Around the Industry

April 8, 2011
Butler buys Howe Electric Supply Illinois' Journal-Courier says Butler Supply Inc., Fenton, Mo., has purchased Howe Electric Supply, Jacksonville, Ill.

Butler buys Howe Electric Supply

Illinois' Journal-Courier says Butler Supply Inc., Fenton, Mo., has purchased Howe Electric Supply, Jacksonville, Ill. Jacksonville is just west of Springfield, Ill. Butler was ranked #53 on Electrical Wholesaling's 2010 Top 200 listing.

Lowe's to stock more LEDs

The lighting aisles of 1,100 Lowe's locations will have more SKUs in LEDs after an agreement with Nexxus Lighting, Inc., Charlotte N.C., to market 17 of that company's Array products, including Par 38, R30, R16, GU10 and MR-16 bulbs. The bulbs will be available to consumers beginning June 2011.

Siemens goes gaming to teach end users about plant maintenance

Siemens has develped an online game called Plantville to showcase its industrial and infrastructure products. The game simulates the experience of being a plant manager. Players are faced with the challenge of maintaining the operation of their plant while trying to improve the productivity, efficiency, sustainability and overall health of their facility. Players can choose a bottling plant, a vitamin plant or a plant that builds trains.

Says Siemens, “Throughout the game, players will be able to interact with Pete the Plant Manager, whose plant has just won the ‘Plant of the Year’ award. Pete shares his best practices throughout the game to help players achieve outstanding results in plant performance. He will use webisodes, the Plantville Cafe, Puzzlers, and Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to dialogue with gamers and provide hints to playing the game.”

Legrand/Pass & Seymour drives into EV charger market

Legrand/Pass & Seymour, Syracuse, N.Y., is introducing a line of electric vehicle charging systems for residential and light commercial applications. The charging stations are weatherproof rated and compatible with all plug-in electric vehicles. Choices include a Level 1 15A/120V charger, and a Level 2 20A/240V charger. The Level 1 portable charger can be taken on the road, plugs into a standard 15A or 20A receptacle and includes built-in ground fault protection. Level 2 chargers are hard-wired to a 20A circuit. They charge vehicles faster than Level 1 chargers.