FLORENCE, ITALY - GE Oil & Gas (NYSE: GE) has received contracts totaling more than $1 billion to supply a wide range of equipment and services for the Ichthys liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Australia. A joint venture between INPEX (operator) and Total, the Ichthys LNG project includes one of the world's largest LNG facilities and is based on an estimated 40 years of gas and condensate reserves from the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia.

The Ichthys LNG Project is a joint venture between INPEX (76 percent, the operator) and Total (24 percent). Gas from the Ichthys Field, in the Browse Basin approximately 200 km offshore of Western Australia, will undergo preliminary processing offshore to remove water and extract condensate. The gas will then be exported to onshore processing facilities in Darwin via an 889-km subsea pipeline. The Ichthys LNG Project is expected to produce 8.4 million tons of LNG and 1.6 million tons of LPG per annum, along with approximately 100,000 barrels of condensate per day at peak.

GE will provide rotating equipment, including gas turbines and compressors, for a new Ichthys LNG plant at Blaydin Point, near Darwin in Australia's Northern Territory, and associated floating production storage and offloading and a central processing facility (CPF) located in the Browse Basin offshore Western Australia. In addition, GE will supply subsea production systems for the offshore portion of the project as well as subsea connectors for an 889-kilometer (km) pipeline that will carry the gas produced from a CPF to the new LNG plant in Darwin. GE announced the award of the contract at the 2012 GE Oil & Gas Annual Meeting being held Jan. 30-31 in Florence, Italy.

The scope of GE's supply includes four Frame 7EA Gas Turbines and eight MR/PR Compressors for the LNG plant; 10 PGT25+G4 gas turbines and 10 compressors for upstream facilities; and 22 subsea production trees, five off-subsea manifolds, an integrated subsea control system and a 42-inch trunk line connection system. The equipment will be shipped by 2014 and INPEX expects to start producing LNG by the end of 2016.

'We have been able to confirm our strong heritage in the LNG sector, leveraging our gas turbine, compressor and subsea production technologies for many of the world's leading LNG projects, including the Ichthys subsea development,' said Dan Heintzelman, CEO of GE Oil & Gas. 'Our growing commitment to the LNG industry in Australia was another key factor in winning this significant award.'

Among GE's recent investments in Australia is the recently opened Jandakot facility in Perth, a $100 million state-of-the-art technology and learning center that will support the training of the next generation of skilled workers in the oil and gas, energy, mining, transportation and water industries. In addition, GE Oil & Gas has established a strong position in Australia's LNG sector, providing equipment for most of the country's LNG projects including Gorgon, Wheatstone, Prelude FLNG and Queensland CSM LNG projects. According to the Australian government's Department of Resources, Energy & Tourism, the Australian LNG industry has the potential to attract up to A$60 billion in new project investment over the next 10 years.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Management and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 100,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

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Now, a new website, checkitoutupfront.com, will serve as a bridge between online buyers who are physically separated from goods they are considering purchasing and agents who can 'check it out' for them. It's easy enough when one wants to buy a sweater from reputable online retailers, but buyers who need validation of condition have, until now, been left without viable options.

The new site will target buyers in four primary categories in online auctions: industrial equipment auctions, art & antiques auctions, auto auctions and private sales, real estate auctions, private sales and rentals. The site is also set up to help people who are considering an online transaction and need to have an item 'checked out' upfront, such as vacation properties and timeshares, personal property and collectibles, even pets.

Checkitoutupfront.com can become an important source of income for professional appraisers, inspectors, freelance consultants (referred to as 'Bloodhounds' on the website). Since the site will aggregate requests from all over the world, opportunities will exist to check out, and report on, an auction for dozens potential buyers in one visit. For example, a qualified Service Provider may be able to find 30 shoppers on checkitoutupfront.com and charge each $100 to check out a large auction.

Checkitoutupfront.com is now actively encouraging those who have experience and expertise in these areas to visit the site to register at no charge. Potential service providers need to complete a short application, listing their credentials and experience in their field. Later on, buyers all over the world will be invited to post requests for service, detailing what they need to have checked out, where it is located and what information they need to help with their purchase decision. Checkitoutupfront.com will then notify potential service providers to respond to the request for service.

