A new series of vacuum conveyors manufactured in accordance with the USDA standard has been developed by the vacuum technology company PIAB. This series is designed to meet the stricter demands on processing equipment set by the food products and pharmaceutical industries.

An increased emphasis on noise reduction in industrial environments has been made by Hägglunds Drives. It is offering customers greater flexibility in noise control solutions in applications that employ hydraulic drive systems.

Good aroma barrier properties and a long shelf-life are crucial factors in the packaging of spices. Traditionally, spices have been placed in glass jars and even the board packs currently in use include an aluminium laminate. McCormick has adopted a new type of spice packaging on the Finnish market. This is the aluminium-free Performa CTMP board provided with Ensobarr coating which is said to guarantee spices a shelf-life of three years and good aroma-, moisture- and UV-protection properties.

ABB has introduced an integrated 12-pulse bridge rectifier module for its ACS 600 range of medium power AC drives. The rectifier produces a 12-pulse power supply that reduces total harmonic distortion (THD) by 80%, compared to conventional six-pulse supplies.

The Alta elevator is a new design developed for the next generation of super-tall buildings up to 500m (1,600ft.)in height. Introduced by Kone Corporation, based in Finland, it marks the trend towards increasing sophistication, speed and design in elevator technology.

The setting-up time for printing presses can be reduced, due to new technology from PIAB. Fast-reacting, quiet and environmentally-friendly compressed air driven pumps can be used throughout the printing process, and in post press operation, according to the company. The quicker processing and more efficient press usage lead to increased profitability.

Europe's biggest forest industry concern, Stora Enso, is launching the new Performa CTMP product family on the market this summer. CTMP combines the best properties of folding box board (FBB) and Solid Bleached Sulphate board (SBS), thus creating a completely new category of packaging board to meet market demand. The new boards have been developed especially for packaging products that are sensitive to tainting. Thanks to its structure Performa CTMP is expected to bring savings of 10-20% for the packaging industry compared with conventional packaging materials states the company.

Receives US$15 Million Equity Financing Investment from Pequot Capital Management

Injection moulded polymer magnets from Sura Magnets AB of Sweden, instead of conventional metal magnets. This is the material that turned out to be the optimal solution in the manufacture of Alfa Laval Agri's revolutionary design for a new type of electronically-controlled pulsator to control the pulsed vacuum in milking machines. The final design is also an interesting example of an unusual manufacturing approach taken by a particular group of companies called PB Option. From an idea to a completed unit produced by multi-component moulding in one single process.

KONE ECO3000 is the first escalator developed using the combined know-how and experience of three of the world's leading escalator companies. Ideal for retail and commercial buildings as well as airports, the new design achieves new levels of energy efficiency, space savings, reliability and aesthetics.