Press dryer maker Megtec has a new owner (again) as power generation giant Babcock & Wilcox copes with a shrinking core market and a couple of troublesome projects.

With acoustics and emissions specialist Universal, it is part of B&W's industrial enviromental technology business bought by German company Dürr Group for $130 million. B&W bought Megtec - itself the result of a merger of US-based Tec dryers and French MEG - in 2014.

The deal with Dürr was effective on October 5, and will see the businesses become part of Dürr's environmental technology division, Clean Technology Systems (CTS), with Megtec operating as Dürr Megtec LLC and Universal as Dürr Universal, Inc.

Based in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany, Dürr says the acquisition supports its plan to expand its environmental technology business and creates "one of the leading global suppliers of air pollution and noise control technologies offering companies from all industries a broad range of solutions for tightening emissions regulations worldwide.

"The diverse product line includes technologies for reducing hydrocarbons, odour, particulate, acid gasses, nitrogen oxides, etc. from virtually any industrial air exhaust stream."

Dürr also claims "very interesting" technologies in coating and drying for the production of lithium ion battery materials, an area directly linked with protecting the environment.

In a statement, Daniel Scmitt (chief executive of Dürr's clean technology systems division) and former B&W Megtec business operations senior vice president Ken Zak, who takes a smilar role in the new company, say they are focussed on fulfilling all commitments to all customers: "In fact, with a wider pool of resources and the broadest technical expertise in the market, our goal is to deliver ever better customer service with a continuing vision to be 'best in class' in this area."

Customers with existing or on-going projects are assured that "nothing changes for you" including contact persons, their email addresses and contact numbers. Projects will continue as usual.

"We want to affirm, we are one united team, with offices across the globe, but with only one goal in mind - to create strong partnerships with our customers and provide the best technology and most responsive service available anywhere for the lifetime of their equipment."