Industry News
EDS Sells Defense Business to Saab
Ericsson agrees to sell its defense business, Ericsson Microwave Systems AB, and its 40 percent holding in Saab Ericsson Space to Saab for SEK 3.8 billion in cash. Ericsson will retain the National Security and Public Safety business. Pending approval, the transaction is expected to close in September.
Ericsson Microwave Systems (EMW) is a leading provider of radar, command and control systems for defense applications. In the product portfolio are e.g. the weapon locating system Arthur, the air surveillance system Giraffe and the operational airborne surveillance system Erieye.
The Ericsson defense business, that Saab is acquiring, had sales of approximately SEK 2 b. in 2005 with good profitability. In addition to the National Security and Public Safety business, Ericsson will retain parts of the Power Systems business. The retained units employ around 300 individuals.
Saab is one of the world's leading high-tech companies, with its main operations in defense, aviation, space and civil security. In 2005, total annual sales amounted to SEK 19 b.
Saab and EMW have co-operated closely for a number of years. The co-operation has included Erieye and JAS 39 Gripen. The integration of EMW's advanced radar and sensor systems creates new and long-term business opportunities for Saab.
Furthermore, Ericsson and Saab intend to evaluate opportunities for a future co-operation between the two companies, within the area of National Security and Public Safety where the companies' relative strengths are complementary.
The agreement also includes Ericsson's 20 percent ownership in the IG JAS consortia, Ericsson's shares in the joint ventures Thales EAW Systems and Ericsson Saab Surveillance Systems AB. Saab will also take over Ericsson's ownership in Saab Ericsson Space AB.
The agreement is subject to approvals from relevant competition and defense authorities.
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Arla Foods and IBM in 7-Year, 250m Euro Outsourcing Agreement
Representatives of IBM and Arla Foods, one of Europe's largest dairy companies, announced Thursday a seven-year strategic agreement for IBM to manage all IT solutions at the dairy company's operations in Denmark and Sweden. The agreement becomes effective July 1.
The agreement covers the development and maintenance of Arla Foods' IT solutions and infrastructure -- including consulting services, development, maintenance, and facility management services. IBM will provide a flexible solution expected to bring significant cost savings enabling Arla Foods to grow and strengthen its international leadership in the dairy industry.
130 IT specialists from Arla Foods in Denmark and Sweden will transfer to IBM. For the first 12 months these employees will continue to work from their current Arla locations.
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General Dynamics to Upgrade U.S. Army Communications Network at Ft. Carson
General Dynamics Information Technology has been chosen by the U.S. Army to modernize the communications and data network infrastructure at Ft. Carson, Colo. The contract is valued at up to $32 million over two years, if all options are exercised. General Dynamics Information Technology, formerly General Dynamics Network Systems, is a business unit of General Dynamics.
At Ft. Carson, General Dynamics will upgrade the data and voice network infrastructure by installing the latest Internet Protocol telephony technology, as well as a gigabit Ethernet data network. Ft. Carson is slated to receive an influx of more than 9,500 soldiers under the Army’s Transformation Plan, and is a Power Projection Platform installation. The upgraded communications network will support the installation’s mission activity.
This contract was competitively awarded under the Army's Digital Switched Systems Modernization Program, as part of the Installation Information Infrastructure Program (I3MP). I3MP is the Army's multi-year initiative to upgrade all of its installations worldwide, providing greater bandwidth to address increasing demands for voice, video and data services.
This contract was awarded by the Defense Communications Systems CONUS, a unit of the Army's Project Manager, Defense Communications and Army Switched Systems (PM DCASS) organization.
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Bell Announces Eagle Eye Airframe Supplier
Representatives of Bell Helicopter a Textron company announced they have selected Aurora Flight Sciences of Manassas, VA as the airframe provider of the Bell Eagle Eye TR916 Unmanned Aircraft System. Bell Helicopter is a subcontractor to Lockheed Martin, a partner in Integrated Coast Guard Systems, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, for the Integrated Deepwater System program of the U.S. Coast Guard. The work will be done at Aurora Flight Science’s manufacturing facility located in Bridgeport, West Virginia.
