♦  Germany’s ZF Friederichshafen is buying the Belgian-based wind turbine gearbox manufacturer Hansen Transmissions for $725.5m. ZF has received agreement from Hansen’s two largest shareholders, Ecofin and the Indian wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy, which bought Hansen in 2006.

♦  Siemens Geared Motors has sold the patents and commercial relationships for its Cavex worm gears to business partners which have set up a new business, Cavex GmbH & Co to handle the products. The efficient, high-torque gears offer high ratios in confined spaces. Siemens no longer regards them as a core technology.

♦  The Indian gear-maker Premium Transmission has acquired Rexnord’s German-based operation, Rexnord Stephan, as part of its strategy to build a global gears business. The business, renamed Premium Stephan, will continue to operate from Hamelin in Germany. It produces geared motors, industrial gearboxes and robotic drive systems.

♦  Eaton is in the final stages of integrating the Moeller group, which it acquired in 2008. The Moeller logo is being replaced by the Eaton logo on all products and packaging and should disappear by the start of 2012.

♦  The CC-Link Partners Association (CPLA) has announced that its membership now exceeds 1,500 and there are more than 8.5 million CC-Link devices installed worldwide. The CLPA, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary, adds that there are now more than 1,100 certified products available from more than 240 suppliers.

♦  The European Commission has approved General Electric’s $3.2bn acquisition of Converteam.