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In Brief

01 March, 2004

Johnson Electric, the Hong-Kong-based motor manufacturer which claims to be the world`s largest volume supplier of automotive motors, has set up an engineering and production centre in Moncalieri, Italy. The centre will employ more than 50 experts working on brushless motors and controls for automotive HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning) applications.

Allied Motion Technologies has acquired the Owosso Corporation, whose sole operating subsidiary, Stature Electric, manufactures fractional and integral horsepower motors, gear-motors, and motor parts, mainly for OEMs. Allied is paying $14m for the business as part of its strategy to expand its motion activities. In the year to October 2003, Stature`s income was $17.7m.

ABB has announced that Fred Kindle, currently chief executive of Sulzer, will become the company`s new chief executive and president with effect from January 2005. Kindle, 44, will join ABB in September. Jürgen Dormann, ABB`s current chief executive, will become chairman when Kindle takes up his new post.

• US cabling specialists Belden and Cable Design Technologies are merging to create a $1.3bn business called Belden CDT, which will have its headquarters in St Louis. The combined business, described as "a merger of equals", will focus on products for electronics and data networking applications.

• The Fluke Corporation has acquired the German electrical test instrument company Beha, and plans to make the acquisition the centre for its European electrical business. Beha makes voltage, continuity, appliance and machinery testers, as well as cable locators and digital tachometers. Fluke will continue to produce the products, sold under the Unitest, Uniwatt, Behacom and Ireland Meter brand names.

• The Swedish company Hexagon has bought Giddings and Lewis` US-based CMM (co-ordinate measuring machine) business, which is to be renamed Sheffield Measurement Inc.