At Controls Inc News

Hoffer Flow Controls, Inc. recently received a new contract from the U. S. Navy Sea Systems Command to supply fuel flow measurement systems as a part of the U.S. Navy’s Energy Dashboard Program. Hoffer fuel measurement systems are currently incorporated into the “Energy Dashboard Proof-of-Concept System” aboard several of the US Navy DDG51 class ships. The new contract will expand significantly the number of ships equipped with these systems. The “Energy Dashboard” uses an integrated condition assessment system…

Johnson Controls, Inc. to produce Li-ion battery packs from its Holland, Mich. plant for Torqeedo's all-electric boat motors. Torqeedo, a German-based manufacturer, will use Johnson Controls' Li-ion automotive battery packs to power its award-winning 80-Horsepower electric boat motor called DEEP BLUE. "With our leading battery expertise, we helped our customer combine two distinct technologies – the large outboard engine and electric motor -- making the Torqeedo DEEP BLUE system a real game-changer," said Holger Jetses, vice president and general manager for Johnson Controls Power Solutions' Original Equipment group, EMEA. Johnson Controls modified its Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) battery…

St. Louis, Mo. – Emerson today announced that it has acquired the Marine Container and Boiler business of Johnson Controls Inc., enabling Emerson Climate Technologies to expand its refrigeration technology and solutions offerings in the global transportation sector. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Johnson Controls’ Denmark-based Marine Container and Boiler business supplies controls for optimal operation of refrigerated sea containers and marine boilers, along with solutions which monitor and report on refrigeration conditions within large groups of marine shipping containers on land or at sea to ensure product quality and food safety.

Schottel Inc. the US American subsidiary of the German manufacturer of propulsion systems, Schottel GmbH, signed a service cooperation agreement with CS Controls INC (CSC) in September 2010 at the occasion of the SMM trade show in Hamburg, Germany. With this agreement, CSC is assigned to undertake repairs, upgrades and overhauls of Schottel thrusters in North America. Schottel Inc, based in St. Rose, Louisiana and CSC, headquartered in Houma, La. with an office in Orange, Calif., are located in close proximity. This ensures optimum training in Schottel propulsion systems and highest Schottel standards with the exclusive use of original Schottel spare parts. After in depths training, CSC engineers and technicians will be included in the Schottel Inc.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has named Marotta Controls, Inc., a provider of fluid control systems, components and actuators, as the winner of the Contractor Excellence Award in the Small Business Product Category. This award honors Marotta as a valued supplier, most recently demonstrated by its highly successful cold gas microthruster program. Marotta is supplying its station-keeping cold gas microthrusters to Goddard's New Millennium Program's Space Technology 5 (ST5) Project. The Program's goal is to flight test miniaturized satellites and innovative technologies in Earth's magnetosphere. Marotta's microthrusters – whichwere delivered ahead of schedule and on budget – provide performance efficiency 25 percent higher than the specified requirements.

Consolidation of manufacturing and service entities is perhaps the world's worst kept secret. Marine propulsion manufacturers, in particular, have been rapidly consolidating companies, lines and capabilities in order to broaden their organizations to be truly global, while filling any holes in the power range along the way. ZF, a renowned maker of marine transmissions, has done this and more in becoming a single source propulsion supplier. The expansion of the product line includes a complete propulsion systems was part of ZF Marine's strategic plan established in January 1999. It has now become a reality, with the founding of the Propulsion Systems division, based at ZF Padova.

At a strategic planning meeting hosted in Italy this month, ZF Marine CEO Roland Heil reaffirmed the marine group's intention to take a leadership role in developing advanced propulsion systems. Stephane Jacquemond, appointed last year to head up a new propulsion systems division, expects ZF Marine to introduce some dramatic new products. "We have gathered together the best talent this industry has to offer," he reported. Recent acquisitions and joint ventures have given ZF Marine a wider range of technical expertise and manufacturing capabilities. A joint venture with Fabio Buzzi's FB Design company and the foundation of ZF-Trimax to market surface-drive systems first signaled ZF Marine's intention to enter new markets.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the largest independent institution of its kind in the world, recently began developing a new piston corer for retrieving sediments from the ocean floor. Once complete in 2006, the deep-water coring system will be the largest in the U.S. and among the biggest in the world. The corer’s enormous weight — 25,000 pounds — coupled with the environmental demands associated with working in water up to 20,000 ft. deep presented major technical challenges to the system required to lower the corer to the sea floor then recover it, along with its ancient sediment samples. Located in Cape Cod, Mass.…

W&O Supply a distributor of marine valves, pipe, fittings, engineered and automated valve systems, has completed the acquisition of A-T Controls Inc., a ball valve and automation supplier. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, A-T Controls designs, develops and manufactures valves, actuators and valve control products including manual ball valves and automated ball valve packages; actuators for the automation of all forms of valves; positioners for precise modulating control; and valve control accessories including gearboxes and overrides, block and bleed valves, dribble control systems, lock-up valves, flow and speed control, dome indicators, filter/regulators and more. A-T Controls is Certified to ANSI / ISO / ASQ Q9001 - 2000.

General (Retired) John Coburn has recently been appointed to the Board of Directors of Marotta Scientific Controls, Inc. General Coburn is currently Chairman and CEO of VT Systems, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Singapore Technologies Engineering, a $2.5 billion manufacturer of aerospace, electronic, maritime and land systems products. General Coburn retired from the military last year as the four-star chief of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, where he managed over 60,000 people and an annual budget of more than $19 billion. Over the years, he has accumulated extensive experience in logistics, contracting and acquisition in both the commercial and defense sectors, and will help guide Marotta to specific niches in its Aerospace, Defense and Commercial markets.

Marotta Scientific Controls, Inc. has been awarded a contract from General Dynamics, Electric Boat Division, for valves on two Ohio Class submarines that will be converted to multi-mission platforms, optimized for covert strike and special operations support. The contract value is $3.2 million with an option for another $3.3 Million for two additional conversions in 2003 & 2004. The U.S. of the Ohio Class Submarines, each of which currently carries 24 ballistic missiles. The conversion will replace the ballistic missiles with 154 Tomahawk guided missiles. Electric Boat has been awarded the contract to perform the design and long lead time material procurement for this conversion.