Bell was selected in 2003 by Lockheed Martin to develop and produce the Eagle Eye TR916 Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle system to provide surveillance and reconnaissance as part of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Deepwater Program. Bell will deliver 45 Eagle Eye UAVs and 33 ground control stations (GCS) to Lockheed Martin who will integrate the UAV system into the Deepwater system of systems. Current plans call for first flight of the first TR916 Unmanned Air Vehicle system in 4th Qtr 2008.
Aurora Flight Sciences is a leading developer of unmanned aircraft technology for research, defense and homeland security organizations. For more than 17 years, Aurora Flight Sciences has expanded the limits of unmanned flight through the design and manufacture of innovative aircraft. Aurora Flight Sciences’ West Virginia and Mississippi facilities specialize in the manufacture composite and metal aerostructures for manned and unmanned aircraft.
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3M Scientist Mark Debe Wins Department of Energy R&D Award
The U.S. Department of Energy (D.O.E.) has presented its 2006 Hydrogen Program R&D Award for Outstanding Achievement in Fuel Cell R&D to 3M senior staff scientist Mark Debe.
Dr. Debe is heading a 3M research team operating under a cooperative agreement between the D.O.E. and 3M to improve the performance, cost and durability of membrane exchange assemblies (MEAs), a critical component of hydrogen fuel cells. The team's goal is to develop MEAs that will help make fuel cells a practical option for powering cars and other vehicles by the next decade.
MEAs convert hydrogen fuel and air into electricity and water in the fuel cell system. At several recent fuel cell industry conferences, Debe's team has reported that coating membranes with 3M's nanostructured, thin-film electrocatalyst has produced more robust performance with less platinum by reducing the loss of surface area under repetitive high-voltage cycling. The new catalyst also completely eliminates the carbon corrosion that affects conventional electrocatalysts.
In addition, the team has reported on a new 3M membrane, developed in part under the cooperative agreement, that meets 5,000-hour-lifetime targets under laboratory tests.
Debe, a 3M employee since 1978, helped launch the company's development of fuel cell components in the Science Research Laboratory in 1995. He holds a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Wisconsin, where he specialized in surface science.
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EDS Names Suparno Banerjee To Lead Global Government Industry Group
Suparno Banerjee has been named global leader of EDS’ Government Industry group. He currently leads the Government Industry group for the Americas and Asia.
Banerjee joined EDS in 2003 with more than 20 years of experience managing information technology services in both the government and commercial sectors. His background includes developing and implementing a wide range of solution strategies, business transformation, systems integration and portal strategies supporting governmental agencies.
Banerjee has worked with multiple governments at the national and state level, as well as with international financial agencies in telecommunications, manufacturing and distribution industries.
Prior to joining EDS, Banerjee was a director with the Federal Practice of Deloitte Consulting. He was also a principal with IBM Global Services, where he was the industry leader of IBM’s solutions consulting operations in EMEA with responsibility for developing strategy, consulting capabilities, sales and execution of strategic projects in e-commerce, e-services focused on finance and administration for governmental entities.
Banerjee holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in business administration from the Indian Institute of Management.
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Fujitsu, NEC Electronics, Renesas, and Toshiba to Aim for Standardization of Semiconductor Process Technology for Next-Generation LSI
Representatives of Fujitsu Limited, NEC Electronics Corporation, Renesas Technology Corp., and Toshiba Corporation announced Tuesday that they have agreed to seek to define a standard process technology that can be applied to the manufacture of advanced system LSIs at the 45-nanometer (nm) generation and beyond.
The joint program will define a basic standard for certain aspects of the process technology that will enable each company to have easier access to the intellectual property (IP) and libraries of others, in consideration of possible shared use of one another's wafer fabs and potential integration of fabs in the future. Following technical studies, the companies will strive to define the standardized specifications by the end of this year.
Success in defining a basic standard has the potential to promote cross use of IP and libraries mond the participants, improve fab operating rates, and facilitate large-scale capital investments among the companies. The framework is expected to boost the overall efficiency of the companies as well as the Japanese semiconductor industry.
In consideration of Advanced Process Semiconductor Foundry Planning Co. Ltd's recommendations emphasizing the importance of process technology standardization at the 45nm generation and beyond, the four companies will strive toward this end.
