Pentair PLC will buy two small water-treatment companies that cater to the residential market for about $280 million combined, company officials announced Monday. Pentair, which is based in England but largely managed from Golden Valley, plans to acquire Florida-based Pelican Water Systems for $120 million in cash. Pelican Water generates about $38 million in annual revenue, has 79 employees and makes “whole home” water-treatment systems. That deal is subject to regulatory approval but is expected to close during the first quarter of this year. Pentair officials said in a statement that the addition of Pelican was expected to “strengthen Pentair’s business by providing new growth opportunities” with innovative products and its multichannel approach to consumer water- treatment solutions. Pentair also plans to buy the 65-year-old Chicago area firm Aquion for $160 million in cash also during the first quarter. Aquion has 170 employees, $72 million in annual … [Read more...] about Pentair to spend $280 million in deals for two residential water firms
Water
A ‘smart bra’ and a different kind of water machine: cool and curious tech devices from CES
Here are some of the cool gadgets that Euronews has spotted at this year's consumer electronics show in Las Vegas. CES draws together over 4,500 companies and 180,000 attendees from around the world for a celebration of technology and innovation. AI pet food bowl A pet food bowl that uses artificial intelligence to make sure the right furry beast gets the treats is one of the many cool and curious creations being unveiled at CES in Las Vegas this week. The Mookkie, from Italian firm Volta AI, won a CES Innovation Award for its use of facial recognition technology, used in a bowl able to spot which cat or dog is approaching to then open or close the food hatch accordingly. The firm is aiming the product at anyone with two or more pets at home who compete for food. Its goal is to make sure your fat cat doesn't get any fatter. A new kind of water machine A water machine that extracts water from the air in a car also made its debut. The machine, which can be directly integrated into a … [Read more...] about A ‘smart bra’ and a different kind of water machine: cool and curious tech devices from CES
Local officials in Washington, DC, joked about cutting off the White House’s running water after the shutdown forced the federal government to delay paying its bill
The federal government is unable to pay some of its water bill to the city of Washington, DC, due to the federal government shutdown. DC Water officials joked about cutting off the White House’s water due to the delinquency on Tuesday, according to local radio station WAMU. A DC Water spokesperson told WAMU that the utility has the right to cut off any customers water after 30 days of nonpayment, but that it is a final resort and unlikely to actually happen to the White House. The government shutdown could quite literally leave President Donald Trump and the White House high and dry. According to WAMU, a local radio station, DC Water officials joked about cutting off the White House’s water supply during a meeting on Tuesday, due to the federal government’s inability to pay its full bill. Matthew Brown, chief financial officer at DC Water, told members at their meeting that the Treasury Department informed the board that $US5 million of the federal … [Read more...] about Local officials in Washington, DC, joked about cutting off the White House’s running water after the shutdown forced the federal government to delay paying its bill
All wet: Taxpayers tapped for $1.1 million on state workers’ bottled water
By Mary Markos | [email protected] | Boston HeraldPUBLISHED: January 8, 2019 at 10:30 pm | UPDATED: January 9, 2019 at 6:04 am Taxpayers are picking up the $1.1 million tab for state workers to drink bottled water, an approximate 23-percent increase in the past five years. “That’s a tremendous waste of resources and money,” said Kirstie Pecci, director of the Zero Waste Project at the Conservation Law Foundation. “That’s amazing to me.” Pecci said it would “make much more sense” to install water refill stations for people to use in various government buildings, which would “save the state a lot of money in the long run,” and benefit the environment. The state’s spending on bottled water and rental costs for equipment have steadily climbed by more than $200,000 over the past five years. In 2014, the state spent $892,843, followed by $920,272 in 2015, $913,806 in 2016, $1.17 million in 2017 and $1.1 million in … [Read more...] about All wet: Taxpayers tapped for $1.1 million on state workers’ bottled water
Three Indonesian crew members abducted in Congo waters released
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Three Indonesian members of a ship crew, abducted in the waters of Congo on October 29, 2018, were released and reunited with their families in Indonesia. The three Indonesians were released in an unidentified region in Nigeria, north of the Congo waters on Jan 2, and arrived in Jakarta on Jan 4. "They have been reunited with their families," Director of Indonesian Citizen Protection of the Foreign Affairs Ministry Lalu Muhammad Iqbal noted after the annual press statement of the Foreign Affairs Minister here on Wednesday, Jan 9. In addition to the Indonesian crew members, a Ukrainian was also released. The Singapore-flagged supply ship Ark Tze, with 15 crew members onboard, comprising 12 Indonesians, two Myanmari citizens, and one Ukrainian, was hijacked while passing through the Congo waters in October 2018. The pirates abducted one Ukrainian and three Indonesian crew members and moved them to a Panama-flagged tanker ship Anuket Amber that they had … [Read more...] about Three Indonesian crew members abducted in Congo waters released