We invite inspectors and appraisers to visit www.checkitoutupfront.com to become Bloodhounds for the online auction industry.

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Vaisala continues to offer the world leading LAP wind profilers as components in its integrated weather and decision support system offering, but will no longer have the product in its own portfolio.

Scintec AG is located in Rottenburg, Germany. The company develops, manufactures and markets atmospheric sensors using optical, radio wave and acoustic techniques.

About Vaisala
Vaisala is a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement. Building on 75 years of experience, Vaisala contributes to a better quality of life by providing a comprehensive range of innovative observation and measurement products and services for chosen weather-related and industrial markets. Headquartered in Finland, Vaisala employs approximately 1400 professionals worldwide and is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki stock exchange.

www.vaisala.com

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By combining the strengths of Trimble and Manitowoc Cranes, the companies intend to develop a solution tailored for the lifting industry that provides real time, centimeter-level positioning data for multiple cranes working on a construction site. The solution would be able to measure crane position in absolute coordinates using rugged, easy to install, non-contact sensors that can be installed on both fixed and mobile cranes. It is planned that the in-cab displays of cranes that are fitted with the developed solution will permit operators to view the site, multiple working crane zones, forbidden zones, target locations and other site information. The companies also expect to develop an "Intelligent Environment" database for their solutions capable of receiving constant updates of data from Building Information Modeling (BIM) tools and other site sensors working in tandem. In addition, an anticipated feature of the solution would enable a user to program an alarm or even halt crane operation upon detection of unplanned work activity on the construction site.

To enhance jobsite awareness and management, a wireless local area network (WLAN) will share the crane position information across the construction site, providing each crane operator, the lift scheduler, and even the back office (if the Internet connectivity option is enabled) instant status against the BIM plan, enabling informed, exception-based decisions to be made in real time. This information will be able to be viewed in 3D and can run either as a fat or thin client accessing software tools and capabilities that are expected to be available as part of the Trimble® Connected Community solution. The Connected Community is a Web-based set of networking tools that allow contractors to build information portals, share information and collaborate between head office management, site office teams, field crews, subcontractors, suppliers, engineers and clients on a project. By connecting the field and office, the planned solution should permit contractors to gain significant efficiencies and improve overall jobsite productivity.

"Manitowoc is committed to providing the most advanced and comprehensive range of lifting solutions," said Bob Hund, executive vice president, Crane Care for Manitowoc Cranes. "Working together with Trimble allows us to access market leading technology to collaborate to develop innovative tools to increase crane operator awareness on a construction site."

"Trimble is already using much the same technology to deliver significant productivity improvements to the construction machine control market," said John Cameron, general manager of Trimble's Integrated Technologies Division. "By partnering with the Manitowoc Cranes, a lifting industry leader, we expect to co-develop solutions capable of lifting and delivering materials on the construction site similar to a contract manufacturer who uses a pick-and-place machine to build an electronic circuit board. Our goal is add crane productivity as another key component of the connected site."

About The Manitowoc Company, Inc.

The Manitowoc Company, Inc. is a multi-industry, capital goods manufacturer with nearly 100 manufacturing, distribution, service, and/or office facilities in 26 countries. It is recognized as one of the world's largest providers of lifting equipment for the global construction industry, including lattice-boom cranes, tower cranes, mobile telescopic cranes, and boom trucks. Manitowoc also is one of the world's leading innovators and manufacturers of commercial foodservice equipment serving the ice, beverage, refrigeration, food prep, and cooking needs of restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, healthcare, and institutional applications.

For more information, visit: www.manitowoc.com.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety, and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif.

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Metaglas sight glass windows are suitable for general applications and aseptic use, including applications in flange sight ports, circular weld pads, visual flow indicators, threaded ferrule sight ports and sanitary clamps. The metal component is standard as duplex stainless steel but carbon steel and Hastelloy 'C' is also available.

