CITI Technologies Group,
Rueil Malmaison, France, has acquired Paris-based Litwin SA. Terms aren't disclosed. CITI was created in October 2009 and is fully owned by its founders and chief officers Henri Gagnaire and Bilal Anbari. Gagnaire, CEO, started his career in management consulting and in the automotive industry. Afterwards, he acquired and managed several industrial companies before co-founding Weinberg Capital Partners. He graduated from French Ecole Polytechnique. Anbari, COO, brings to the group his managing experience in the engineering and industrial sectors. He started his career with Renault and then directed the global engineering department of the Wagon Automotive Group. He then joined the Segula Technologies Group as CEO of its automotive department and afterwards as COO of the whole group. Anbari has an engineering degree from INSA in Lyon and a CEDEP management degree from INSEAD.
CITI is an engineering group that provides product process engineering, documentation, and general plant engineering.
Litwin is an engineering company that specializes in the oil, gas, power plant, renewable energies, biomass, carbochemical, and fertilizers industries.
Axens,
Rueil Malmaison, France, and Headwaters Inc., South Jordan, Utah, have agreed to form a strategic alliance to provide a single-source solution for producing ultraclean fuels by direct coal liquefaction (DCL) or in combination with refinery residues or biomass. The two companies will combine their technologies and licensing activities for coal-to-liquids (CTL) projects worldwide. Alliance DCL will incorporate Axens' ebullated-bed H-Coal process and proprietary catalyst and Headwaters' slurry catalyst technology and extensive CTL research facilities. Alliance DCL will market the technologies and offer project-specific services, from feedstock characterization, pilot plant evaluation, feasibility studies, and engineering design through plant start-up and ongoing technical support. Axens will also provide the coal liquids upgrading technologies necessary to achieve finished fuel specifications. Both companies provided technology packages and basic engineering contributing to the construction and start-up of the first commercial DCL plant in China in December 2008. Several new DCL projects are currently in development by the alliance.
Axens is an international provider of advanced technologies, catalysts, adsorbents, and services focused on the conversion of oil, coal, natural gas and biomass to clean fuels, as well as production and purification of major petrochemical intermediates.
Headwaters provides products, technologies, and services to the energy, construction, and home improvement industries.
Nalco,
Naperville, Ill., has committed to be a founding member of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology's (KAUST) Industrial Collaboration Program (KICP) at Thuwal, Saudi Arabia. KAUST is a newly opened graduate-level research university designed to promote science and technology in Saudi Arabia and throughout the region. Designed to maximize the effectiveness of industrial collaboration within the kingdom and internationally by engaging key partners, KICP's goal is to translate knowledge into economic growth and job creation. KICP funds are used to finance KICP initiatives to support educational outreach to the university community and others in the region, and to support strategic studies and collaboration with other academic resources in Saudi Arabia. Nalco's partnership with KAUST will focus on advancing environmental technologies such as water reuse, membranes, and desalination.
Nalco is a leading water treatment and process-improvement company providing services to the oil and gas, power, and industrial sectors.
GE Oil & Gas,
Florence, Italy, has agreed to acquire a minority equity interest in Shenyang Turbo Machinery Corp., a large-scale Chinese state-owned enterprise dedicated to the design and manufacture of turbomachinery equipment and the main operating subsidiary of Shenyang Blower Works Group Co. Ltd. Working alongside SBW Group, GE Oil & Gas was a major supplier of turbomachinery equipment to Petrochina, owner and developer of the milestone West-to-East gas pipeline infrastructure project, and to Sinopec's Sichuan-to-East China pipeline.
SBW Group, headquartered in Shenyang in China's Liaoning Province, was founded in 1934 to design, manufacture, and commercialize centrifugal and reciprocating compressors and pumps for application in the domestic petrochemical, fertilizer, coal, natural gas transportation, and power industries.
GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, from drilling and production, LNG, pipelines, and storage to industrial power generation, refining, and petrochemicals.
Patterson-UTI Energy Inc.,
Houston, has exited the drilling and completion fluid services business. Its Ambar Lone Star Fluid Services LLC subsidiary completed the sale of substantially all of its assets, other than billed accounts receivable, to National Oilwell Varco LP. The net cash proceeds from the sale and collection of billed accounts receivable, net of the payment of accrued expenses and transaction costs, are expected to be $48 million. Patterson-UTI expects to record a small loss on this transaction.
Patterson-UTI Energy provides onshore contract drilling and pressure pumping services to exploration and production companies in North America.
GulfMark Offshore Inc.,
Houston, has completed a new $200 million term-loan facility. The term-loan facility replaces a similar facility maturing June 30, 2010. The new facility will bear interest at the LIBOR (London Inter-Bank Offer Rate) plus a margin of 2.5% (compared to LIBOR plus a margin of 1.5% under the prior facility), will have quarterly principle repayments of $8.3 million, and will mature on December 31, 2012. The proceeds from the new $200 million facility, in conjunction with $20.6 million of cash on hand, were used to repay the remaining outstanding principle under the prior facility of $220.6 million.
GulfMark provides marine transportation and offshore support services to the oil and gas industry worldwide.
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