IN FOCUS

Weir Engineering Services are pleased to confirm the recent acquisition of the Allen Gwynnes Pump business.

Thomas Industries Inc. announced the acquisition of Aldax AB, of Stockholm, Sweden, for an undisclosed amount. For the past 8 years, Aldax has served as the distributor for Thomas pumps and compressors in Scandinavia. Annual sales for Aldax are under five million dollars.

The German Netzsch Group with its four business divisions Analyzing and Testing, Filtration, Grinding and Dispersing, and Pumps will remain independent. In April 2003, Netzsch and the US-based Colfax Corporation had announced plans to join forces, with Colfax intending to acquire the Netzsch Group.

Smiths Group today announced the sale of its Polymer Sealing Solutions business to Trelleborg AB of Sweden for a cash sum of £495 million.

Pentair today announced that it has acquired certain assets of two privately held companies to augment existing businesses in its Water Technologies Group. TwinPumps, Inc. and K&M Plastics, Incorporated.

Crane Co. announces that its English subsidiary, Crane Limited, has purchased the pipe coupling and fittings businesses from Etex Group S.A., including the Victaulic, Viking Johnson, Helden and Wask branded products, for a purchase price of £17.3 million in cash and assumed debt.

AxFlow S.A. in Madrid, a company within the AxFlow Group, has acquired Colfax Bombas S.A. in Barcelona from the German pump manufacturer Allweiler AG, a Member of The Colfax Pump Group.

As announced at the end of April, KSB has taken over the Dutch pump supplier DP industries B.V., retroactive to 1 January 2003. The contract was signed in Frankenthal on 16 May.

KSB Aktiengesellschaft intends to take over the Dutch pump manufacturing company DP Industries B.V. based in Alphen a/d Rijn. An agreement to this effect is planned to be signed in mid-May.

The German based NETZSCH Group announced, that it will join with the American COLFAX Corporation. COLFAX Corporation signed an agreement to acquire all shares of NETZSCH. The transaction is expected to be completed in May 2003, subject to regulatory approvals.