Signify Acquires Intelligent Lighting Controls
Signify announced the acquisition of Intelligent Lighting Controls Inc. (ILC), a market-leading U.S. manufacturer of wired control systems, expanding its connected portfolio.
Intelligent Lighting Controls’ sales are primarily focused on energy-saving control systems in applications such as health care, education, offices and sporting venues. ILC, which was founded in 1990, will continue to be headquartered and maintain its manufacturing in Edina, Minnesota.
Going forward, ILC will sell its brand of wired control systems as part of Cooper Lighting Solutions, a business unit of Signify’s Digital Solutions division. ILC’s wired control systems expand the Cooper Lighting Solutions portfolio of energy-saving solutions, providing enhanced opportunities to sell a broad range of energy-efficient LED lighting products in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
“We are delighted to welcome Intelligent Lighting Controls to the Signify family. With ILC’s talented team and proven track record, we are adding a well-established technology and competitive offering to fuel the uptake of energy-saving solutions in the attractive North American market,” said Kraig Kasler, president of Cooper Lighting Solutions.
For more information, visit signify.com/en-us.
nVent to Acquire ECM Industries LLC
nVent Electric plc recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ECM Investors LLC, the parent of ECM Industries LLC, for a purchase price of $1.1 billion, subject to customary adjustments. ECM Industries is a leading provider of high-value electrical connectors, tools and test instruments and cable management.
“We are excited to acquire ECM Industries. This deal aligns with nVent’s acquisition strategy focused on great products in high-growth verticals that we can scale, positioning us for continued long-term value creation,” said nVent CEO Beth Wozniak. “ECM Industries has a highly complementary portfolio of electrical power connection and grounding solutions, including its ILSCO brand. Together with ECM, nVent can provide a broader offering to customers, including electrical contractors, and to distribution partners. With a long history of focusing on the customer and growth, industry-leading brands and a people-oriented culture, we believe ECM will be a great fit with nVent.”
ECM Industries is a North American provider of electrical connectivity products with industry-leading brands, including ILSCO, Gardner Bender and King Innovation. Headquartered in New Berlin, Wisconsin with approximately 1,400 employees, ECM Industries had revenues of $415 million and adjusted EBITDA of $104 million in the 12 months ended February 28.
nVent expects the acquisition to be accretive to adjusted earnings per share in 2023 following completion of the transaction. On a GAAP reported basis, nVent estimates the acquisition to be accretive to earnings per share in 2024. The effective enterprise value multiple is approximately 10.6 times trailing 12-month ECM Industries’ adjusted EBITDA.
The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2023, subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approval. nVent expects to fund the acquisition with a combination of available cash on hand and new debt.
Upon closing of this transaction, nVent plans to operate ECM Industries within its Electrical and Fastening Solutions business segment.
For more information, visit nvent.com/en-us/.
Southwire Opens New Space at The Battery Atlanta
Southwire recently celebrated the opening of its new hub at The Battery Atlanta in Cobb County adjacent to Truist Park, home of the Atlanta Braves.
Approximately 200 team members, customers, partners and community leaders commemorated the occasion with a ribbon cutting, tours, networking and a special guest appearance by Atlanta Braves mascot Blooper.
The roughly 23,000 square feet of offices, meeting rooms, workstations and multipurpose space reflects the company’s commitment to service, quality and innovation and will provide team members space and opportunity for connection and collaboration.
While expanding its presence in metro Atlanta provides the company with a competitive edge for talent recruitment and retention and exciting opportunities, Southwire remains committed to its headquarters in the west Georgia area and each of its existing communities as the company continues to drive the electrical industry forward.
More exciting moments are ahead for Southwire this year as the company plans to open the largest, most advanced copper rod plant in the world in Carrollton, Georgia, in April.
For more information, visit southwire.com.
Leviton Expands Camargo Manufacturing Facility, Announces 2023 Captain Code Program
Leviton recently announced the expansion of its manufacturing facility in Camargo, Mexico.
The more than 80,000-square-foot facility will house several new production lines and a distribution center for more efficient operations, as well as areas that benefit employees such as dedicated offices, a cafeteria and recreational center. The new facility will add 300 positions to the Leviton workforce in the region.
“We’ve been manufacturing products in Camargo for more than 25 years and are extremely excited to be expanding our footprint yet again in this region,” said Michael Mattei, executive vice president and general manager, Leviton Commercial & Industrial. “As customer needs and dynamics shift, we’re staying ahead in terms of how we meet demand and develop new products. In this new space, we’re adding technology and manufacturing capabilities that will allow us to even better serve our customers.”
The facility will manufacture products for all four Leviton business units and serve customers across the world. Incorporating automation and new technology in the facility will also improve Leviton’s ability to meet capacity demands, improve lead times and bring new products to market in a faster and more sustainable manner.
Focusing on reducing its overall environmental impact and empowering and enabling customers to be more sustainable, Leviton’s goal to achieve company-wide Carbon Neutrality by 2030 (CN2030) will be reflected in the construction and expansion of the Camargo facility.
“It was important to incorporate our CN2030 efforts in building this facility,” said Jaime Estrada, vice president, Chihuahua Operations. “As Leviton strives for carbon neutrality by 2030, the expanded Camargo facility will adhere to Green Building Initiative standards.”
Leviton expects to complete construction later this year.
Leviton recently announced the ninth edition of its Captain Code Guide, featuring the 2023 changes and additions to the National Electrical Code (NEC®). The 120-page booklet is available at no cost through participating distributors, the Captain Code mobile app for Apple and Google devices or online at leviton.com/captaincode.
