According to this New York Times article, some California residents are protesting the use of wireless smart meters because of concerns about how Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) uses that information and health concerns. According to that article, “The health concerns about the smart meters focus on the phenomenon known as “electromagnetic hypersensitivity,” or E.H.S., in which people claim that radiation from cellphones, WiFi systems or smart meters causes them to suffer dizziness, fatigue, headaches, sleeplessness or heart palpitations.”
Archive for January, 2011
Leviton Acquires UK Lighting Controls Manufacturer
Leviton Manufacturing Co. Inc., Melville, N.Y., has purchased Quantran Systems Ltd., Watford, United Kingdom. For more than a quarter of a century, Quantran has pioneered, designed and manufactured architectural dimming and lighting control systems.
Rexel expands global reach in BRIC countries
In most discussions of high-growth developing markets, the BRIC countries are often mentioned as the key markets. Brazil, Russia, India and China have demographic power and huge emerging middle-class populations hungry for infrastructure and technology – cars, appliances and the rest of the conveniences of modern life in the industrialized world.
Clearly the BRIC countries have been on the mind of Rexel, Paris, France. The global electrical distribution giant nailed three-quarters of a grand slam over the past couple of weeks with announcements of acquisitions in three of the four BRIC markets.
The company bought Nortel Suprimentos Industriais, which allows Rexel to enter the Brazilian market with one of the top-three national electrical distributors in an otherwise heavily fragmented market. When complete, the acquisition will give Rexel a leadership position in the state of São Paulo, the richest and the most populous Brazilian state, accounting for one-third of Brazil’s GDP and 22 percent of the nation’s population.
Rexel also made its first move into the massive markets of India with the purchase of Yantra Automation in Pune, India, with branch offices in Mumbai, Vapi and Baroda. Yantra is a Rockwell Automation distributor with a strong engineering emphasis in western India’s automation and control market.
In China, Rexel acquired Beijing Lucky Well Zhineng, a family-owned electrical distributor focused on the industrial automation market, strengthening Rexel’s existing footprint in China, especially in Beijing and Tianjin provinces.
Rosendin starts work on UCSF Med Center
Electrical contractor Rosendin Electric, San Jose, Calif., has started construction on the new University of California San Francisco Medical Center at Mission Bay. The $80 million contract to wire the new 878,000-square-foot hospital complex includes an energy center, helipad, and support services. Scheduled for completion in 2014, the first phase of this $1.6 billion project is construction of a 289-bed hospital, specializing in care for women, children and cancer patients.
The new UCSF Medical Center has been designed to meet LEED Gold certification standards through the use of recycled materials, low-voltage lighting controls, and the widespread use of energy-efficient electrical and HVAC equipment. The new Medical Center at Mission Bay will incorporate the latest “smart” hospital technology, including wireless distributed antenna systems (DAS) to provide Electronic Medical Record (EMR) access via touch-screen patient information systems located at each bed. Rosendin Electric’s contract includes installation of the hospital’s IT infrastructure and DAS to support this state-of-the-art EMR system, as well as a new patient profile system that lists preferences for things such as food, lighting and television channels.
Border States names Stall IT director
Border States Electric (BSE), Fargo, N.D., named Ryan Stall director of information technology. Stall joined BSE in 1996 and has held various positions within the company including network administrator, network supervisor, and IT infrastructure manager. He belongs to a number of national IT industry groups including the IT Service Management Forum and International Alliance of Avaya Users, and is the past president of the local Avaya Users Group. In addition, Stall serves on the Minnesota State University Moorhead Computer Science and Information Systems advisory board and the Minnesota State Community and Technical College Information Technology advisory committee.
Fulham appoints new national sales manager
Fulham Co, Inc. (Hawthorne, Calif.): Robert Adams is now national sales manager for emergency lighting products, including the FireHorse Emergency Lighting Systems and FireHorse Emergency Exit Systems. Adams joins Fulham with over 15 years of management experience and more than 10 years of electrical distribution experience, including positions with City Electric Supply and CED.
