April 2006

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Pump Industry Analyst

IN BRIEF

• Bjørge ASA - parent com-pany of pump manufacturerEptec - has delivered itsbest-ever first quarterresults. Operating profitcame in at NKr297 million,compared with NKr170 mil-lion in the same period of2005. Earnings before inter-est, taxes, depreciation andamortisation (EBITDA)were NKr16 million versusNKr10 million for the firstquarter of last year. TheNorwegian group has a total order backlog ofNKr2.5 billion, includingNKr590 million for deliveryin 2006.

• Gardner Denver Incexpects diluted earnings per share for the threemonths ended 31 March2006 to be US$1.13–1.17,compared with its previousguidance of US$0.65–0.75.The significant improve-ment in diluted earnings per share for the three-month period is primarilyattributable to increasedshipments as a result ofhigher than expected ordersand manufacturing improve-ments that resulted inincreased output. Someadditional outsourcing offluid transfer product manu-facturing also contributed to the improvement in rev-enues and diluted earningsper share. The company wasalso able to leverage itsfixed costs to realise strongflow through profitability on the incremental revenues.

• Eighty delegates attended a technical forum inAnerdeen, Scotland run bySulzer Wood Ltd to pro-mote the recent technicaldevelopments in Sulzer’spumping equipment for oiland gas applications.Delegates were invited fromleading oil and contractingcompanies operating in theNorth Sea UKCS market.

tion, international experienceand distribution channels withAqua-Dyne’s strong brand, wesee considerable growthopportunities worldwide,” saidLars Bergström, president andCEO of KMT.

The acquisition givesKMT access to a new growingmarket segment with signifi-cant potential, and will createsynergies with KMT WaterjetSystems. “The acquisition ofAqua-Dyne is consistent withKMT Waterjet’s strategy toaccess new markets, and toexpand our customer base andpresence in worldwide mar-kets,” said Duane Johnson,president of KMT WaterjetSystems.

NEW SYSTEMEFFICIENCYGUIDE FROMEUROPUMP

System Efficiency - A Guidefor Energy Efficient Roto-dynamic Pumping Systemsis the latest publication from Europump, theEuropean pump manufac-turers association.

The new Europump guideon system efficiency givesclear and authoritative data onhow to optimise energy con-sumption within rotodynamicpumping systems, coveringbasic plant layout, pipeworkconfiguration and restrictions,liquid velocity in pipework,system characteristics andpump selection, andpump/system control. Theguide includes a pipe flowenergy software CD that clear-ly identifies the energy savingsthat can be made. Furthermorethe guide’s “Core Statement”offers recommendations onliquid velocities that should beused on suction and deliverypipework.

Written and published byEuropump, System Efficiency -A Guide for Energy EfficientRotodynamic PumpingSystems will be officiallylaunched at the Joint Annual

Meeting of CEIR andEuropump in Antalya, Turkey20–28 May 2006.

To order a copy of theguide, contact Europump atsecretariat@europump.org orvisit www.europump.org. Thestandard price per copy is �99plus postage. Discounts areavailable for bulk orders.

ROYAL RECOGNITION

FOR JOHN CRANEThe Slough, UK-based John Crane Turbo-machinery Division hasreceived a 2006 Queen'sAward for Enterprise.

The Division, whichdesigns and manufacturesadvanced mechanical sealingsolutions for use on turboma-chinery equipment, hasreceived the Award in recogni-tion of its success in expand-ing its business well in excess of the general levels of market growth, and also for its efforts in developingand marketing advanced technologies.

Over the period from 2000 to 2005 the John CraneTurbomachinery Divisiongrew its turnover by 92%,with 93% of this growth com-ing from export sales. TheTurbomachinery Division hasbeen particularly successful in directly targeting end-usersof its products, as well as penetrating the rapidlyexpanding Liquefied NaturalGas sector.

“We are delighted that our efforts have been recog-nised in this way,” commentedTurbomachinery general man-ager Dave Hill. “We haveworked tremendously hard toget to our current position,but we are also investing heavily in our future andexpanding the scope of ourturbomachinery capability.The finances involved intoday’s oil and gas marketslead our customers to expectfirst-class products backed by

first-class service and we arewell on the way to both meet-ing and exceeding thoseexpectations.”

TACO EXPANDSCRANSTON FACILITY

Work has started on a majorexpansion of Taco Inc’s man-ufacturing and corporatefacility on Cranston St, inCranston, Rhoode Island.

Late last year the HVACequipment manufacturerbought a one-acre lot adjacentto the Taco plant. Taco expectsto have the facility in operationby August.

Taco’s expansion planscall for the construction of a63 000 sq ft addition to theexisting plant, which willserve as a warehouse for ship-ping and distribution of Tacoproducts. In doing so, Tacowill shift its inventory andsome 20 employees from itspresent leased warehouse anddistribution centre onWellington Ave, also inCranston, to the Cranston Stfacility, bringing all CranstonTaco employees under oneroof for the first time.

“We’re very pleased to getthis expansion under way,”said Taco president JohnWhite Jr. “Bringing our ware-house and distribution func-tions inside our main facilitymakes excellent sense in termsof efficiency and cost savings.We’ve always been hemmed inhere at this location, so theadjacent property representedthe only opportunity we havehad to expand and still remainunder one roof.”

In business since 1920,Taco is a family-held companyemploying 500 people inRhode Island, Massachusettsand Canada. The companymanufactures a wide range ofpumps, valves, tanks, electron-ic controls and hydronic sys-tem equipment for residential,commercial and industrialapplications.