Industry News
Bath Iron Works Awarded $257 Million to Complete DDG 1000 ZUMWALT Class Detail Design
The U.S. Navy has awarded Bath Iron Works a $257.4 million contract option to complete the detail design of the DDG 1000 ZUMWALT Class Destroyer. The contract being modified was awarded in August 2006; this option exercise brings the total value of the Bath Iron Works detail-design effort to $337.4 million.
Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, is a leader in surface combatant design and construction; it employs approximately 5,600 people.
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Lockheed Martin Receives $166 Million Contract for Rocket System
Lockheed Martin has received a $166 million contract to provide 44 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) to the U.S. Army and 16 to the U.S. Marine Corps.
Work on the contract will be performed at the company’s facilities in Camden, AR, and Grand Prairie, TX, and is scheduled for completion in February 2009.
HIMARS can accommodate the entire family of Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) munitions, including all variants of the Guided MLRS rocket and ATACMS missiles. Designed to enable troops to engage and defeat artillery, air defense concentrations, trucks, light armor and personnel carriers, as well as support troop and supply concentrations, HIMARS can move away from the area at high speed following missile launch, well before enemy forces are able to locate the launch site.
Because of its C-130 transportability, HIMARS can be deployed into areas previously inaccessible to heavier launchers and provides a force multiplier to the modular brigade. It also incorporates the self-loading, autonomous features that have made MLRS the premier rocket artillery system in the world. HIMARS carries a single six-pack of MLRS rockets, or one ATACMS missile. Its fire control system, electronics and communications units are interchangeable with the existing MLRS M270A1 launcher, and the crew and training are the same. HIMARS prototypes were successfully employed in Operations Iraqi Freedom.
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European Space Agency Signs $97 Million Agreement with EDS for Management of IT Infrastructure and Services
Representatives of EDS announced a new, five-year, $97 million contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) that calls for EDS to manage the ESA’s Corporate Information Technology (IT) Services and related infrastructure.
ESA’s job is to draw up the European space program and carry it through. The Agency’s projects are designed to find out more about the Earth, its immediate space environment, the solar system and the Universe, as well as to develop satellite-based technologies and services and to promote European industry. ESA also works closely with all major space organizations inside and outside Europe.
As the prime contractor, EDS will manage a group of leading European vendors, each with significant business presence in ESA member states, to deliver an end-to-end IT services model that will improve service, decrease costs and enable synergies across the ESA. The vendor team includes Orange Business Services, Atos Origin, Elsag/Finmeccanica Group, Vitrociset, Telindus, and Terma.
Collectively, the team will manage the agency’s desktop, messaging and mobile computing environment for more than 4,000 internal users of the Agency, servers and applications infrastructure, and local and wide-area networks. The service solution has been designed together with the following EDS Agility Alliance partners: Sun Microsystems, Cisco Systems, Xerox, EMC, Dell, Oracle and Microsoft.
The group will also provide information and communication technology (ICT) security, including firewall management, authentication and antivirus services, and helpdesk services for all internal users plus over 6,000 external business partners requiring access to Agency information.
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EDS Names Derganc to Lead Global Business Development
Representatives of EDS said it has named Christopher Derganc vice president of Global Corporate Business Development.
Derganc, who joins EDS from Unisys Corporation, will report to Paul Currie, executive vice president of Corporate Strategy and Business Development and be responsible for identifying, recommending and driving merger, acquisition and divestiture opportunities across EDS' global operations.
Prior to joining EDS, Derganc was vice president and managing partner leading Unisys' corporate-wide effort to divest non-strategic businesses. He joined Unisys in 1999 and held a series of increasingly important leadership positions including vice president – Corporate Strategy and Development and managing partner – Global Industries Operations.
Derganc, who earned BA and BAS degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh, also served as senior vice president – Corporate Development for Advanta Corporation before joining Unisys. In addition, Derganc was a partner in Coopers & Lybrand's Financial Advisory Services group, where he led a wide variety of consulting engagements involving mergers, acquisitions and business reorganizations.
Previously Derganc served on the boards of directors of Vehicle Information Network, Lifesafety Solutions, and Consumers Car Club.
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Ericsson Finalizes Acquisition of Redback Networks
Representatives of Ericsson announced the completion of the merger of its indirect wholly-owned subsidiary, Maxwell Acquisition Corporation, with and into Redback Networks Inc. with Redback surviving the merger as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ericsson.
The merger follows the successful completion of the tender offer by Ericsson for all of the shares of Redback for the price of 25.00 USD per share. At the time the merger became effective, Ericsson owned in excess of 90% of Redback's issued and outstanding shares.
As a result of the merger, any Redback shares not tendered in the tender offer have been converted into the right to receive 25.00 USD per share. In addition, warrants to purchase Redback shares have been converted into the right to receive a cash payment equal to their net exercise value, based upon the 25.00 USD per share merger consideration. American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, which is acting as paying agent for the merger, will mail materials to non-tendering shareholders and holders of warrants to be used to surrender certificates for the merger consideration. Notwithstanding the completion of the merger, Ericsson will pay for shares tendered via guaranteed delivery procedures promptly after delivery of those shares.
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U.S. Navy, Nortel to Cooperate on Secure Wireless R&D
Nortel Government Solutions, a U.S. company wholly owned by Nortel, will work with the U.S. Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center San Diego (SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego) to create a comprehensive wireless security architecture for military use under a cooperative research and development agreement announced this week.
The agreement includes establishment of a lab at the SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego to focus on designing a secure, multi-spectrum wireless network for fixed and mobile voice and data communications that meets all requirements of U.S. Department of Defense Directive 8100.2.
Wireless technologies to be integrated into the lab at SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego will initially include Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g), GSM and WiMAX (802.16d). MIMO, OFDM and other 4G (fourth-generation) wireless technologies will be added in the future.
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3M Acquires Industrial Adhesives Product Line from Chemence Inc.
Representatives of 3M announced it has acquired the Rite-Lok global industrial adhesives product line from Chemence Inc., a specialty chemical company that manufactures a range of consumer and industrial adhesives. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Complementary acquisitions such as this support 3M’s growth strategy to expand its core adhesives business.
The complete Rite-Lok brand product line includes anaerobic threadlockers, retaining compounds, gasket makers, thread sealants, structural adhesives, and specialty cyanoacrylate instant adhesives for industrial use such as metal bonding, plastics and rubber. The product line also includes high-temperature, low-odor industrial adhesives, and rubber-toughened flexible adhesives.
