Business briefs

Electrical Apparatus, Aug 2008 by Jones, Kevin

Dykman buys Hampton Power Denver

Dykman Electrical, Inc., of Boise, Idaho, a wholesale distributor of electric motors, drives, controls, and reducers, has purchased the assets of Hampton Power Denver, a former subsidiary of Toshiba International. Dykman is the only authorized Toshiba distributor in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Utah. With this purchase, it becomes the authorized Toshiba distributor for Colorado, Wyoming, and northern New Mexico.

KJ Electric awarded Dutchi distributorship

KJ Electric of Syracuse, N. Y., an electromechanical service and sales enterprise with six branches in New York State, has formed a partnership with Dutchi Motors of the Netherlands under which KJ Electric will be the first and exclusive stocking distributor of Dutchi Metric, IEC, and ATEX motors for sales and delivery throughout the U.S. and Canada. Stocked motors will include IEC metric in aluminum and cast-iron frames and ATEX Zone 1 and 2 flame-proof (explosion-proof), available in 50/60 Hz. KJ Electric operates branches in Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Rochester, and Utica in addition to its headquarters in Syracuse.

Ferraz Shawmut buys stake in China supplier

Ferraz Shawmut of Newburyport, Mass., the manufacturer of circuit protection devices, has acquired a majority stake in Zhejiang Mingrong Electrical Protection, a company based in Zhejiang province, China, that manufactures fuses and fusegear. "MEP is the leading, and most profitable, power fuse and fusegear company in China," said Ken Hooper, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Ferraz Shawmut. "This strategic alliance offers us an exciting new global growth dimension."

Lincoln Electric to build China facility

Cleveland-based welding supplier Lincoln Electric is planning to build a new plant in Nanjing, China, to produce welding consumables. The new facility, which will be part of the company's Asia-Pacific subsidiary Nanjing Lincoln Electric Co. Ltd., will be situated in the newly developed Jianjning Science Park. The company's current manufacturing of stick electrodes in Nanjing will be moved to the new plant. The development includes about 68,000 square meters of land, with a construction plan of more than 30,000 square meters of manufacturing buildings. Lincoln bought the Nanjing welding business in 2007 from Kuang Tai Metal Industrial Co. Ltd.

Meanwhile, Lincoln Electric has opened a new automation service center in Nashville. The new facility is equipped to perform a variety of preventive maintenance, inspection, troubleshooting, repair, and redeployment services for the company's Power Wave and STT welders, wire feeders, controls, and associated automation equipment.

Siemens opening Illinois plant amid job cuts

Siemens Energy & Automation of Alpharetta, Ga., a division of German conglomerate Siemens AG that manufactures process control and automation systems, is planning to build a new plant in Illinois even as its parent company cuts 4.2% of its global work force. The $20 million plant, to be built in Elgin, Ill., a suburb of Chicago, will be devoted to the company's drives technologies business. In Elgin, Siemens designs and manufactures mechanical gear drives for the wind industry as well as for the cement, coal and minerals, and oil and gas industries.

Last month, Siemens AG announced that it is cutting 16,750 jobs globally, "to streamline operations and slice nearly $2 billion in costs in the face of a slowing economy," according to the Associated Press.

W.W. Grainger buys Canadian distributor

Chicago-based industrial products distributor W.W. Grainger, Inc., has acquired the assets of Excel Industriel of Granby, Quebec, a distributor of maintenance, repair, and operating supplies. Grainger says it expects a sales contribution from the purchase of about $11 million over the next 12 months, according to the Associated Press.

W.W. Grainger is also expanding its operations in the U.S. Gulf Coast region. A facility in Gonzales, La., is the first of four new facilities that are planned. In addition, three existing facilities in the region are to be expanded and enhanced.

Analyst anticipates 'green craze' benefit

Electrical equipment manufacturers whose products fulfill the demand for energy-efficient products are likely to benefit from the current trend among utilities to embrace "greener" methods of power production and distribution, according to Jason Feldman, an analyst for UBS. Among companies poised to benefit, he said in a note to investors, are Cooper Industries Ltd. and Baldor Electric Co. Feldman called the latter "one of the leading suppliers of energy-efficient motors" and placed a buy rating on the company's stock.

Anniversary briefs

* Rea Magnet Wire Co. of Fort Wayne, Ind., is observing its seventy-fifth anniversary. Founded in Fort Wayne in 1933 by Victor Rea, the company has expanded into an international operation with thirteen manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Mexico, and China. The company was bought in 1960 by Alcoa and in 1986 was taken private again by a group of investors.