Around the Industry

Sept. 10, 2010
EIS buys Seacoast Electric EIS, Atlanta, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co. (GPC), announced that it has acquired the assets of Seacoast Electric

EIS buys Seacoast Electric

EIS, Atlanta, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co. (GPC), announced that it has acquired the assets of Seacoast Electric Co. Inc., Hawthorne, N.Y., effective Aug. 31. Seacoast has distribution locations in Virginia, Texas and California and serves the marine and oil and gas markets with shipboard and offshore cables and electrical equipment. EIS began as a distributor to motor repair shops, but has expanded over the past 59 years to supply industrial maintenance and OEM, fabrication and assembly markets with electrical products and supply chain services.

Werner Electric Supply buys warehouse in Milwaukee suburbs

An article in the Journal Sentinel said Werner Electric Supply has purchased an 80,290-square-foot warehouse in Pewaukee, Wis., approximately 20 miles west of Milwaukee, for $2.4 million. The property had previously been used by W.O.W. Distributing Co., a beer distributor.

NEMA's T5 lamp shipments show double-digit increase

T5 lamp shipments index registered a reading of 152.0 during the second quarter of 2010, a 41.1 percent increase from a year ago, according to the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va. The index reclaimed lost ground from the previous quarter, rebounding by 19.8 percent. T8 lamp shipments also showed robust growth, increasing 12.7 on a year-over-year basis. Conversely, shipments of T12 lamps declined 2.6 and 7.9 percent for the quarterly and year-over-year comparisons, respectively.

Philips demonstrates OLED module

Scientists from Philips Research have developed the first-ever organic light emitting diode (OLED) module that can be powered directly from a mains electricity supply. The prototype opens the door to OLED systems that can be directly plugged into standard power outlets without the need for bulky power management circuitry. This will reduce the bill of materials and simplify luminaire design for future OLED-based systems aimed at mass-market general illumination applications.

Eliminating the need for driver electronics could bring many advantages for luminaire manufacturers, Philips said. Because it reduces the number of components in a finished system, it makes system integration and assembly simpler, improves end-product reliability and enables faster time-to-market. Moreover, it increases design freedom and expands the range of potential OLED applications.

Integrated Electrical Services to help build Minnesota wind farm

Integrated Electrical Services (IES), Houston, has been awarded a contract from Mortenson Construction to provide electrical services at the Lakefield Wind Farm in southwestern Minnesota. IES will be responsible for the construction of the 200 MVA 345kV/34.5kV interconnect substation and transmission line for the project.

When complete, the Lakefield Wind Farm will consist of 137 GE 1.5MW turbines producing 205.5 MW of installed capacity. The facility is expected to provide power for approximately seven percent of utility sales for Indianapolis Power & Light.

Emerson closes Chloride buy

Emerson (EMR), St. Louis, announced it has completed its acquisition of U.K.-based power protection powerhouse Chloride Group PLC, which now joins Emerson Network Power. This acquisition helps drive Emerson's long-term global growth strategy for uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and integrated data center solutions. As previously announced, the purchase price was approximately $1.5 billion.

Ag Department to issue $1.2 billion in loans to rural electric co-ops

U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that 37 rural utilities and cooperatives in 20 states have been selected to receive guaranteed loans that will benefit more than 60,000 rural electric cooperative consumers by financing the construction and repair of almost 7,000 miles of distribution and transmissions lines. The $1.2 billion in funding is being awarded through USDA Rural Development's Electric Program.

NEMA motors index surges in Q2

NEMA's Motors Shipments Index (MSI) jumped 7.8 percent during the second quarter of 2010. On a year-over-year basis, the index registered a 16.1 percent rate of growth, but still remains approximately 16 percent below its peak.

Of the index's two underlying categories, inflation- and seasonally-adjusted shipments of fractional horsepower motors accounted for the entirety of the quarter's growth while demand for integral horsepower motors remained surprisingly lackluster, particularly given the solid growth occurring in the broader manufacturing sector.

San Francisco posts online directory of approved electrical products

It comes as no surprise that the City of San Francisco would want to purchase products that can make its facilities and projects as green as possible. The city recently posted “SF Approved List,” a directory of green products online at www.sfapproved.org. The SF Approved List is the result of legislation passed in 2005 that requires city staff to buy from an approved list of “environmentally preferable” or green products.