The Cleveland Plain Dealer has a story this morning about Thomas & Betts closing a plant it acquired in the purchase of Lamson & Sessions in 2007. The story says 117 people will lose their jobs.
Archive for the ‘Channel Chatter’ Category
General Cable sales down 25 percent
General Cable Corp., Highland Heights, Ky., reported third-quarter sales of $1,081.8 million, a decrease of $362.6 million, or 25.1%, compared to the third quarter of 2008 on a metal-adjusted basis. Volume based on metal pounds sold, without the impact of incremental volume from acquired businesses, decreased 20.5% in the third quarter of 2009 compared to 2008, and was down 7.3% compared to the second quarter of 2009. Operating income was down 59.3%.
“As we look forward, we expect the developing economies we serve to perform relatively better than the developed economies of the world. Business conditions in Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia are being buoyed by commodities, mining and infrastructure investment, aided by somewhat better credit markets,” said Greg Kenny, CEO. “In the U.S., we expect continuing declines in non-residential construction spending as well as a residential construction market that will recover slowly.”
Kenny continues, “Finally, with industrial companies in the United States using less electricity for the last two years, we do not expect electric utility spending on the distribution network to increase next year in any meaningful way. However, we do expect the U.S. transmission and wind farm segments to begin to improve as the Stimulus Bill begins to gain traction over the next year.”
New VPs at Kirby Risk
Kirby Risk Electrical Supply, Lafayette, Ind., announced that Frank Gardner, formerly with Siemens and Rockwell Automation, has joined the company as vice president of industrial sales. Kyle Krizan, who has been with Kirby Risk since 2004, is now vice president of marketing and contractor sales.
Gardner was regional manager, Northeast region, for Siemens Energy & Automation based out of the company’s Boston offices, and before that spent 24 years with Rockwell Automation. He’ll now be responsible for developing sales strategy for Kirby Risk’s industrial and automation sales force as well as sales efforts of Kirby Risk Mechanical Solutions and Service.
Krizan began with the company as area sales manager for central and northern Illinois and most recently was director of contractor sales. He’ll be developing and implementing sales strategies in the contractor market as well as overseeing the marketing organization for both industrial and contractor markets.
Residential PV Installations Cheaper in the Garden State than in California? Go Figure…
A recent AP report had some interesting comparisons of the price of installing a 5kW residential PV system in different states. (According to information on the website of MC Engineering, a California-based solar installer, a 5kW Solar PV System reliably powers a 2,500-square-foot home, producing an estimated 8,880 kWh of electric power per year).
The price for that 5kW system varies wildly depending on local utility rebates and state financing programs and tax rebates. For instance, according to the AP article, a New Jersey homeowner would only pay $2,625 for that PV system (original sticker price of $37,500), factoring in a state tax rebate of $8,750 from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Clean Energy Program, a federal tax credit of $8,625, and a loan program through the Public Service Enterprise Group that’s worth up to $17,500 for customers with excellent credit, according to Rumson, N.J.-based installer Gaurav Naik.
In contrast, a homeowner in Arkansas would pay $35,000, after he or she factors in a $15,000 federal tax credit into the $50,000 price, according to Bob Moore, a solar panel dealer in Ft. Smith, Ark. In California, that same system would cost $22,610. The AP article said according to Foster City, Calif.-based installer Solar City, the original $40,000 sticker price would be cut after applying a federal tax credit of $9,690 and a rebate through Southern California Edison.
Sonepar to combine Capital Lighting and Tristate organizations
Sonepar USA and Hagemeyer North America, both subsidiaries of Paris-based Sonepar, announced that they will be combining high-profile pieces of their operations in the Mid-Atlantic region into a single business.
Sonepar USA’s Capital Lighting and Supply, headquartered in Upper Marlboro, Md., and Hagemeyer NA’s Tristate Electrical and Electronics Supply Co., formerly based in Hagerstown, Md., will operate as a single unit to be led by John Hardy, president of CLS.
