The board of directors of Houston-based FMC Technologies Inc. appointed Douglas J. Pferdehirt president in addition to COO. Pferdehirt assumes the president’s responsibilities from John T. Gremp, who remains chairman and CEO. Pferdehirt previously served as executive vice president and COO.

Brantley Bass joined Cleveland-based C.A. Litzler Co. Inc. in a new composites machinery sales position. Bass has more than 25 years of experience in the advanced composites industry working with glass, carbon, aramid and other high performance fibers, fabrics and prepreg materials.

Yokogawa Corp. of America, Sugar Land, Texas, named Daniel L. Duncan president and CEO of Yokogawa’s North American operations, responsible for all day-to-day operations. Chet Mroz, former president and CEO of Yokogawa Corp. of America, has transitioned into the role of executive advisor for strategy and innovation, where he will support the globalization efforts and the industrial automation growth initiatives for Yokogawa Electric.
     In other company news, Yokogawa Electric donated more than $16,000 (¥2 million) to support relief efforts following the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25. The contribution is being made through Japan Platform, an internationally active humanitarian aid organization providing sustainable assistance.

Bill Crooks joined Grundfos Pumps Corp. as customer service center director, responsible for overseeing customer service and applications engineering teams at the company’s facility in Olathe, Kan.

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Dimplex Thermal Solutions, the North American chiller manufacturer of Koolant Koolers, announced three manufacturing representative partnerships in the industrial sector. Centro Inc. represents Dimplex Thermal Solutions as part of its Process Filtration division in Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama. Engineered Equipment Inc. represents Dimplex in Arizona and New Mexico. Technical Industrial Sales Inc. represents Dimplex in Puerto Rico and all of the Caribbean islands.

Brian McClure was named executive vice president for the United States and Mexico at Toronto-based Winters Instruments. Based in Houston, McClure will be responsible for sales and operations in the United States and Mexico.

Spirax Sarco Inc., Blythewood, S.C., updated its condensate recovery brochure, which describes solutions to efficiently remove and recover condensate under all operating conditions. The 19-page guide covers condensate mechanical fluid pumps, automatic pump traps, electric condensate pumps, pump packages and flash recovery vessels. Request or download it at www.spiraxsarco.com/us.

Roger Guillemette, founder of Guill Tool & Engineering, West Warwick, R.I., passed away on June 29. Guillemette founded Guill Tool in 1962 and patented many products, mostly in extrusion tooling. He served as company CEO until shortly before his death.

Munters AB, Kista, Sweden, signed a definitive agreement to acquire HB Group, an international company that specializes in customized hygienic climate control systems for the food and dairy industries. HB Group has locations in Almelo, the Netherlands, and a joint venture in Hrusky, Czech Republic.

Schuler AG, a member of international technology group Andritz, signed a contract for the acquisition of a 51 percent stake in the Chinese press and machine tool manufacturer Yangzhou Metal Forming Machine Tool Co., Ltd. (Yadon), in Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province.