These products serve a wide variety of applications: threaded sight glasses in hazardous locations, compression chambers, sight glass illumination, fluid measurement and turbulence in gear housings. Special ANSI bolt-on flanges for flat faced flanges are also available.

Testing has shown the Metaglas sight glass to be safe at pressures far exceeding rated pressure. A video shows a Metaglas sight glass under 20 times normal pressure being struck with a steel projectile. Although the surface is chipped, the sight glass remains leak tight. See extreme pressure test sight-glass video: www.ljstar.com/pubs/45.htm.

Metaglas History
In the 1970s, because of the safety risks of conventional sight glass windows, a chemical processor asked longtime glassmaker Herbert's Industrieglas to develop a safer sight glass. Herbert's started to experiment with fusing glass to metal. Although this technology was not new, it was primarily done with materials unsuitable for chemical processing. The development received technical, funding, and testing assistance from major chemical companies Hoechst-Celanese, Bayer AG and BASF, who sought a sight glass that would eliminate the risk of failure and worker injury. The answer was a revolutionary sight glass made by fusing borosilicate glass to a stainless steel ring. Named Metaglas because of its incredible strength and safety, it quickly became the leading fused sight glass in the world.

About L.J. Star
L.J. Star Incorporated provides an extensive line of process observation equipment — sight glasses, lights, sanitary fittings, and level gage instrumentation. Product lines include Metaglas® Safety Sight Windows, Lumiglas® Explosion Proof Lights and Cameras, Visual Flow Indicators, Sight Ports, Sanitary Clamps, Magnetic Level Gages and Gage Glass.  Metaglas is the #1 selling fused sight glass, proven in thousands of installations around the world. Unlike some other sight glasses, it meets stringent DIN 7079 and DIN 7080 quality standards, and it is approved for USP Type I use. For additional information, or to request third-party documentation of standards compliance and product performance claims, contact L.J. Star Incorporated, P.O. Box 1116, Twinsburg, OH 44087. Phone: 330-405-3040. Fax: 330-405-3070. Website: www.ljstar.com. Video: www.youtube.com/ljstar1.
 

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New Sensing and Control Website Includes Powerful Product Finder and Distributor Inventory Search Features.

 MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 17, 2012 – Honeywell (NYSE:HON) Sensing and Control (S&C) has launched a new easy-to-use, full-featured website that makes it easy for developers and OEMs to find, order and purchase the right sensing and control components for their industrial, medical, transportation, test and measurement, or aerospace solutions.

The newly upgraded sensing.honeywell.com web environment encompasses a variety of microsites, portals, customer resources and web-based applications. These include a new distributor inventory stock check tool, sales rep/authorized distributor (Rep/AD) portal and product sample portal for channel partners, a supplier microsite, and the unique TruStability® product configurator.

'The Sensing and Control website was redesigned to better meet our customers' needs,' said Tony Sugalski, president, Honeywell Sensing and Control. 'Customer feedback was very clear; they wanted the same experience and simplicity of functionality they are accustomed to in popular consumer websites. And that's what we did. We updated our website to be more intuitive, efficient and easier to use.'            

The new site offers four key improvements:- 

- Faster and more intuitive search capability.

The new enhanced search engine is now more efficient and comprehensive with drop-down navigation functionality.         

- Spotlight on new products.

All the information for new products, including downloadable data sheets, is now directly available from the home page         

- New Distributor Inventory Stock-Check application.

After selecting a product, a list immediately displays which Honeywell channel partners have the product in stock and for what price. The customer can click on a link that automatically populates the distributor's shopping cart without leaving the Honeywell S&C site. The customer can easily compare and choose from multiple distributor shopping carts simultaneously.         

- Smart phone enabled.

Mobile version of the website with the core functionality our users asked for.

 'The reconstructed site now includes speedy, highly intuitive site search and navigational tools that put the information customers need at their fingertips – quickly and easily,' said Kim Anderberg, Director of Marketing Communications and e-business.  'I like to call it B2B eCommerce on steroids – an easy, seamless way to transact with our web-based channel partners' shopping carts without leaving the Honeywell environment.' 

