Orseal supplied the valve package for the FPSO Guanabara MV31, chartered by Petrobras for the Libra consortium's Mero field in the Santos Basin off Brazil. The first valve delivery has been completed, with more contracts for the vessel to follow.

Packaging maker Box Print will expand its plant in Campo Bom, Brazil, with a new 3,200 m² building and about R$10 million investment, backed by a municipal incentive of up to R$250,000. Headcount is planned to rise from 216 to more than 257 by 2024.

Orseal has completed delivery of the first of two valve package contracts for the FPSO Guanabara MV31 at the Mero field in the Libra block, Santos Basin, offshore Brazil. The report is dated 16 October 2019.

Orseal, an industrial valve solutions provider, has completed delivery of the first of two valve package contracts for the FPSO Guanabara MV31, to be deployed in 2021 at the Mero field in Brazil's Santos Basin.

Weatherford has won its largest-ever contract for deep-set safety valves from Petrobras, to deliver 24 Optimax safety valves over the next four years. The valves are rated up to 10,000 psi and setting depths down to 12,000 ft.

WestRock is investing a further US$345 million in expanding its paper mill in Três Barras, Santa Catarina. The article dates this plan to its October 2019 announcement.

WestRock officially opened its corrugated packaging plant in Porto Feliz, São Paulo state, on 3 October 2019, with annual capacity of 400 million square metres and an investment of US$125 million. The output of the Valinhos plant was moved to the new site.

WestRock Brasil announced a R$ 10 million investment at its Pacajus corrugated packaging plant in Ceará to add new production equipment, including a corrugator, two printers and a material handling system, lifting capacity and quality.

An affiliate of HIG Capital has completed the acquisition of Nadir Figueiredo Industria e Comercio, Brazil's largest glass tableware producer, in a deal valued at approximately BRL 1 billion.

Nestlé Brasil is investing R$45 million to install three new ready-to-drink NESCAU production lines at its Feira de Santana factory in Bahia, with capacity up to 75,000 tonnes per year. The lines are due to start in the first half of 2020 and will create about 140 jobs.

Bracell Group presented its R$7 billion (about EUR 1.66 billion) Project Star to expand dissolving pulp production at Lencois Paulista, Sao Paulo state, due for completion by end-2021. The operation phase will employ about 4,000 permanent workers.

Whirlpool Corporation has completed the sale of its Embraco compressor business in Brazil and worldwide to Japanese motor maker Nidec. The deal was first announced in April 2018.

Thyssenkrupp has expanded its camshaft unit in Poços de Caldas, Minas Gerais, Brazil, to meet rising automotive demand, as reported on 25 June 2019. The plant was opened in late 2015 and has 20 robots.

JBS will invest about 100 million reais in building a metal packaging factory and modernising its Lins unit in Sao Paulo state, with about 80 million reais going to the new plant that will make steel and aluminium cans. Operation is planned for the first half of 2020.

Aker Solutions is developing low-cost wet Christmas trees at its Parana plant, designed to be up to 30% more competitive, with the project developed with Shell and Petrobras and expected to be ready in two years.

Aker Solutions celebrated delivery of the first subsea equipment for Equinor's North Sea operations under a contract for 124 subsea modules worth R$1.7 billion, of which R$100 million is executed at its Sao Jose dos Pinhais plant in Parana, Brazil.

Amcor is reinstalling a food packaging production line in Pouso Alegre, Minas Gerais, relocated from Goiania, to supply Unilever mayonnaise, ketchup and soup lines. Operations are expected to start in July 2019 with an estimated 70 to 100 direct and indirect jobs.

Valmet signed contracts with Klabin S.A. for a kraftliner machine (PM27), a new fiberline, a continuous cooking system and a pulp dryer rebuild, valued at around EUR 260-290 million. Letters of intent for a second kraftliner machine were also signed.

Valmet and Klabin signed letters of intent for a second kraftliner machine (PM28) and a second cooking and fiberline in Brazil, with final agreements expected and delivery to start in May 2021.

Valmet signed contracts with Klabin in Brazil for a kraftliner machine (PM27), a new fiberline, continuous cooking and a pulp dryer rebuild, valued at around EUR 260-290 million and booked in Q2 2019.

Klabin approved its largest-ever investment, the Puma II project, estimated at R$9.1 billion. It includes two kraftliner paper machines with integrated pulp production at its Ortigueira site in Paraná, with total capacity of 920,000 tonnes per year.

Vallourec Soluções Tubulares do Brasil was awarded a contract by TechnipFMC to supply about 12,000 tons of seamless steel rigid line pipe for the Mero 1 pre-salt field in the Libra block. Pipe supply starts at the end of 2019.

The European Commission approved Nidec's proposed acquisition of Whirlpool's Embraco refrigeration compressor business, conditional on Nidec's divestment and investment commitments. The purchase price was $1.08 billion, agreed on 24 April 2018.

Novelis has started work on expanding its Pindamonhangaba plant in São Paulo state, Brazil, with an investment of 650 million reais (about US$167 million) including a rail terminal. The expansion adds 100,000 t/y of rolling capacity and 60,000 t/y of recycled output, with completion expected in 2021.

