Electrical Marketing's LiveWire » Mergers & Acquisitions

Cooper Industries buys Canadian lighting controls company

Jim Lucy — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:51:20 +0000

Cooper Industries, Houston, has acquired Fifth Light Technology Ltd., a privately owned lighting controls company based in Oakville, Ontario, that specializes in the design, sale and implementation of digitally addressable lighting interface (DALI) solutions and a suite of centralized building management software applications. According to a press release announcing the acquisition, over the past several years, Fifth Light has installed over 100,000 control devices throughout North America. Fifth Light will become part of the Cooper Controls business unit within Cooper Lighting. Details

Rexel buys two Brazilian distributors

Jim Lucy — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 15:39:24 +0000

Rexel International acquired Brazil’s Delamano and Etil, adding €100 million ($130.7 million) in sales. It’s not the company’s first acquisition in Brazil. In Jan. 2011, Rexel aquired Nortel Suprimentos Industriais, a large industrial distributror that does approximately €120 million ($156.9 million) sales. According to a press release announcing the acquisitions, Rexel is now the largest electrical distributor in Brazil and tops in São Paulo, Brazil’s richest and the most populous state. São Paulo accounts for one-third of Brazil’s GDP and 22% of the nation’s population.

“Brazil is one of Rexel’s key priorities in its external growth strategy, which aims notably at expanding the Group’s presence in emerging countries,” said the press release. “The size of Brazil’s domestic market, its wealth in raw materials and its growth rate, combined with the opportunities linked to hosting major international events such as the Soccer World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games in 2016, offer strong growth prospects for the coming years.”

Based in Santo André, in the state of São Paulo, Delamano has distributed electrical supplies for 35 years and got into the MRO business several years ago. Through three distribution centers based in Santo André, Campinas and Vitoria and seven branches inside customers’ facilities, the company posted sales of €60 million ($78.4 million) in 2011 and employed over 220 people.

Based in São Paulo since 1986, Etil is one of the major distributors of electrical supplies in the state of São Paulo with a strong focus on the real estate sector (business offices, hotels and restaurants). With one central branch and distribution center and theeadditional branches, the company posted sales of €40 million ($52.8 million) in 2011 and employed over 200 people. Details

Last week, Rexel purchased the Canadian distributor Liteco. Details

Rexel acquires Liteco in Canada’s maritime provinces

Doug Chandler — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 20:40:08 +0000

Rexel, Paris, France, said it has acquired Liteco, the largest independent distributor of electrical supplies in the Canadian Maritimes region. This acquisition complements Rexel’s position as the largest electrical distributor in Canada, one of the world’s largest markets. Rexel said the move is consistent with its strategic aim of strengthening its market share in key mature markets.

Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Fredricton, New Brunswick, Liteco has 13 branches in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island employing about 120 people to serve a large base of customers in the residential, commercial, industrial and marine sectors. Liteco posted sales of approximately €50 million (about US$66 million) in 2011 and its profitability is in line with Rexel’s operations in the country, Rexel said.

Rexel has over 200 branches across Canada that added about €1.2bn (just under US$1.6 billion) to the Rexel Group’s consolidated sales and posted double-digit organic growth (+11.4%) in 2011.

Details

Reuters says ABB looking for blue-chip automation companies to expand business in U.S.

Jim Lucy — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:40:18 +0000

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.

Dakota Supply Group acquires Wisconsin’s W.A. Roosevelt

Jim Lucy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:49:48 +0000

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.

ABB to acquire Thomas & Betts for $3.9 billion

Jim Lucy — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:30:37 +0000

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

Home Depot buys online matchmaker for home maintenance services

Jim Lucy — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:20:20 +0000

Home Depot, Atlanta, purchased RedBeacon, Mateo, Calif., an online home services platform connecting consumers with contractors for their home maintenance, repair and remodeling needs. Electrical work is one of these services.
Details

Belden reaffirms offer for RuggedCom

Jim Lucy — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 17:56:02 +0000

Belden Inc. St., Louis, has reaffirmed its all-cash offer to acquire RuggedCom Inc., Concord, Ontario, for C$22.00 per share, following a review of the RuggedCom board of directors’ recommendation that its shareholders reject the offer. RuggedCom designs and manufactures communications equipment for harsh electrical and climatic environments. Details

Fluke acquires Martel Electronics

Jim Lucy — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 17:10:17 +0000

In the electrical market’s first acquistion of 2012, Fluke Corp., Everett, Wash., announced plans to acquire Martel Electronics Corp., a Derry, N.H.-based manufacturer of testing equipment. This Marketwire reports says Martel and Fluke have been working together since 1996.

WESCO acquires electronics distributor

Jim Lucy — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:49:46 +0000

WESCO International Inc., Pittsburgh, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire RS Electronics, Livonia, Mich., a distributor of electronic and electrical products serving the industrial, medical equipment, automotive and contract manufacturing end markets. The company has eight branches located in the Midwest and Southeast and forecasted 2011 sales of approximately $60 million. The deal is expected to close next month.
In a press statement, John Engel, WESCO’s chairman and CEO, said, “Along with our acquisitions of Carlton Bates in 2005 and AA Electric in 2008, RS Electronics expands our industrial OEM customer base and electronic-based product offerings.”