Endress+Hauser has again enjoyed strong growth in 2012. Despite ongoing global economic uncertainty, the Group expects this positive trend to continue this year.

"2012 was not an easy year," underlined CEO Klaus Endress. In some markets sales dropped, but in many others the Group recorded growth. "In the end we only just missed our ambitious targets." Endress+Hauser increased net sales by 11 percent to almost 1.7 billion euros. Owing to a higher tax rate, net income rose by only 3 percent to 183 million euros, which is nevertheless a new record.

As CFO Dr Luc Schultheiss explained, the Endress+Hauser Group was able to further strengthen its financial power. Equity was increased by three percentage points to over 73 percent. Endress+Hauser showed growth across all regions, with exceptionally good developments in the Americas. "Key drivers behind our growth are megatrends such as energy, resources and efficiency, food, water and demography," emphasized COO Michael Ziesemer, the CEO's deputy.

More than 650 new jobs worldwide: By the end of 2012 Endress+Hauser employed 10,066 people worldwide – 652 more than the previous year. 272 employees joined the company in Europe, with 162 in the German-French-Swiss region around Basel. The fact that headcount passed the 10,000 mark last year is owed to the acquisition of SpectraSensors. The US company with about 90 employees develops, manufactures and markets laser-based gas analyzers. Endress+Hauser also strengthened its calibration business with a share in the Irish CompuCal Calibration Solutions.

At 127 million euros the Group's investments have reached a new high. Most of this was spent on expanding production facilities. By no means the biggest but certainly the most important project was a new production facility in Itatiba near São Paulo.

A new sales center in Saudi Arabia began to operate in 2012. Another example of stronger activity in the Middle East was the opening of a sales office in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. In addition, Endress+Hauser opened a representative office in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City. At the turn of the year a sales center was founded in Indonesia. A further sales center is to follow in Algeria in the coming year – the 46th sales company in the Endress+Hauser network.

KBR (NYSE: KBR) today announced it was awarded a contract by Pacific NorthWest LNG Ltd., a subsidiary of Malaysia’s state-owned oil company (PETRONAS) and Japan Petroleum Exploration Co., Ltd. (JAPEX), to execute front-end engineering and design (FEED) and early detailed engineering work for a world-scale LNG export facility at Lelu Island near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. KBR is partnered with JGC Corporation for the project.

The purpose of the project is to process shale gas produced from British Columbia’s North Montney region into LNG that is suitable for export. The contract calls for FEED and early detailed engineering work for a two-train LNG plant with a yearly capacity of 12 million tons and associated shipping facilities. Associated facilities include utilities, storage, loading, ship berthing and personnel accommodation facilities. This project allows KBR to build on our extensive Canadian experience and resources including work that is already on-going in other parts of British Columbia.

"We are pleased to play an important role in this world-scale facility. This award is further indication of KBR's position as a leading provider of gas monetization solutions for our clients around the world," said Mitch Dauzat President, KBR Gas Monetization. "We look forward to working with Pacific NorthWest and our partner JGC Corporation on this historic LNG export facility."

With incoming orders up by 35% and a 4% growth in sales, HIMA has in the last year further expanded its position as a global safety solution provider. The above-average number of orders received during the first quarter suggests that a double-digit growth in sales can be expected for the current year.

In financial year 2012, incoming orders were up 35% over the previous year. Most of the growth came from Europe, the United States and Asia Pacific, with substantial increases in large-scale projects. Sales rose 4% to 90 million euro. Of this increase, 28% were generated in Germany, 30% in the rest of Europe and 42% in non-European countries. Double-digit sales growth is planned for 2013. During the first quarter of 2013, HIMA achieved a record level of incoming orders, up 60% over the previous year.

With close to 100 new jobs being created worldwide in 2012, HIMA today has over 800 employees. Further new appointments are planned for the current financial year. Global expansion continues to progress. A further expansion of sales and engineering services, primarily in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and South America regions, is planned for the current financial year.

Contributing to HIMA`s growth are diverse development activities and product innovations for the process industry, rail industry and machine safety. Today, over 33,000 HIMA systems are installed in the process industry alone. Integrated application solutions for turbo machines and compressors, burner control and boiler protection systems, and for the management of gas and liquid fuel pipelines are successfully established on the market.

HIMA`s broad sector approach, worldwide presence with group companies and representatives in over 50 countries, and the economic and entrepreneurial independence of this fourth-generation family business all contribute to the company`s success.

Technip was awarded by Statoil an engineering, procurement, construction and installation lump-sum contract for the Norne field development, located in the Norwegian Sea at a water depth of approximately 380 meters.

The contract covers the:

• engineering and fabrication of two flexible smoothbore gas export risers*,
• marine operations to remove one existing roughbore riser connecting the Norne floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit with the gas export pipeline, and replace it with one of the new flexible smoothbore risers,
• provision of the second flexible smoothbore gas export riser on a reel to Statoil as spare for future use.

Technip’s operating center in Oslo, Norway will execute the contract which is scheduled for completion in the second half of 2014. Fabrication of the risers will take place in the Group’s Flexi France plant in Le Trait, France. Offshore installation will be notably executed with the Normand Progress, a flexible pipelay vessel from Technip fleet.

Technip’s patented leading flexible smoothbore riser technology eliminates noise and vibration issues, reduces pressure losses as well as need for compression (being an overall benefit to the environment) and helps increase the overall capacity of the system.