Control Products News

With a lame-duck CNO, a divided Congress and the impending launch of the next Presidential election cycle, America’s naval market is locked into something of a fragile and fearful autopilot, cruising inexorably towards whatever excitement 2024 might bring.Materially, don’t expect much change: The demand for naval platforms will continue to outstrip available funding, meaning there will be little movement or growth in America’s major shipbuilding programs of record. The procurement outlines are already set.

Rolls-Royce and Sea Machines Robotics announced they are working together to deliver remote command, autonomous control and intelligent crew support systems to the marine market.As part of this agreement, Rolls-Royce business unit Power Systems and Sea Machines, the developer of remote-vessel command and autonomous control systems, will join forces on the development and sale of fully and semi-autonomous vessel control systems.Michael Johnson, CEO and founder of Sea Machines, said…

Gilmore, a U.S.-based flow control solutions provider for the oil and gas industry, has appointed David Nemetz as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO).The company is a subsidiary of Aberdeen-headquartered Proserv and provides flow control products and equipment for the drilling, downhole, production, and wider industrial sectors.Gilmore said that under Nemetz, who has 25 years' experience in the energy industry, it would actively pursue appropriate business acquisitions that…

L3Harris Technologies said it has been awarded a five-year Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity contract from the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command (MSC) to provide product support services for ship control products installed on its vessels.The work scope includes repair and maintenance of the control systems onboard the Henry J. Kaiser-class oilers (T-AO-187/199) and other MSC vessels. L3Harris will conduct appraisals, inspections, reports, repairs, and tests regularly throughout the contract period and any option years exercised under the contract.

Sea Machines Robotics CEO & President.Michael Gordon Johnson is a marine engineer, an accomplished entrepreneur and sector leader with a primary goal of building progressive and sustainable innovation for modern society. He is the founder of Sea Machines, a Boston-based tech company that is a leading provider of autonomous control and intelligent perception systems for marine vessels. Johnson earned a marine engineering degree from Texas A&M University before starting a career focused on complex projects in offshore oil and gas, marine transportation and salvage.

Flowserve Corporation (FLS), a provider of flow control products and services for the global infrastructure markets, has entered into a five-year contract with Shell Australia to provide general maintenance services for Shell’s Prelude Floating Liquified Natural Gas (FLNG) facility, which is producing natural gas from an offshore field in Western Australia.A press release from the American multinational corporation said that it will support Prelude from its recently refurbished Quick Response Center (QRC) in Darwin, the capital of Australia’s Northern Territory.Flowserve QRCs are dedicated maintenance, repair and manufacturing workshop facilities that provide customers with responsive, local support.

Boston-based developer of autonomous vessel technology, Sea Machines Robotics has hired Don Black as vice president of sales and marketing, reporting to Founder and CEO Michael G. Johnson.Effective immediately, this new position gives Black responsibility for the company’s global sales of Sea Machines autonomous-command and remote-control products for commercial workboats.He also has special oversight for supporting the development of the company’s advanced perception and navigation assistance technology for commercial ships and vessels, currently being trialed aboard an A.P. Moller-Maersk container ship. Black resides in Portsmouth…

While there remains much debate as to what an autonomous future looks like in the maritime sector, one company, Sea Machines, is helping to pace the field with product development, partnerships and investment.Sea Machines Robotics announced today that it had closed a $10 million Series A investment led by Accomplice VC, with participation from several corporate titans including Toyota AI Ventures; Brunswick Corp., through investment partner TechNexus Venture Collaborative; Eniac Ventures…

Boston based Sea Machines Robotics said it will collaborate with Danish boat builder Tuco Marine to offer remote and autonomous control products as factory options in Tuco’s line of ProZero workboats. Last week, the two companies successfully demonstrated the remote command capability of the Sea Machines 300 technology at Danish Maritime Authority's “Zooming into Marine Autonomy Conference” where they gave live remote command of the water craft to Danish Minister of Industry, Brian Mikkelsen.

Manufacturer of marine power generation and climate control products Northern Lights, Inc. has promoted Kit Purdy to Vice President/General Manager.   In his new role Purdy will oversee operations including engineering and quality assurance, research and development, sales/marketing and production.

A marine power generation and climate control products manufacturer Northern Lights, Inc. (NLI) has  announced  completion of a 235kW Commercial Series generator set for the Fire Department of New York. The unit – M235C13.11NYFD – was built with a number of specifications unique to the requirements of metropolitan fire-fighting, including a nonstandard base pan, shutdown switches and USCG fuel lines plumbed to the base frame. The unit was completed to ABS and USCG standards and included a special “fire engine” red paint scheme.

Manufacturer and marketer of electromechanical power transmission and motion control products Altra Industrial Motion Corp. said it has closed its acquisition of the Stromag business from GKN plc. “Stromag provides Altra with complementary products, increased presence in key geographic regions and penetration into new growth end markets,” said Carl Christenson, Chairman and CEO of Altra. Stromag generated approximately 131 million euros in revenue in 2015, and the acquisition is anticipated to be accretive to Altra’s earnings in 2017, excluding any one-time or acquisition-related costs. The acquisition cost comprised the assumption of…

Fifty years ago, OMEGA Engineering, Inc. was a small privately held company that was woman owned and operated. Today it's a global manufacturer and supplier of process measurement and control products, operating out of brand new world headquarters. The move to the high-tech facility in Norwalk, Conn., represents a major transition for the firm, which for five decades had been headquartered in Stamford, Conn. The move coincides with the recent appointment of Joe Vorih as President. These developments are ushering in a new era for the firm—an era that's deeply rooted in OMEGA's history. OMEGA Engineering founder Betty Ruth Hollander, a mother of four children, started the firm at her kitchen table in 1962.

Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings is a global provider of protective and marine coatings, offering a complete line of time-tested, high-performance coatings technologies to combat corrosion, protect assets, enhance personnel safety, and improve aesthetics. From more than 4,000 company-owned distribution points worldwide, Sherwin-Williams experts use market-specific knowledge to evaluate, recommend, and deliver the highest-performance coatings and linings to protect customers’ assets.

Located in Carmi and Fairfield, Illinois and Cocoa, Florida, Elastec manufactures water pollution control products specializing in oil spill recovery equipment. Established in 1990 with the invention of the ELASTEC Drum Skimmer, the U.S. Clean Water act inspired Elastec to expand its product line to include floating booms, turbidity curtains, vacuum systems, work boats and portable incinerators. Elastec’s new Omni Cat is a waterway maintenance catamaran designed to help municipalities comply with nonpoint source pollution.

Marine power generation and climate control products manufacturer Northern Lights has opened its fifth branch office, in Kenner, La, to enhance service to Gulf and inland waterways boat builders and vessel operators. The new Northern Lights Gulf branch, which will employ a full-time sales, parts and service staff, will warehouse marine, industrial and commercial series products. The new branch will service customers in the Gulf of Mexico and navigable inland waterways in the Midwest and Eastern regions of the U.S., including the region’s key ports: New Orleans, Houston, Pensacola and Paducah.

Beier Integrated Systems (Beier) informs it has purchased South Coast Electric Systems (SCES) from American Electric Technologies (AETI), expanding the its manufacturing capabilities in the marine market. Beier said it will acquire SCES’s operations, including a manufacturing plant and equipment in Bay St. Louis, Miss, and will add 13 employees of the South Coast Electric operation to its team. SCES, a marine and industrial electrical switchgear manufacturer and service provider, has been in business for 14 years. South Coast Electric Systems will now operate under a new name - South Coast Electric, LLC. “We are very excited about refitting existing vessels and engineering new vessels with our new power and control products from South Coast Electric…

Ever since the global financial meltdown of 2008 briefly crippled the world leisure boat market, Volvo Penta adopted a strategy to increase its commercial market share with its family of innovative propulsion systems and controls. Last week off the west coast of Sweden, Maritime Reporter & Engineering News got up close and personal with the new D8 diesel and IPS15 pod, as well as the full range of command and control products courtesy of a day of test drives at Krossholmen, Volvo Penta’s Global Marine Testing Center.

U.K.-based refrigeration and air-conditioning specialist Flynn has been appointed as an official supplier for German refrigeration firm Roller, the company announced. As part of the deal, the Birkenhead business will act as a worldwide distributor for Roller’s marine and offshore products typically fitted inside cold rooms on board vessels. Flynn managing director Alex Flynn said the deal with the Gerlingen-based firm, which specializes in the manufacture of fan coil units, air coolers and heat exchangers, further boosts Flynn’s product range.

The entry into force of new regulations to strengthen the prevention of aquatic invasive species (AIS) in Canadian waters was announced today by Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, Gail Shea. The Government of Canada, which spends more than $14 million on AIS issues annually, worked with provincial and territorial governments to develop the Aquatic Invasive Species Regulations. The regulations provide tools for both the Department and provinces to prevent the introduction and spread of AIS…

Kvichak’s Rapid Response Skimmers (RRS) are perhaps best known for their use by the U.S. Navy, but the design of these robust and well-designed units has evolved over time and today boasts placement in virtually every major spill organization. When, just this past October, Kvichak Marine won a U.S. Navy contract for 12 30-foot Rapid Response Skimmers (RRS) for delivery over the next 18 months, with options for up to 30 additional skimmers to be delivered through 2019, that wasn’t necessarily earthshaking news. That’s because the aluminum Kvichak RRS is already the Navy’s tier one response asset. The new craft will supplement the Navy’s current fleet of over 85 units in operation in Navy ports worldwide since 1994.

Keppel Shipyard in Singapore and Black & Veatch in the U.S. have awarded Kongsberg Maritime an order for the delivery of an electrical package and safety and automation system for Golar LNG’s conversion of the ex-LNG Carrier Golar Hilli to an FLNG (Floating Liquefied Natural Gas production unit). Kongsberg Maritime’s technology will be the backbone of the Integrated Control and Safety System (ICSS) for the new FLNG. In addition to automation and control products, Kongsberg Maritime…

Rotork announced it has acquired Masso Ind s.p.a., a manufacturer of shipboard valve remote control systems (VRCS), to enhance its range of flow control products and services for the worldwide marine and offshore industries. Masso VRCS solutions include hydraulic and electro-hydraulic systems that are compatible with most integrated automation systems required for critical safety applications. The Masso product range also includes hydraulic quarter-turn and linear actuators, hydraulic power packs, solenoid cabinets and electro-hydraulic actuators for shipboard applications.