Rep/AD and Product Sample Portal

For Honeywell sales representatives and authorized distributors, the password-protected Rep/AD Portal is now directly accessible from the My Links section of the website, providing a single source for all Honeywell Sensing and Control communications including sales tools, product announcements, order management tools, policies and more. Also available exclusively to Honeywell channel partners, the new Sample Portal is accessible through the Rep/AD Portal and offers suppliers a simplified and automated process for product sample ordering.  

TruStability® Product Configurator (available February 2012)

Also available for Honeywell sales representatives and authorized distributors is the TruStability® Configurator, a web-based application that helps customers narrow their search within Honeywell's TruStability® platform of pressure sensors. The platform includes more than 250 product options and variables that translate into more than one million permutations. This new tool also provides a customized data sheet that is user-friendly and dynamic, offering 'like product' options to customer-input application and time to delivery parameters. 

Sample Request

New customers can also request samples on the new site. Found under the My Links section on the Home Page, the sample request link provides a request form that a customer can fill out and submit for follow-up by a Honeywell sales representative.   
Smart Device Friendly

Honeywell Sensing and Control's new website is also available in a mobile version. It can be accessed with any smartphone or mobile tablet device. Once bookmarked to the device's home page, an icon appears which enables the site to perform like an app.  

Supplier Microsite

The new supplier microsite provides information including policies, code of business conduct, self assessment, shipping information and more for our suppliers.  
                                                                      
View all Honeywell Sensing and Control press releases

Learn more about Honeywell Sensing and Control

Honeywell International (www.honeywell.com) is a Fortune 100 diversified technology and manufacturing leader, serving customers worldwide with aerospace products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes and industry; automotive products; turbochargers; and specialty materials. Based in Morris Township, N.J., Honeywell's shares are traded on the New York, London, and Chicago Stock Exchanges. For more news and information on Honeywell, please visit www.honeywellnow.com.            

This release contains 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of fact, that address activities, events or developments that we or our management intend, expect, project, believe or anticipate will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management's assumptions and assessments in light of past experience and trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other relevant factors. They are not guarantees of future performance, and actual results, developments and business decisions may differ from those envisaged by our forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements are also subject to risks and uncertainties, which can affect our performance in both the near- and long-term. We identify the principal risks and uncertainties that affect our performance in our Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. 

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The funding was provided in the form of a working capital line of credit from a private specialty finance company. Deal proceeds were used by the company to enhance its working capital position.     
 
Robert D. Swain, President of Essex, noted, "Having approached many of the usual lending sources, the Company had been unable to adequately finance its growth objectives and ship a large new order.  Essex was pleased to successfully arrange new working capital for the Company, particularly in an industry not currently favored by many lenders in the marketplace."
 
Essex Capital acted as the Company's exclusive advisor in this transaction.

About Essex Capital Group
Essex Capital Group, Inc. is a Tampa, Florida-based corporate finance firm serving small and middle market privately-held companies located throughout the United States. With extensive capital markets experience, Essex provides creative solutions to businesses in need of financial restructuring. Typical advisory services include balance sheet recapitalizations with senior and subordinated debt. Since inception in 2003, Essex has successfully raised in excess of $300 million for its corporate finance clients. 
 

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Wärtsilä, a leading global supplier of flexible and efficient power plant solutions, has been awarded two contracts to supply power plant generating equipment to Bangladesh. The total overall output of these two plants will be over 200 MW, and they will produce electricity to be supplied to the national grid. In each case, delivery will be made on a fast-track basis in order to meet the tight construction schedules. Both plants are scheduled to be operational before the end of 2012. The orders are included in the fourth quarter 2011 order book.

PowerPac Mutiara Jamalpur Power Plant Ltd, an independent power producer (IPP), has ordered twelve 20-cylinder Wärtsilä 32 generating sets with a total output of approximately 100 MW. The new power plant will operate initially on heavy fuel oil (HFO), but the engines are ready to switch to gas operation when a supply of natural gas becomes available. The same owner - PowerPac-Mutiara Consortium - has also ordered six 18-cylinder Wärtsilä 46 engines in V-configuration and auxiliary equipment for its Khulna power plant project. The output of the Khulna power plant will be over 100 MW.

