In the dynamic and global filtration industry, news and information is breaking on a daily basis. International Filtration News is tracking stories relevant to our industry from air and gas filtration to liquid filtration and the various end-uses for filtration technology. Here we will post news stories relevant to filtration and its downstream applications on an ongoing basis. Please check back for regular updates. If you have news that you feel should be added to this summary report, please email it to Ken Norberg: ken@filtnews.com
Most recent update: November 17, 2022
Wilo expands in water management in China
Wilo Group in Germany is acquiring two specialist companies in flood control and wastewater treatment in China. Wilo has acquired all shares in the joint venture Mating (Shanghai) Membrane Technology Co. Ltd., a company that specializes in membrane bioreactors for wastewater treatment.
Wilo has also increased its stake in the German-Chinese joint venture Guhong (Shanghai) Environmental Engineering Equipment Co. Ltd., a specialist in flood control, to 75%, and therefore acquiring a majority interest.
With these strategic acquisitions, Wilo is expanding its water management portfolio, as well as its manufacturing capacity and direct market access in China and add around 80 employees.
“Thanks to the acquisitions, we can offer our customers an even wider range of solutions and implement local projects even quicker and from a single source,” said Oliver Hermes, president and CEO of the Wilo Group. “We’re also consistently pursuing our strategic development towards becoming a solutions provider for all applications in the transport, use and treatment of water and sewage.”
The two companies will be integrated into Wilo’s Water Treatment Strategic Business Unit. However, the companies will continue to be led by local managers in Shanghai and remain economically independent.
Metso Outotec to deliver Planet Positive filtration technology for tailings dry stacking to Hellas Gold in Greece
Metso Outotec will deliver sustainable filtration technology for dry stacking of tailings to Eldorado Gold’s Hellas Gold Skouries copper-gold concentrator project in northern Greece.
Metso Outotec’s scope of delivery consists of the engineering, manufacturing and supply of several Planet Positive Larox® FFP3512 filters as well as installation and commissioning advisory services. The fully automatic, fast-opening filter press (FFP) combines the benefits of membrane technology and sidebar design with high mechanical and process performance, providing safe and sustainable high-volume dewatering of tailings at low operating and life cycle costs.
The value of the order is approximately EUR 14 million, and it was booked in Minerals’ second-quarter orders received.
Metso Outotec’s filtration product portfolio is the largest in the field, and the energy, emission and water efficiency is in a league of its own. Metso Outotec has carried out over 14,000 filtration tests and delivered more than 5,000 filters for various applications worldwide. Metso Outotec also provides all filtration-related service and spare parts needs through its global service network.
Grundfos opens global Water Utility headquarters in Texas
Grundfos has officially opened its new global headquarters for Water Utility in Brookshire, Texas, USA.
This facility also houses the main office for Grundfos Americas Corporation.
The grand opening celebration was led by Grundfos country president USA Ansell Sims and Grundfos Group president & CEO Poul Due Jensen.
The new 48,670 sq ft building was designed based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals #6 on water and #13 on climate in alignment with Grundfos’ goals to lower carbon emissions and minimize waste. In 2022, it was LEED certified v4 Platinum and is the first building in Texas to receive this certification.
The building is fully electric, uses no fossil fuels, and instead relies on solar energy, natural light and energy-efficient equipment. Also, less than 13% of the water usage is sourced from the local municipal system. Nearly a million gallons of water are collected annually from rainwater and the hydronic HVAC system.
Ahlstrom invests in South America to support filtration customers with a new lamination capability
Ahlstrom perpetuates its 50-year commitment and support to the global Filtration industry by investing EUR 2 million in a new laminator at Louveira plant, Brazil. With a planned installation in 2023, the equipment is expected to be fully operational by Q1 2024.
This strategic growth initiative will expand manufacturing capabilities at Louveira plant. It reinforces our ambition in local and regional filtration markets by offering customers shorter lead-times and improved local technical support.
This investment is an additional step in our ambition to strengthen the global leadership in Filtration. It completes a series of investments in the past few years to strengthen the company’s global footprint and widen our high-performance offering in filtration segments. These include a new saturator as well as a new investment for glass fiber tissue line in Madisonville (Kentucky, US), a machine rebuilt in Binzhou (China), capacity expansion in Fabriano (Italy) and Malmedy (Belgium), and a new production line in Turin (Italy).
Louveira is located in São Paulo state about 70 km away from the state capital. Louveira plant manufactures filter media for transportation and industrial segments, serving especially the South American markets. The plant is certified with IATF, ISO9001-2015, ISO45001 and ISO14001 and employs 120 people.