For the immediate future, the locations will continue to operate under their existing Capital Lighting and Supply, Hagemeyer NA, or Tristate names. Combined, the new organization will offer services from over 46 locations across Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia, said a joint press release.
“This is our first formal partnership endeavor since Hagemeyer North America joined the Sonepar family in 2008,” says Paul Klasing, President of Sonepar USA. “Because we had two strong, successful companies, some in overlapping markets, the decision to merge the companies was an easy one.”
Vision Control & Automation expands to Indy
Vision Control & Automation, a ten-year-old unit of Standard Electric Supply, Milwaukee, has acquired the Indianapolis location of Ohio-based distributor Richards Electric.
“Vision’s goal as an electrical distributor is not only to deliver quality products on time, but also to help customers reduce their overall operating costs and increase productivity,” said Larry Stern, president of both Vision and Standard Electric, in a press release. “Our new Indianapolis location also establishes Vision’s commitment to become the Midwest’s leading distributor of ABB products.”
Northwire Promotes Katina Kravik to CEO
Northwire Inc. – Technical Cable (Osceola, Wis.): Katina Kravik has been promoted to CEO. She is the third generation in her family to own and lead the privately held 37-year old company, as her grandfather, Ormund Kravik, founded Northwire in 1972, and her father, Mark Kravik, led the company for more than 30 years. Northwire manufactures technical and retractile cables for applications in the industrial, energy, life sciences, government, machine vision, lighting and underwater market segments.
EMCOR Nails NASA Contract
EMCOR Group Inc., Norwalk, Conn., has received a contract from NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center for facilities operations and maintenance services at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, California and at the NASA facilities in Palmdale, California. Details
GE Energy #1 in 2009 U.S. Wind Farm Installations
GE Energy, Atlanta, has taken a commanding lead in the number of 2009 wind farms installations, with its wind turbines being installed in 21 of the 51 wind farms currently under construction that have announced their turbine maker. According to a report
published by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), Washington, D.C., on Oct. 20, Siemens and Vestas are also major players right now, with their wind turbines being installed in eight wind farms.
AWEA reported in its third-quarter market report that the U.S. wind energy industry installed 1,649 MW of new power generating capacity in the third quarter — an amount higher than either the second quarter of 2009 or the third quarter of 2008 — bringing the total capacity added this year to date to over 5,800 MW. AWEA also reported that wind turbine manufacturing still lags below 2008 levels, in both production and new announcements.
Since the early July announcement of rules to implement the stimulus bill, the wind industry has seen over 1,600 MW (enough to serve the equivalent of 480,000 average households) of completed projects, and over 1,700 MW of construction starts.
Border States Electric Named 3M Renewable Energy Distributor
Border States Electric (BSE), Fargo, N.D., is an authorized distributor for 3M’s newly formed Renewable Energy Division. As a 3M Renewable Energy distributor, BSE has access to products and solutions that can enhance wind turbine reliability and efficiency such as films, tapes, coatings, and adhesives. In addition, BSE can offer a broad range of solutions and technical expertise for solar energy, geothermal, and biofuels projects.
In August, the company inked a distribution agreement with photovoltaic (PV) component manufacturer, CENTROSOLAR America Inc., a subsidiary of CENTROSOLAR Group AG, to stock and distribute CENTROSOLAR PV panels. The two companies are working together to target utility, commercial, and residential PV solar projects, which are expected to amount up to 10 megawatts through the end of 2010. BSE will distribute CENTROSOLAR PV panels and develop photovoltaic project business with its primary focus in Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. As part of the agreement, BSE will stock CentroSolar PV panels at its Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Austin, Texas branches.
Border States is ranked as the 10th largest electrical distributor in the United States by Electrical Wholesaling magazine, with $965.3 million in 2008 sales, 1,390 employees and 56 locations.