Emerson CEO participates in Innovation Days of South Ural conference spotlighting collaboration of government, education and business community to promote investment in Chelyabinsk region
Chelyabinsk, Russia, April 13, 2011 – Emerson (NYSE: EMR) today announced it has signed a new cooperation agreement with South Ural State University to support and promote research, teaching and training related to advanced manufacturing processes, with a special focus on process automation technologies for the oil and gas industry.
David N. Farr, Emerson’s chairman and chief executive officer, was in Chelyabinsk today to sign the agreement and participate in the Innovation Days of South Ural conference to reinforce the company’s commitment to the region by developing local engineering and production capacity. Emerson has set a target to double its sales across Russia and the CIS countries by 2015.
The Innovation Days of South Ural conference was organized by the Chelyabinsk regional government, South Ural State University and Emerson to showcase how collaboration of the local government, the university and a major global company is helping create economic growth and opportunity in the region.
Farr participated in the opening of a new laboratory at the university that features Emerson’s PlantWeb™ digital plant architecture, including Smart Wireless technologies. South Ural State University is the first university in Russia and the CIS to have Smart Wireless technology available for instructional and research purposes. Farr also visited a new production line in Chelyabinsk for the company’s Fisher® control valves which are used in manufacturing operations, power plants, and oil and gas pipelines.
Emerson, through its Emerson Process Management business, has had a significant presence in the Chelyabinsk region since 2004 when it become an investor in and partner of Metran Industrial Group, based in Chelyabinsk. In 2009, Emerson fully acquired Metran and made it part of its Emerson Process Management business.
Since then Emerson has made significant investments in Chelyabinsk, including the establishment of a Global Engineering Center and partnering with South Ural State University on various research and training initiatives. More than 900 of Emerson’s 1,500 employees across Russia and the CIS are in Chelyabinsk, and many of Emerson’s engineers in Chelyabinsk are South Ural State University graduates.
In recognition of Emerson’s support of the university and commitment to the Chelyabinsk region, South Ural State University awarded Farr an honorary professorship. Farr delivered a keynote address to students and invited guests at the university and participated in a news conference with Mikhail Yurevich, Chelyabinsk Region governor, and Aleksandr Shestakov, South Ural State University rector.
“Our company has found Chelyabinsk offers the right combination of a supportive local government, a well-regarded university and a skilled workforce that enable us to grow, innovate and serve an expanding list of customers in Russia and throughout the CIS,” said Farr. “It is an honor to be recognized by one of Russia’s top universities and I am pleased that we will be extending our cooperation agreement with the university to continue to drive product innovation and workforce training in the region.”
The Chelyabinsk regional government also sees innovation as one of the strengths of the South Ural economy. “Our actions are focused on increasing the competitive advantages for all industries in our region by promoting innovation and creating favorable conditions for business development that attract world-class global companies like Emerson,” said Mikhail Yurevich, Chelyabinsk’s region governor.
Moving from a raw material-based economy to a high-technology orientation requires not only supportive governmental policies but also strong and vibrant research universities, such as South Ural State University, which is focused on the sciences and technology. “South Ural State University is an innovation-focused university that is investing resources in state-of-the-art equipment, such as supercomputing and nanotechnology, to train the workforce of tomorrow,” said Aleksandr Shestakov, South Ural State University rector. “With our cooperative agreement with Emerson, South Ural State University is better able to educate and train students who will become the next generation of highly skilled specialists needed to foster scientific innovation and economic growth, not only in the Chelyabinsk region, but throughout the Ural Federal District.”
About Emerson Process Management
Emerson Process Management (www.EmersonProcess.com), an Emerson business, is a leader in helping businesses automate their production, processing, and distribution in the chemical, oil and gas, refining, pulp and paper, power, water and wastewater treatment, mining and metals, food and beverage, life sciences, and other industries. The company combines superior products and technology with industry-specific engineering, consulting, project management, and maintenance services. Its brands include PlantWeb™, Syncade™, DeltaV™, Fisher®, Micro Motion®, Rosemount®, Daniel™, Ovation™, and AMS Suite.
Emerson became an investor and strategic partner of Chelyabinsk-based Metran in 2004 and fully acquired Metran in 2009. Metran designs and produces measurement instrumentation, asset optimization tools, metrological equipment and integrated system solutions. These innovative products are used in the Chelyabinsk region and across Russia and the CIS countries ensuring more effective use of energy resources, improving environmental and technological safety of operations, and helping companies reduce costs and produce high quality products.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), based in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global leader in bringing technology and engineering together to create innovative solutions for customers through its network power, process management, industrial automation, climate technologies, and appliance and tools businesses. Sales in fiscal 2010 were US$21 billion. For more information, visit www.Emerson.com.