'These are important orders, for Wärtsilä of course, but also for the Bangladesh Power Development Board, which urgently needs this additional generating capacity. Our ability to supply the needed equipment within a very short time-frame was crucial to the award of these contracts, as was our strong track record in Bangladesh. Furthermore, a unique feature of our engine technology is that where required, they can be easily converted to run on gas as soon as a gas supply is available, and this too was a key factor in the award of these contracts. Wärtsilä employs nearly 500 people in the country, and as a result, can give unmatched support to all Wärtsilä installations throughout the region,' says Göran Richardsson, Sales Director, Wärtsilä Power Plants Asia.

With these two power plants, Wärtsilä currently already has in excess of 1850 MW of installed or to be installed power generating capacity in Bangladesh. One-third of this is also operated and maintained under contract by Wärtsilä.

Wärtsilä in brief
Wärtsilä is a global leader in complete lifecycle power solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising technological innovation and total efficiency, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2010, Wärtsilä's net sales totalled EUR 4.6 billion with more than 17,500 employees. The company has operations in 160 locations in 70 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki, Finland.
www.wartsila.com

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An investigation conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) concluded that the firm and its owner had not assessed the risks involved in the operation, which involved extensive digging with an electrical drill.

It was heard that RVB Investments had failed to produce a safe system of work and had not obtained plans of the site, checked whether there were any electrical cables underground or used safe digging methods.  It was also exposed that the two workers had not been taught about the potential dangers of their work.

The firm and its owner, Clifford Leigh, faced prosecution at Telford Magistrates' Court where it was ruled that Mr Leigh had not honoured his responsibility to consider the safety of his employees. No adequate precautions were taken before the work began and no satisfactory guidance on digging near underground services was issued.

On the 8th of December 2011, RVB Investments UK Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £4,420 costs. Mr Clifford Leigh was also prosecuted and fined £2,000 with £1,000 of costs. 

Commenting after the hearing, HSE inspector Nic Rigby said:

"All employees, such as Clifford Leigh, have a responsibility to ensure that they take reasonable care for the safety of their fellow employees when making decisions about how work should be carried out. RVB Investments UK Ltd and Clifford Leigh failed to do this and as a result two men were seriously injured in an avoidable incident that could easily have been fatal."

Speaking of the outcome, Helen Grieves, founder and principal at Grieves Solicitors, said:

"It is always difficult to hear about accidents of this nature, especially when they could have been so easily avoid. As personal injury solicitors, Grieves helps recover compensation for those that have suffered due to the negligence of their employer."

"It is vital that businesses take responsibility for the safety of their employees by ensuring that effective health and safety have been implemented."

Based in Huddersfield, Grieves Solicitors specialise in work accident compensation claims. Helen Grieves is a qualified solicitor with an Advanced Professional Diploma in Personal Injury Litigation from Leeds Metropolitan University and a Master Degree in Advanced Litigation from Nottingham Trent University. For more information, visit their website: http://www.grieves-solicitors.co.uk/.

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The funding was provided in the form of a fully subordinated mezzanine loan from a private specialty finance company. Deal proceeds were used by the Company to pay down senior debt and for expansion capital.     

Robert D. Swain, President of Essex, said, "We are pleased to announce the closing of another successful corporate recapitalization.  Referred by the Company's existing senior lender, we accomplished the goal of right-sizing the bank's exposure with regard to its collateral while also providing growth capital that will fund a substantial new contract."  

Essex Capital acted as the Company's exclusive advisor in this transaction.   

About Essex Capital Group
Essex Capital Group, Inc. is a Tampa, Florida-based corporate finance firm serving small and middle market privately-held companies located throughout the United States. With extensive capital markets experience, Essex provides creative solutions to businesses in need of financial restructuring. Typical advisory services include balance sheet recapitalizations with senior and subordinated debt. Since inception in 2003, Essex has successfully raised in excess of $300 million for its corporate finance clients.

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