Plastiki, the boat made from 13,000 plastic bottles. Photo credit: The New York Times.

We like eco-innovations around here; we follow a solar-powered airplane, a chocolate-fueled race car and even a bio-fueled speed boat.  With our own environmental innovations breaking new ground in established industries (see here, here or here), we are always on the lookout for those also pushing the boundaries – like Plastiki.

After three years of planning, research and construction, the Plastiki – a boat made of 13,000 recycled plastic bottles – will set sail from San Francisco on an 11,000 mile journey to Sydney. The point?  To raise awareness about global waste.  The entire boat is built of materials that can be recycled after the voyage and is an entirely close-looped system.  That is, it generates its own energy and water and manages its own waste.  Solar panels and wind turbines provide energy, rainwater is collected by the roof, and the deck’s non-slip surfaces are comprised of a mix if cashew nuts, sugar and sand.

As far as the creators and crew are concerned, even if they don’t make it to Australia, “[they've] already achieved so much in [their] innovations.”  While we heartily agree, we are also pulling for their successful voyage.  Stay tuned!

Having released 2009′s 4Q report yesterday, we have a respectable Order Intake and a strong Order Book.  Order Intake was €54.7 million, a 51.9 % increase over Q4 2008 and the year-end Order Book was €65.4 million, a 41.9% increase over 2008. Naturally, these numbers give us a renewed optimism as we head into 2010.

Most notable, the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain selected us to supply and integrate a range of environmentally sounds ground service equipment for remote aircraft aprons at Bahrain International Airport – a deal worth roughly €30 million.

Read more about the Bahrain deal or the full 4Q report here.

Cavotec Connectors, is opening new premises in Staffanstorp, southern Sweden. Established in 1991, Cavotec Connectors became part of global engineering group, Cavotec MSL, six years later. It began with just two people, but has now grown to a staff of 18. Cavotec Connectors designs and produces electrical power connectors, power supply connectors, power cable connectors and rotating electrical power connectors with capacities of up to 600Amp, 15 000V.

The engineering expertise developed at Cavotec Connectors sees application across a broad range of sectors including ports, airports, mining and tunnelling, the oil and gas industry and general industry sectors. Major customers include ABB, Konecranes, Atlas Copco, Sandvik, Hyundai, Bombardier, Mitsubishi, NCC, Skanska and Siemens.

The company supplies shore-to-ship power systems that power container vessels and cruise ships, where power demand is frequently equivalent to that of a small town. Cavotec connectors are used in shore power installations at the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and in Alaska, and for ferries in Stockholm, Gotheburg and Helsingborg and ports in Australia and China.

Cavotec Connectors also designs and manufactures power supply systems for tunnelling and mining applications in Africa, China, Central and South America and the Channel Tunnel between France and the UK.

A recent piece in The Economist predicts that 2010 should be the “hottest year on record.” It also acknowledges that this “may seem implausible at the moment as northern Europe, Asia and parts of America shiver in the snow.”

According to the article, there are a few factors driving this prediction. One is El Niño, a phenomenon in which “the tropical Pacific is currently dumping heat” that has been stored in the sea back into the atmosphere. The past few years, we have experienced the opposite phenomenon – the cooling Nina.

Additionally, “the sun fluctuates over an 11-year cycle” and 2009 the sun was at the bottom of the cycle. Hence the expectation for the sun to begin to re-brighten.

In the dead of winter, the potential heat sounds promising.  But it will be interesting to see if 2010 is in fact the hottest year on record and the resulting implications.

As proud PEMA members, we are always happy to welcome new members, this time with the three latest.

1. Nexans: a worldwide leader in the cable industry, offering an extensive range of cables and cabling systems. The Group is present in 39 countries and provides solutions for the energy, transport, telecom, shipbuilding, oil and gas, nuclear power, automotive, electronics, aeronautics, handling and automation sectors.

2. AME: is a specialist provider of active transponders, safety systems and access control systems for the ports sector and a broad range of industries. AME’s areas of specialisation include sensors, antennae, front-end solutions for millimeter wave and microwave applications; data acquisition and processing of digital signals, communication protocols, wireless systems, MW / RF short range for industrial automation and network communication; Bluetooth, software interfaces and multimedia systems.

3. SICK AG: one of the world’s leading producers of sensors and sensor solutions for industrial applications, including factory, logistics automation and process automation. In the global ports market, SICK’s scanners help terminal operators improve safety by reducing the probability of collisions between cranes, vehicles and goods. SICK products are also widely used to assist in the positioning of cranes and containers.

PEMA’s membership has grown steadily over the past year.