PEARL to pursue ANSI status
Members of the Professional Electrical Apparatus Recyclers League (PEARL) voted at the group's annual meeting in Portland, Ore., this week to pursue accreditation as a developer of electrical product reconditioning standards under the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The group, made up of dealers of surplus, reconditioned and remanufactured electrical products, will pursue ANSI standards developing organization (SDO) status with the goal of adding PEARL's reconditioning standards to the ANSI body of U.S. technical standards. Also at the meeting, PEARL added a new Service Organization membership category for electrical field service companies and motor and transformer repair shops, and named Malcolm Fredrick of Coastal Switchgear/Shermco, Angleton, Texas, its new president.
IES sees end markets improve
Integrated Electrical Services (IES), Houston, posted increased revenues in its 2011 fiscal second quarter, but profitability continues to lag. The company reported $118.3 million in Q2 sales versus $113.6 million in Q1 and $107.6 million in 2010's Q2, with an operating loss of $7.9 million versus a $3.7 million loss in Q1 and a loss of $12.2 million in Q2 of 2010. Company executives, though, see a bright spot in improving activity in its end markets.
“Our Communications segment generated strong volume growth in the quarter and continues to perform well, and backlog in our Residential segment increased due to improved demand for multi-family projects. Volumes in our Commercial & Industrial segment improved again this quarter, although we experienced downward pressure on gross profit in that segment, primarily due to execution issues on a few specific projects,” said Michael Caliel, IES president and CEO.
Osram Sylvania to ramp up LED selection at Lowe's
Lighting manufacturer Osram Sylvania, Danvers, Mass., is expanding the selection of its Ultra LED lamps that it will sell in Lowe's home centers. Prices range from $22 for A-line LEDs to $54.98 for PAR38 LEDs. The new LEDs will start arriving on the shelves at Lowe's beginning in July 2011.