Control Works Inc.'s choice for housing control panels for its customers, primarily municipal wastewater and industrial industries.

Michigan-based Monroe PMP, with the support of its partner, Saline Lectronics, acquired the net assets related to the VME business unit from Xycom Automation, Inc. The related purchase agreement includes the right to design, manufacture, maintain, market, and sell the complete XVME product line. Saline Lectronics, Xycom Automation's former VME contract board manufacturer, currently manufactures 95% of Xycom's VME product.

Honeywell received a contract with Saudi-European petrochemical company SABIC lbn Zahr for an automation project at a facility in Al-Jubail, an industrial city in the Arabian Gulf. The project involves the implementation of process control solutions on two Unipol polypropylene units. Honeywell's profit control and optimization solution, designed for the polymer industry, improves plant throughput during periods of high polymer demand and plant constraints, reduces grade transition times and process upsets, and increases operational stability.

Entegris, Inc., (a materials integrity management company) and Carbon Nanotechnologies, Incorporated (CNI) signed a joint agreement to develop and commercialize improved polymer products. CNI will incorporate its single-wall carbon nanotubes into Entegris' products, which protect and transport the critical materials that enable technologies in diverse industries such as semiconductors, data storage, biopharmaceuticals, medical devices, and fuel cells.

Emerson Process Management formed a business alliance with OSIsoft to enable manufacturers to more quickly and accurately respond to business issues. Emerson and OSIsoft will provide solutions comprised of Emerson's PlantWeb digital plant architecture and OSIsoft's Real-time Information Management software.

MTS Systems Corporation and National Instrumerits signed a long-term contractual agreement to deliver a framework for standardized noise and vibration testing. The companies will address the critical need for more cost-effective test solutions engineers can use in exploratory testing and in standardizing test procedures across facilities and among system suppliers.

Honeywell received a $5.8 million contract with engineering contractor OTF-IGN-Petrochem Kft for the installation of its Experion Process Knowledge System and Fail Safe Controller. The company will implement the solution at the new Gasoline Desulphurization Unit (BEK5) at the Százhalombatta refinery of Hungarian oil and Gas Company (MOL). Experion PKS and FSC will help to increase operator efficiency and enhance asset utilization at the refinery, and will enable MOL to meet the latest abnormal situation management requirements.

Siemens Energy & Automation out of Houston won a $6.3 million order to provide equipment and services to a Fortune 500 petrochemical company working to meet flare and cooling tower requirements as outlined by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality. The contract includes more than 50 of Siemens MAXUM II process gas chromatographs, systems integration-comprising more than 40 analyzer shelters and sample conditioning systems-and training and start-up.

The Fieldbus Foundation expanded its list of global Foundation fieldbus marketing committees by forming an Indonesian chapter. The new Fieldbus Foundation Marketing Committee-Indonesia elected a pro tem committee and planned for future activities. The organization will be the focal point for coordinating fieldbus-related marketing activities throughout the country.

Emerson Process Management renamed its Electro-Test business as the Electrical Reliability Services business. New service offerings include are flash solutions, online partial discharge testing, and employee skill assessment.