Electrical Marketing's LiveWire

Siemens AG announced that it will reward its employees for their outstanding performance during the financial and economic crisis with a one-time special payment. “The company came through the crisis with flying colors. Our 400,000 employees can be very proud of their achievement. For their extraordinary performance in a difficult time, I owe them my deepest respect and gratitude,” said Siemens AG President and CEO Peter Loscher.

A total of approximately $430 million will be paid out to the company’s worldwide workforce. Siemens’ U.S. employees will receive a share of almost US$100 million in December 2010, which will be distributed among its non-management employees throughout the country.

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James Dixon, vice president of energy services for ConEdison Solutions, Valhalla, N.Y., was named chairman of the National Association of Energy Service Companies (NAESCO), the organization announced. As chairman, Dixon will direct the activities of NAESCO’s board of directors, oversee the organization’s committees, coordinate with NAESCO staff on advocacy issues and help plan national and regional industry conferences. In addition to his position with ConEd Solutions, Dixon is an attorney and professional engineer in New York State, and a retired major in the U.S. Army Reserves.

“In recent years, we have witnessed a surge of interest on the part of institutions, government entities and corporations nationwide to become smarter about their use of energy,” said Dixon in a NAESCO release. “I am privileged to represent the energy services industry at a time when awareness is growing about the role of active energy management in addressing such critical issues as climate change, the need to reduce dependence on overseas oil, and the need to put people to work building a new and more efficient energy infrastructure.”

The rest of NAESCO’s new officers:
Dan Weiss, Pepco Energy Solutions, vice chairman
Michael Loth, Johnson Controls, secretary
Michael Kearny, Siemens, treasurer

Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline announced plans to build what would be the largest solar rooftop array in North America at its distribution center in York, Pa. The project’s 11,000 panels will cover an area of 360,000 square feet (roughly equivalent to seven football fields) and generate enough power — about 3.4 million kilowatt hours per year — to run the entire DC. If the first one is successful, GSK plans to do the same thing next spring at its Fresno, Calif., facility.

Details from Inhabitat
Philadelphia Inquirer

General Electric (GE) announced a flurry joint ventures in China that will give it a stake in the massive build-out of that country’s electrical infrastructure. GE and State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), China’s top power distributor and one of the world’s largest utilities, announced plans for several joint ventures to address China’s growing energy needs and to electrify its vast transportation infrastructure. The ventures are part of GE’s plans to invest $2 billion in China through 2012.

GE will work with Wuhan Nari, a subsidiary of SGCC, to improve the efficiency and reliability of China’s electric grid by developing and implementing asset optimization technology solutions. GE will also work with Electric Power of Shanghai (EPS), controlled by SGCC, to jointly acquire a 77.5 percent controlling stake in Shanghai Tianling Switchgear Co., a Shanghai-based company developing and selling green power distribution equipment. This acquisition by GE and Shanghai Grid will reposition Tianling competitively in $10 billion global medium-voltage switchgear industry.

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Bloomberg BusinessWeek has a huge special section looking into China’s role in the copper market and copper’s role in China’s growth. Under the title “China’s Red Gold”, the package uses articles, video and interactive graphics to explore China’s worldwide pursuit of copper reserves and how it’s using all that copper to modernize and urbanize its infrastructure.

“China’s consumption will almost double by the end of 2020 to account for 49 percent of world copper sales, according to CRU, a London-based mining and metals consulting firm.”

This, to say the least, could make things very interesting for U.S. electrical manufacturers over the next decade.

The New York Times is reporting that Solyndra Corp., Fremont, Calif., has decided to close a solar-panel production plant and lay off workers.

“Just seven weeks ago, Solyndra opened Fab 2, a $733 million factory in Fremont, Calif., to make its high-tech solar panels. The new plant was supposed to be the first phase of a rapid expansion of the company,” the Times reported.

“Instead, Solyndra has decided to shutter the old plant and postpone plans to expand Fab 2, which was built with a $535 million federal loan guarantee.”

New York Times article

Francois de Beaupuy of Bloomberg got some time with Schneider Electric’s executive vice president in charge of strategy and innovation, Philippe Delorme, and reported that the company is expecting its newer ventures in electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, demand-response technology and residential energy-efficiency to contribute as much as 15 percent of the company’s sales by 2015.

Delorme further said the company’s acquisition interests focus on demand-response, building automation and industrial process automation, especially in emerging markets.

Bloomberg article

Uncertainty has replaced optimism as the prevailing view of the U.S. economy over the next 12 months among industrial products manufacturing executives, according to the Q3 2010 PwC US Manufacturing Barometer report released today by PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Looking at the next 12 months, the majority (52 percent) of industrial products manufacturers surveyed are uncertain about the U.S. economy. Thirty-five percent are optimistic, down 10 points from the prior quarter, and only 13 percent are pessimistic. Uncertainty also dominates the 12-month outlook for the world economy among those marketing abroad, with 38 percent optimistic about its prospects, and 51 percent uncertain. Only 11 percent are pessimistic.

In Q3 2010, 27 percent of panelists viewed the U.S. economy as growing, down 31 points from the prior quarter. However, only 20 percent believed it was declining. The majority believed the U.S. economy did not change from Q2 2010. Of international marketers, 43 percent viewed the world economy as growing in the third quarter, similar to the 45 percent reported last quarter. Only 16 percent believed it was declining, and 41 percent felt it was unchanged.

International sales showed improvement in the third quarter of 2010 for U.S.-based industrial manufacturers selling abroad, with 44 percent reporting an increase in sales, and only 10 percent reporting a decrease. For the third straight quarter, legislative/regulatory pressures ranked highest among perceived barriers to growth over the next 12 months, rising 14 points to 77 percent.

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Zurich, Switzerland automation and power system manufacturer ABB reported that its order growth accelerated and revenues rose in the third quarter on a combination of continued growth in demand from industrial customers and an increase in large power orders. All the same, the group’s net profits fell by just over 25% in the third quarter compared to the same period last year.

ABB won a major order in the quarter to connect an offshore wind farm to the German grid and experienced strong demand from a wide range of industries, including minerals and metals, discrete manufacturing and solar power, said the company in a release announcing its results. Growth in these areas more than offset continued weak utility investments in power transmission equipment in most regions.

“Demand from our industrial customers grew significantly in the quarter, especially in the emerging markets, as they increased capacity and invested in solutions to increase energy efficiency and productivity,” said Joe Hogan, ABB’s CEO. “Utility spending in power transmission equipment remains muted, a trend that we expect to continue into next year. Still, we see plenty of opportunities for growth, especially in areas like renewable energy and industrial efficiency, and in the fast-growing emerging economies.”

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