In March 2010, Germany’s Bayerngas GmbH, a subsidiary of the Norweigan oil and gas company Bayerngas Norge, pulled out of a development plan for a “major natural gas filling station which was to have 100 filling stations to service 100,000 cars.”
Schenck Worldwide lists a sales office in Iran. (Company Website)
Noted for conducting business with Iranian banks. (Avi Jorisch, "Iran's dirty banking," 2010)
Rohm USA lists an Iranian distributor on its contact page. (Company website)
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Sakht Abzar Pars Co. Ltd. (SAP), the authorized distributor of Rohm products in Tehran, describes itself as an "engineering and commercial company in the fields of tools, steel material and machinery," and features Rohm on its Tooling Products page. (Iranian distributor website)
Previously sold tunnel-boring equipment to Iran for a water project managed by the IRGC.
Aker Wirth operates in Iran through the WPS Group and previously sold tunnel-boring equipment to Iran for a water project that was managed by the IRGC. (Commentary Magazine, "The Iranian Shell Game," July, 2008)
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“Aker Wirth GmbH develops, manufactures, and sells drilling equipment and machinery in Germany and internationally. It offers tunnel and foundation boring machines for infrastructure projects; core components and solutions for the oil and natural gas industry; and pumping systems for mining and processing industries. The company’s products include draw works, mud pumps, and rotary tables and swivels; full-face tunnel boring, partial excavation, and slurry transport and processing equipment; onshore and offshore foundation, wind energy, and drill string and cutter equipment; and spare parts. It also offers second hand machinery, as well as provides service contacts. The company was formerly known as WIRTH Maschinen- und Bohrgeräte-Fabrik GmbH and changed its name to Aker Wirth GmbH on June 30, 2009. The company was founded in 1895 and is based in Erkelenz, Germany. As of September 4, 2007, Aker Wirth GmbH is a subsidiary of Aker Solutions ASA” (Bloomberg Business Week, "Aker Wirth GmbH – Private Company Information," 2010.)
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In the business of TBMs, “Aker Wirth manufactures and supplies tunnel boring machines for mechanized tunnel driving for all geological conditions and all environmental requirements. Aker Wirth machines are in use in tunnel boring projects all over the world and for the excavation of a wide variety of tunnels” (Mining Technology, Net Resources International, "Aker Wirth - Tunnel Boring Machines, Raise Boring and Full-Face Shaft Boring Machines," 2010).
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Wirth has an Iran office, WPS Group Ltd. (Iranian Wirth Subsidiary)
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An Iranian website features Wirth tunneling projects in Iran, including the Tabriz Metro Project. (Iran Project website)
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Wirth has been involved in completed tunneling projects in Alborz and Ghomrud (World Tunnelling, “Iranian TBMs continue steady march,” December 23, 2009).
“Kadiran Industrial Tools has established on 1985 and now it became on of major Iranians Oil-Gas & Petrochemical Suppliers. Who held huge stock for Iranian market and both technically and commercially able to handle enquiries.” [SIC]
The Kadiran website lists Knuth as one of its suppliers (Kadiran Website).
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On the “Trade Shows” section of its website, Knuth lists 10th Tehran Industry International Exhibition (TIIE 2010) to be held October 6-9, 2010 (Knuth Website). The fair is organized by the Iran International Exhibitions Co. (www.iranfair.com) and the IDRO International Trading Co. (www.idro-fairs.com).
The company will also be participating in numerous American trade shows, including the International Manufacturing Trade Show (IMTS) in Illinois in September, 2010, and Fabtech in Atlanta, Georgia (Knuth Website).
Wincor Nixdorf, according to its website, is one of the world’s leading providers of IT solutions and services to retailers and retail banks. Their IT solutions "help boost process efficiency in banking and retail industries High levels of availability and quality Solutions for cost-efficient operation of IT systems Banking."
The company has subsidiaries in over 41 countries and has an overall market presence in over 100 countries. (Company Website)
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Wincor Nixdorf is listed on the website of Iranian company Informatics Services Corporation (ICS) as a business partner (ICS Company Website). Likewise, WN lists ICS as one of its banking partners on its own website. (Company Website)
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The company's policy on "Social Corporate Responsibiliy" is as follows:
“Success …depends on…achieving a balance between economic, environmental and social objectives – one that is indispensable if we wish to enjoy the confidence of the public over the long term.” The policy also cites three key values: Caring for the environment, Focus on people, and Social responsibility. (Company Website)
US troops boarded a German-owned freighter in early October and found eight containers full of ammunition, allegedly headed to Syria from Iran. The shipment is in violation of a UN weapons embargo and has become a source of chagrin in Berlin... The incident is particularly awkward for Berlin as the Hansa India is registered to the Hamburg-based shipping company Leonhardt & Blumberg. Investigators suspect that the arms were part of an Iranian shipment bound for either the Syrian army or for Hezbollah, the militant Islamist group. US officials have pointed out that the delivery is in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran. According to Leonhardt & Blumberg, the 243-meter-long (297-foot-long) ship has for years been under charter to the state-owned shipping company Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. Two US warships halted the Hansa India after receiving a tip-off from intelligence services. (Der Spiegel, "German Ship Transporting Arms for Iran," 10/12/09)
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Meanwhile, it has emerged that IRISL-chartered containership Hansa India also stopped and boarded by the US Navy in the Suez Canal last week, at which point American security personne found seven containers loaded with 7.62mm calibre bullet casings suitable for for Kalashnikov rifles, as well as an eighth container loaded with blanks that could be used for the manufacture of projectiles. The 1994-built vessel is German-flagged and is associated with Hamburg-based Leonhardt & Blumberg, although it has been chartered by IRISL for some years. Frank Leonhardt, chief executive of Leonhardt & Blumberg, was not immediately available for comment... The delivery is in apparent violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1747, which prohibits arms shipments either into or out of Iran. (Lloyd's List, "IRISL hit with UK nuclear sanctions," 10/12/09)
Eye on Iran is a news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a section 501(c)(3) organization. Eye on Iran is available to subscribers on a daily basis or weekly basis.