Danfoss is investing about €1.5 million in an automated water-based paint line in a 700 square metre area of its mobile hydraulics plant in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. The line will bring painting in-house, previously outsourced, and is expected to create new jobs.

TechnipFMC won an engineering, procurement, construction and installation contract from Petrobras for the Mero 1 pre-salt field offshore Brazil, with production expected to start in 2021. The contract value is reported as a range of 500 million to 1 billion dollars.

Siemens Gamesa signed its third turbine supply contract with Voltalia in Brazil for 36 SG 3.4-132 units totalling 128 MW at the Ventos da Serra do Mel 2 wind complex in Rio Grande do Norte, with commissioning planned for 2020.

Suzano Papel e Celulose completed the acquisition of Fibria Celulose from Votorantim Participações, BNDES Participações and other shareholders, creating a larger pulp producer.

thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions won an EPC contract from ArcelorMittal to replace one coke battery at the Tubarão steel plant in Espírito Santo, Brazil, maintaining 600,000 tons per year of coke output. More than 700 jobs will be created at peak construction, which is expected to start in mid-2019.

Westrock inaugurated a mega plant producing corrugated cardboard packaging in Porto Feliz, São Paulo state, Brazil.

Crown Embalagens Metálicas da Amazônia announced a beverage can factory in Rio Verde, Goiás, with investment of R$350 million and more than 600 direct and indirect jobs.

Unilever is investing R$127 million to expand its Pouso Alegre factory in Brazil, transferring Hellmann's and Arisco product lines from Goiás, with 200 direct and 150 indirect jobs and operations starting in 2019.

Videolar-Innova is investing R$500 million to double its styrene monomer plant in Triunfo, Brazil, to 460,000 tonnes per year, with completion expected in 2019.

Smurfit Kappa invested R$24 million in its Uberaba plant in Minas Gerais, Brazil, boosting production by 30% through upgraded conversion equipment. The company plans a more aggressive investment programme in 2019.

Novelis announced a $175 million investment to add 100 kilotonnes of rolling and 60 kilotonnes of recycling capacity at its Pindamonhangaba plant in Brazil, with construction starting February 2019 and completion expected in 2021.

BO Packaging do Brasil said it expects to invest US$1 million in new machines to expand production at its Ponta Grossa plant in the Distrito Industrial, following the new domestic paper supply deal.

Suzano began supplying paperboard to BO Packaging do Brasil for making paper cups at its Ponta Grossa plant. The partnership was celebrated at a ceremony on 7 November 2018.

Klabin is investing R$50 million in 2018 to buy a complete printing and bag production line at its Lages plant in Santa Catarina, increasing capacity by 10%.

WestRock announced approval of a US$345 million investment to expand its paper mill in Três Barras, Santa Catarina, boosting HyPerform kraft paper capacity to about 685k metric tons a year from about 470k. The announcement was made on 4 November 2018.

Petrobras has contracted Aker Solutions to supply a subsea production system and services for the Mero 1 project in the presalt Santos basin offshore Brazil. Equipment deliveries are scheduled for 2020.

SIG expanded its long-term global partnership with Nestle by supplying a filling machine for 500, 750 and 1,000 ml combiblocMidi carton packs for Nestle Brazil's Molico and Ninho UHT milks.

Crown Holdings will invest R$343 million over 12 months to build its first plant in Brazil's Center-West in Goiás, expected to employ 600 people and start operating at the end of 2019. The municipality is to be announced.

Aker Solutions signed a contract with Petrobras to supply a subsea production system and services for the Mero 1 project in Brazil's pre-salt area, with deliveries scheduled for 2020. The contract value was not disclosed.

Novus began full operations at its new plant in the Parque Canoas de Inovação, moving 100% of its Porto Alegre operation there. The first-stage investment is R$20 million, and the factory is about three times larger than the previous one.

NOVUS began operations at a new 5,000+ square meter headquarters and factory in Canoas, Rio Grande do Sul, on October 1, 2018. The R$20 million investment added machinery and is expected to raise factory capacity by 30%.

ABB inaugurated an extension of its Sorocaba factory in São Paulo state, with an investment of R$20 million, to produce electrical distribution, smart grid and digital industrial energy solutions for Brazil and South America.

Packaging maker Rio Bonito Embalagens will invest R$15 million to build a factory in Bonito, Pernambuco, making egg and poultry and fruit packaging. Works start in January 2019 and operations are planned for February 2020, creating about 1,100 direct and indirect jobs.

Alvopetro awarded Enerflex a 10-year contract to build, own, operate and maintain a natural gas treatment facility in Bahia, Brazil. Alvopetro will pay an integrated service fee of US$2.9 million per year, with operation expected by end-2019.

Tristone Flowtech Group launched Tristone Flowtech Brasil Autopecas Ltda in São Paulo in August 2018 to enter the Brazilian automotive market. It plans a local plant of about 5,000 square metres employing 150 people, making engine and battery cooling and aircharge fluid products.

Ebara Corp has merged its wholly-owned Brazilian subsidiaries Thebe Bombas Hidráulicas and Ebara Indústrias Mecânicas e Comércio into a new company, Ebara Bombas América do Sul. The restructuring was reported in September 2018.