Platt Electric, Beaverton, Ore., has six new locations under construction in Tracy, Calif.; on the Intel campus in Hillsboro, Ore.; and in Arlington, Enumclaw, Kent and Port Angeles, Wash. When these branches open the company will have 110 locations in seven western states. In addition to these new locations, Platt Electric Supply will be adding six additional branches in the next few months.
Archive for January, 2012
Reuters says ABB looking for blue-chip automation companies to expand business in U.S.
ABB is still on the hunt for more acquisitions in the United States and wants to bolster its automation business, according to this Reuters report.
Thomas to lead GE Industrial Solutions sales in Canada
GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions business (NYSE: GE) has appointed Adrian Thomas as the new regional sales leader for Canada. Thomas has overall responsibility for sales of GE Energy’s electrical distribution products and services in Canada, including switchboards and panel boards, uninterruptible power supplies, metering products, circuit breakers, motor controls and capacitors, as well as electric vehicle supply equipment. He is based in Montreal but will oversee sales operations at key facilities across the country, including Calgary and Toronto, GE said in a release.
Thomas began his career at GE Canada as a large-motors designer in Peterborough, followed by a transition to a marketing role for GE Energy in Montreal that featured a combination of sales and commercial operations. Later, Thomas held various positions with TMEIC, an industrial systems, drive and motor manufacturer, in Roanoke, Va., where he developed international sales experience covering growing markets in Taiwan, India and North America. He is a graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, with a bachelor of science in engineering.
Dakota Supply Group acquires Wisconsin’s W.A. Roosevelt
Dakota Supply Group, Fargo, N.D., has acquired Wisconsin-based W.A. Roosevelt, a distributor of plumbing, electrical and HVAC products. W.A. Roosevelt, which has almost 100 employees, has locations in La Crosse, Madison, New Berlin, Plover and Rice Lake, Wis. The company was founded in 1868.
According to a DSG press release announcing the acquisition, W.A. Roosevelt will retain its name and staff, and while it will become a division of DSG, virtually all other proceedings will be “business as usual” for customers and manufacturers alike. This new partnership will add Wisconsin and the northern Michigan to DSG’s service area, which currently includes Minnesota, South Dakota and North Dakota, as well as portions of Iowa, Wyoming and Montana.
Established in 1898, the employee-owned DSG sells not only electrical products but plumbing, HVAC, communications, utility, metering technology, automation, and waterworks products. The company has 400 employees and was ranked #39 on EW’s most recent Top 200 listing.
Siemens agrees to buy RuggedCom
The Munich, Germany, corporate offices of Siemens announced today the company has entered into an agreement to acquire RuggedCom, Concord, Ontario, Canada, in a friendly, board-supported takeover bid.
The Canadian company is a provider of communications and networking solutions such as routers for harsh industrial environments. The total transaction value is estimated at about C$382 million (about US$381 million). RuggedCom’s board unanimously supports the takeover, is recommending that RuggedCom’s shareholders accept the offer, which is a contrast to their recommendation against a takeover by Belden about a month ago.
With annual revenues of approximately US$94 million (fiscal 2011) and approximately 360 employees, RuggedCom provides robust, industrial-quality Ethernet communication products and network solutions. These products are used primarily under rough environmental conditions – for example, in power distribution, in refineries, or in traffic control systems. The move expands Siemens’ offerings for the smart grid market, among others.
Wall Street Journal report on ABB acquisition of T&B
Wondering what Wall Street analysts think about this blockbuster deal? Check out this Wall Street Journal report. T&B stockholders have got to be pretty happy. According to the Business Wire release announcing the deal, “The acquisition price represents a 24 percent premium to Thomas & Betts’ closing stock price on Jan. 27, 2012 and a 35 percent premium to the volume weighted average stock price over the past 60 trading days.”
ABB to acquire Thomas & Betts for $3.9 billion
Wow … What a way to start the week.
According to a Business Wire release on the acquistion, “The complementary combination of Thomas & Betts’ electrical components and ABB’s low-voltage protection, control and measurement products would create a broader low-voltage portfolio that can be distributed through Thomas & Betts’ network of more than 6,000 distributor locations and wholesalers in North America, and through ABB’s well established distribution channels in Europe and Asia. The combined product portfolio and enhanced distribution network will enable ABB to double its addressable market in North America to approximately $24 billion.”
Details
Graybar to open in Joplin
Seems the new branch they opened in Lincoln, Neb., last week wasn’t all Graybar, St. Louis, had in the works. The distributor will open a branch in Joplin, Mo., on Jan. 30. The facility, with a staff of three full-time employees, is located at 1705 S. Main St., and will stock local inventory with daily deliveries from Graybar’s Springfield, Mo., location. Area Manager Stephen Wallace will lead the branch operations. The new facility will serve the cities of Joplin, Webb City, Carthage, Neosho, Carl Junction and the counties of Newton and Jasper.
“We’ve been serving the Joplin area out of our Springfield location for some time and are excited to bring a higher level of service to our customers with this new branch,” said Graybar’s St. Louis District Vice President Mike Dumas.
Obituary: Steiner Electric’s Harold Kerman
Harold Kerman, 91, Former CEO of Steiner Electric Co., Elk Grove Village, Ill., passed away earlier this week. He was the husband of Joan Barbara (née Steiner) Kerman; son of the late George and Frieda Kerman; father of Robert J. (Diane) Kerman and Richard (Carol) Kerman; and grandfather of John (Aga) Kerman, Kyle Pucek, Joseph Kerman, Laura Jane (Eric) Meyer, Jacob, Adam, Jason Zimmerly and Josh Kerman; and special friend of Dale and Jeff Izenstark.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Harold Myron Kerman’s memory may be made to a charity of your choice. Visitation will be held Wednesday, January 25, 2012 from 4 – 8 pm at Weinstein Funeral Home, 111 Skokie Boulevard, Wilmette, IL 60091, 847-256-5700. Funeral service will be held the following day, Thursday, January 26, 11:00 am also at Weinstein Funeral Home. Interment will immediately follow at Rosehill Cemetery, Chicago, IL.
Ameren Missouri files plan to increase utility rebates
Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corp., filed with the Missouri Public Service Commission (MPSC) a three-year plan that includes a portfolio of energy efficiency programs that it says will make it the largest such plan in the state of Missouri. The expenditures for the new programs will be approximately twice the size of the utility company’s previous energy efficiency programs.
The programs include energy-efficiency investments of approximately $145 million over three years, beginning early Jan. 2013. These investments are expected to result in approximately $500 million in total customer benefits over the next 20 years. Annual energy savings are expected to be nearly 800 million kilowatt-hours, which is equal to the energy consumption of more than 60,000 average Missouri homes annually.
The utility’s current Business Energy Efficiency Incentive Program is effective Jan. 3-May 31, and provides incentives for the purchase and installation of energy-efficient equipment such as compact fluorescent lamps, LED exit signs, occupancy sensors and T8 lamps. The program has a limited energy savings goal and once the goal has been met, the program will stop taking applications.
Steve Barker, vice president of sales, Villa Lighting Supply Inc., said in a press release about the new program that his company has had success working with Ameren’s previous energy programs. “”Villa Lighting had great success in utilizing Ameren Missouri’s program,” he said. “Through the program, we were able to work with many customers to install hundreds of thousands of dollars of lighting upgrades, many of which enabled customers to reduce their lighting-related energy consumption by as much as 40 percent.”