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In brief

01 November, 2003

Siemens and Fuji Electric have formed a global partnership covering the process automation market. They will join forces on selling and marketing products such as DCS (distributed control systems), MES (manufacturing execution systems), and field instruments, and will jointly develop and manufacture the next generation of products. Siemens hopes that the partnership will help it to penetrate the Japanese market, while Fuji will use Siemens` global sales network to distribute its products more widely.

Tyco International is selling more than 50 businesses, laying off 7,200 staff, and consolidating 219 facilities, in an effort to cut costs, simplify its operations, and focus on its core businesses. It has not identified which businesses it is selling, but says they have combined annual sales of $2.1bn.

NanoMuscle, the Californian company developing a low-cost rival to linear actuators and small motors, has raised $16m of funding from sources around the world including Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler, and the world`s largest toy manufacturer, China-based Jetta. The technology is based on shape memory alloys.