New Mexico PV Project Backed by Ted Turner Now Producing Power
New Mexico’s Cimarron Solar Facility is now producing electricity for 9,000 homes. At 30 megawatts, Cimarron is among the nation’s largest solar photovoltaic plants. Southern Co. and Ted Turner are backing the project, which will supply power to the member electric cooperatives of Denver-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association. Tempe, Ariz.-based First Solar, Inc. developed and constructed the facility and will provide operation and maintenance services under a long-term contract. The facility uses approximately 500,000 of First Solar’s 2′x 4′ advanced thin film photovoltaic modules. “We are very excited to see this project completed and producing clean solar energy to power homes and businesses in New Mexico,” said Turner in a press release. “Large-scale solar generation is among the fastest growing energy sources in the world, and we’re pleased that we can be a part of that growth.”
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Eaton buys South African industrial equipment manufacturer
Eaton Corp. (ETN) Cleveland, plans acquire ACTOM (Pty) Ltd.’s low-voltage electrical business in South Africa. ACTOM’s low-voltage business is a leading South African manufacturer and supplier of motor control components, engineered electrical distribution systems and uninterruptible power supply systems. Headquartered in Johannesburg, ACTOM’s low-voltage business had sales of $58 million during the last twelve months. The business has 480 employees and two manufacturing facilities in South Africa.
“The acquisition of ACTOM’s low-voltage business establishes a direct presence for Eaton in the attractive South African market and serves as a platform for growth in the region,” said Frank Campbell, president of Eaton’s Europe, Middle East and Africa Region for the Electrical Sector. “The combination of Eaton’s business with ACTOM’s low-voltage business will offer a broader set of power distribution and power quality solutions that enable our customers to more effectively grow and compete in their markets.”
ACTOM (Pty) Ltd. is a leading manufacturer and distributor of electrical equipment in South Africa, employing approximately 6,000 people and having an annual order intake in excess of 5 billion rand (approximately ($750.7 million).
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Coleman Cable bids for TRC, TRC takes poison pill
Coleman Cable, Waukegan, Ill., said it has made an unsolicited offer to buy Technology Research Corp. (TRC), Clearwater, Fla., maker of electrical safety products, for $5.50 per share. TRC in turn has adopted a shareholder rights plan “to protect the interests of the company and all its shareholders.”
“We have attempted to engage TRC’s Board of Directors on a number of occasions and we are disappointed that rather than engaging in constructive dialogue with Coleman, TRC’s Board instead adopted a Poison Pill to block a transaction that is clearly friendly to its shareholders,” said Gary Yetman, president and CEO of Coleman in the Coleman release linked below. “Given the historically low trading volume of TRC’s stock, we firmly believe that TRC shareholders will find the certainty of a cash offer — at a premium of 46% to the average closing share price for the 20 trading days before our offer was made public — very attractive.”
Owen Farren, president and chief executive of TRC, said in a TRC release (also linked below), “The Board unanimously believes the adoption of the short-term rights plan is appropriate at this time. The Board will consider this expression of interest consistent with its responsibilities to the Company and all its shareholders.”
The rights plan assigns one right per share of TRC stock for a term of two years with an exercise price of $15 per share if a person or group moves to acquire 15% or more of the company’s stock.
Stay tuned to EM LiveWire for updates.
Rockwell to buy S. African integrator
Rockwell Automation, Milwaukee, has agreed to buy Hiprom, a process control and automation systems integrator headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The acquisition accelerates Rockwell Automation’s growth in the Sub-Saharan region of Africa and further expands its work in the global mining and mineral processing market, said Hedwig Maes, president of Rockwell Automation’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa region, in a Rockwell release.
Hiprom’s management and its 100-person workforce will continue under Rockwell’s Systems & Solutions business unit, and will gain direct access to Rockwell’s products and systems.
The acquisition is expected to close during the first calendar quarter of 2011, subject to the approval of regulatory authorities in South Africa.