Digest

Capstone Signs European Deal Capstone Turbine Corp. has signed a distribution agreement for the United Kingdom and Ireland with Advantica Technologies Ltd., formerly BG Technology Ltd. Advantica will buy 250 power systems from Capstone over the next two years. Advantica is part of the recently formed Lattice Group of energy, telecommunications, property reclamation and related infrastructure businesses. Digital Imagination Merges Thousand Oaks-based Digital Imagination has acquired Venture Media Group, a video and film production company based in Ventura. The merger of the two companies, which combines Digital Imagination’s focus on Web design and interactive multimedia with Venture Media’s pre- and post-production capabilities, allows the new company to produce all segments of client projects in-house. With the acquisition, the company moved to a 6,000-square-foot facility at 351 Rolling Oaks Drive in Thousand Oaks. Reprographics Buys Fla. Company Top reprographics provider American Reprographics Co. of Glendale has purchased Orlando Reprographics of Florida, the latest in its string of acquisitions of mom-and-pop blueprinters struggling to upgrade their operations with cutting-edge technology. Known almost entirely for its digital blueprint work within the construction industry, American Reprographics serves 110,000 customer companies in more than 100 markets nationwide. Since 1996, privately-held American Reprographics, with $428 million in annual sales, has purchased more than 50 companies, including last month’s buyout of Universal Reprographics South Inc., based in Irvine, and Ridgway’s Reprographics of Houston, which was the second-largest reprographics firm in the U.S. American Reprographics acquired 10 other companies, in cities as diverse as Boston, Cleveland and Richmond, Va. in 2000. Orlando Reprographics, similar to other American Reprographics acquisitions, will keep its original name and management team. Litton to Repair USS Cole Woodland Hills-based Litton Industries has been awarded a U.S. Navy contract modification valued at $105.5 million for initial funding of the ongoing repair and restoration of the Aegis guided missile destroyer USS Cole at its Ingalls Shipbuilding subsidiary in Pascagoula, Miss. The Cole was damaged in an Oct. 12, 2000 terrorist attack in Aden, Yemen. In November 2000, Litton Ingalls was selected by the U.S. Navy to repair the ship, which arrived at the Litton shipyard in mid-December last year. Litton Ingalls has been working under a letter contract that covered a damage assessment as well as work required to return the ship to an on-land production area at Litton Ingalls for the repair and restoration project. Additional modifications to the contract are subject to a full damage assessment and changes in the scope of the restoration work. To perform the repair and restoration work, Litton Ingalls returned the USS Cole to almost the precise spot where it was built six years ago. Litton Ingalls is part of the Litton Ship Systems (LSS) group. LSS, with headquarters in Pascagoula, also includes the LSS Full Service Center, located in Pascagoula, as well as Litton Avondale Industries, located in New Orleans, La., and Gulfport, Miss. Warner Bros. Launches British Site Warner Bros. of Burbank has launched a new Internet site in Britain, the first of several local-language, country-specific sites. The Warner Bros.’ New Media sites will present the studio’s entertainment properties, original online programming and relevant local content. A German site is expected to open within the next three months, with sites in France, Italy and Spain expected to follow later in the year. Content for these sites will be drawn from all Warner Bros.’ divisions. The Britain site can be found at http://www.warnerbros.co.uk. Amgen to Sell Anemia Drug in Israel Amgen Inc. in Thousand Oaks and the Israeli firm Megapharm have signed an agreement granting Megapharm certain rights to sell Aranesp in Israel. Aranesp currently is under review by the U. S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicine Evaluation Agency for the treatment of anemia associated with chronic renal failure. Amgen said the drug may treat anemia with less-frequent doses than Epoetin alfa, thereby simplifying anemia management for physicians and leading to more patients being treated. Last month, Amgen reached an agreement with another company for the distribution of Aranesp in Greece and Cyprus. Megapharm is based in Hod-Hasharon, Israel.