ESSEN, Germany (Dec. 16, 2013) – Metso has signed a Letter of Intent with KRAFTWERKSSCHULE E.V. (KWS) of Essen, Germany, to develop virtual training in plant automation for power plant operators. The target of the cooperation is to create training concepts with Metso's training simulators and to build a process and automation laboratory in the KWS facilities.

ERLANGEN, Germany (Dec. 17, 2013) – Siemens Energy has been awarded the contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the San Gabriel combined cycle power plant (CCPP) in Southeast Asia with a capacity of 414 megawatts (MW). The customer is First NatGas Power Corp., a 100 percent owned company of the Philippine independent power producer First Gen Corporation. Siemens will build San Gabriel as a turnkey facility and then operate it.

CLEMMONS, NC (Dec. 16, 2013) – Hayward Flow Control announced the expansion of its operations and presence in Canada. Effective Jan. 1, 2014, Hayward Flow Control will be operating from the Hayward Canada facility, located in Oakville, Ontario. The 200,000-square-foot warehouse and office facility currently houses the Hayward Canada Residential and Commercial Divisions. This facility will also headquarter the following Flow Control activities for Canada:

NEWNAN, Ga. (Dec. 16, 2013) – Yokogawa announced that its subsidiary, Yokogawa Middle East & Africa, received an order from Petroleum, Chemicals & Mining Company Limited1 (PCMC) to supply the control system for the SWRO-4 Desalination Plant, which is being built in Jubail, Saudi Arabia by the Power & Water Utility Company for Jubail and Yanbu (Marafiq).

HOUSTON (Dec. 12, 2013) – Hoover Container Solutions (Hoover), a subsidiary of Hoover Group, Inc., has announced the grand opening of its new distribution and service center in Scott, La. The opening of this facility will provide an increased ease of operation for Hoover products and services to the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern United States.

FLORENCE, Ky., (Dec. 12, 2013) – Emerson Industrial Automation has appointed National Precision Bearing (NPB) an authorized distributor of McGill and Rollway aerospace and specialty bearings. The companies will focus on providing custom-made bearings to OEMs that supply pumps, gearboxes, rotors, generators and other components to the aerospace and defense industries, among others.

SCHAFFHAUSEN, Switzerland (Dec. 11, 2013) - Xylem Inc., a global water technology company, was announced as the winner of the medium business category in the El Espectador Sustainable Awards sponsored by BBVA bank in Colombia. More than 1,800 companies entered the competition, which recognizes companies that implement policies of social responsibility, sustainability and high entrepreneurial standards as part of their daily operations.