Business briefs

Electrical Apparatus, Jun 2000 by Jones, Kevin

Rockwell Automation in acquisition, alliance

Rockwell Automation of Milwaukee has agreed to buy Entek IRD International Corp. of Milford, Ohio, a maker of condition monitoring equipment, and has entered an alliance with Omron Corp. of Kyoto, Japan, under which Rockwell and Omron will develop products based on open international standards.

Entek IRD's monitoring equipment, analysis software, and engineering services will become part of Rockwell Automation's package of automation services. With the acquisition, Rockwell Automation will be able to link manufacturing performance data with a client's asset management system, enhancing resource planning, according to Rockwell Automation.

Under the alliance with Omron, Rockwell Automation will provide technical assistance in adapting Omron's automation software to open-standard technologies, and Omron will promote these technologies in its core markets. The two companies will also work to improve connectivity between their respective application protocols.

Meanwhile, Omron Electronics, Inc., of Schaumburg, Ill., an Omron subsidiary that makes automation components, has formed a division, called Automation and Enterprise Solutions, for providing systems integration services for plant-level control and factory-wide information systems.

East Coast switch manufacturers to merge

ITT Industries, Inc., of White Plains, N.Y., a manufacturer of switches and electronic interconnects with 1999 sales of $4.6 billion, has announced its intention to buy C&K Components of Watertown, Mass., a privately owned manufacturer of switches for telecommunication, computer, and electronic applications. The acquisition is valued at about $117 million, after accounting for cash and debt in the company being bought. C&K will operate as part of ITT's Cannon connector and switch division, which markets information card technology and high-speed/high-bandwidth network systems in addition to switches and interconnects. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

GE and American Superconductor in alliance

American Superconductor Corp. of Westborough, Mass., and GE Industrial Systems, a division of General Electric Co. based in Plainville, Conn., have entered an alliance to market American Superconductor's superconducting magnetic energy storage systems to utility and industrial customers. The systems are used to improve electrical power performance during system disturbances and high load conditions.

NTN Bearing forms aftermarket unit

NTN Bearing Core. of America, Mt. Prospect, Ill., has reorganized its aftermarket activities into a separate business unit under vice president Joe Muncer. The new group includes dedicated sales, engineering, operations, and pricing. Its purpose is to provide faster and better service to industrial and automotive aftermarkets. In addition to its U.S. corporate headquarters, NTN has eight manufacturing complexes, an R&D center, test laboratories, and nine sales and service facilities in North America.

Graybar opens Ohio distribution center

Graybar Electric Co., Inc., St. Louis-based distributor of electrical and datacom equipment and supplies, has opened a 204,000-- square-foot regional distribution center in Youngstown, Ohio, the eighth of 16 such facilities planned nationwide. Sales and customer service will continue to be handled out of existing Graybar branches in the area. Graybar's other regional warehouses are in Dallas; Atlanta; Chicago; Fresno, Calif.; Cranbury, N.J.; Stafford, Tex.; and Taunton, Mass.

Safety equipment maker automates warehouse

Chicago-based Magid Glove and Safety, a manufacturer, distributor, and importer of hand protection and safety equipment, recently installed a computer-controlled warehouse management system. The company's 600,000-square-foot distribution facility, with about 30,000 safety items in stock, has new storage equipment, an automated conveyor system, carousels, and scanners. According to the company, 99% of orders placed by 3:00 p.m. are shipped the same day. Information available on-line to customers includes tracking data and weight and package confirmation.

Aftermarket consultants in partnership

Richard Love Associates of Warrior, Ala., and Davis Vibration Consultants of Carrollton, Ga., have formed an alliance to provide motor servicers and end-users with help in solving application and repair problems. Richard Love and Joe Davis are presidents of the respective firms.

Financial briefs

W.W. Grainger, Chicago-based distributor of electrical and other industrial products, reports that sales for the first quarter ended March 31 were $1.2 billion, an increase of 10% over the same period the year before. Net earnings, however, declined 27% for the quarter, to $41.2 million, "primarily as a result of investments the company continues to make in its Internet businesses," according to a statement.

Cooper Industries, Houston-based electrical manufacturer, reports that net income for the first quarter of the year was $83.9 million, an 11% increase over the same period the year before. Revenues for the same period were up 12%, to $1.04 billion. Operating earnings were up 9%, to $147.4 million.