Leviton’s Captain Code program provides electrical contractors and builders accurate and timely code analysis and helps them navigate the changes and updates as they occur within each code cycle. The program is based on a partnership between Leviton, the National Fire Protection Association® (NFPA®) and recognized code scholar James Stallcup.
To keep the content manageable, each code change is tagged by vertical/application. This user-friendly approach enables the reader to go right to the industry in which they work. For example, if a reader works in healthcare, they simply search “health care” and all appropriate code passages are presented.
With more than 80 code changes detailed in the 2023 NEC, Leviton’s Captain Code Guide quickly conveys all main code requirements on topics like the expansion of arc-fault and surge protection and new allowances for 10-amp circuits.
For more information, visit leviton.com/en.
Crescent Takes Top Honors from Cooper Lighting
Cooper Lighting is excited to announce Crescent Electric Supply Co. has been named its 2022 IMARK Channel Partner of the Year.
The recipient of this year’s award was determined by performance in multiple capacities, including outstanding collaboration, marketing activities and commitment to accelerating growth.
Cooper Lighting’s channel partners are an important extension of the company’s team to help deliver best-in-class lighting and controls products to customers.
For more information, visit cooperlighting.com.
NAED Begins New Market Area Meetups
Combine NAED members who are looking to do some networking with the opportunity to learn more about the local economy and some golf in a fun atmosphere, and you have the recipe for the brand new NAED Market Area Meetups.
The association is trying something new in 2023 with four regional events for distributors, manufacturers and service providers to get together with peers at local Topgolf locations. The events include a presentation by NAED’s Business Intelligence Analyst Erin Prinster on how the local economy shapes up for our supply chain, followed by golf, networking, and food and drinks.
Prinster is the author of the association’s quarterly Economic and Industry Sector Outlook, which details the overall economic outlook, provides detailed analysis on eight key industry sectors and includes the NAED exclusive construction index. Thanks to a partnership with Hubbell and Schneider Electric, the quarterly outlook is available to NAED distributors for free.
Topgolf is known as a fun atmosphere for everyone from expert to beginner golfers, so even if you don’t want to play, there will be music, entertainment, food and drink so you will enjoy the event.
The NAED Market Area Meetups will be held:
- July 19: Topgolf Schaumburg, Schaumburg, Illinois
- August 1, Topgolf Philadelphia-Northeast, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- September 7, Topgolf Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland
Registration is free for distributors and $125 for all other NAED members. Space is limited, so you need to register early to make sure you have your spot.
For more information, visit naed.org/market-area-meetups.
Trimble and DDS Collaborate to Provide Next-Generation Product Data Solutions
Trimble and Distributor Data Solutions (DDS) are expanding the delivery of next-generation product data solutions to contractors, distributors and manufacturers for the construction industry. DDS and Trimble manage and syndicate manufacturer-specific product content for one of the largest global ecosystems of contractor and distributor software users in construction. Together, they currently serve more than 60% of the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and HVAC commercial distributor market in the United States.
“The demand for accurate, enriched, and standardized product content is only increasing as the industry digitizes its workflows,” said Lawrence Smith, vice president, Trimble Construction Management Solutions. “Trimble believes that connected, unified data is the future of construction because it enables the industry to build more efficiently and sustainably. Working with DDS will expedite our delivery of an expanded breadth of rich and accurate product data from our common data environment that is portable across Trimble and non-Trimble systems.”
DDS, founded in 2014 to ease the exchange of product information, currently works with more than 300 distributors and 600 manufacturers (representing 1,600+ brands) to syndicate product data to their distribution channel across seven primary industries: Electrical, Plumbing, HVACR, Industrial Supply, Industrial Automation, Industrial Gas and Welding, and Construction.
A leading provider of construction technology and data solutions, Trimble serves 60% of ENR top 50 contractors and the majority of ENR 400 with $400+ billion of construction project value being managed using Trimble systems. Over a million active users, including electrical, plumbing, and mechanical contractors and distributors, connect to Trimble’s digital data network worldwide.
“Working with Trimble is an ideal fit for us” said Matt Christensen, president of DDS. “They certainly lead the market in highly advanced solutions that showcase how widely and how innovatively digital product information can be utilized throughout these industries. We are excited that our own solutions can work alongside theirs to help simplify and improve how all this data gets communicated and managed for everyone involved.”
For more information, visit distributordatasolutions.com.
Arlington Industries Names President
Arlington Industries Inc. recently announced the appointment of Tom Gretz to the position of president. He will assume the duties of Arlington’s recently deceased, longtime president, Tom Stark.
From the time he joined the company as vice president and general manager in 1987, Gretz worked hand in hand with Stark in developing the many innovative, time-saving products Arlington has introduced over the past several years. He holds hundreds of patents for electrical products and has several patents pending.
Gretz, who has worked in the electrical industry for more than 50 years, began his career at Halex Co., rising through the ranks to become vice president of engineering and services.
Gretz has been a member of the Cosmos Club since 2007. Membership, by invitation only, is granted to high-achieving inventors and representatives of the legal, political, aerospace, technology and other industries.
For more information, visit aifittings.com.
OmniCable Hires New National Account Manager
Omni Cable LLC recently hired Shaker Brock as a national account manager. In this role, Brock is responsible for growing business with U.S. IMARK members.
“I’ve always thought very highly of OmniCable and especially its people,” said Brock about why he took the position at OmniCable. “In addition, I have a huge passion for IMARK and what they do for their members and suppliers. When I heard about this new role, I jumped at the chance.”
Brock has more than 20 years of industry experience. Prior to OmniCable, he held various positions at Electric Supply Inc. and was heavily involved in IMARK and NAED. “As a former IMARK member, Shaker is the perfect choice for this role. He is dedicated to IMARK and helping its members,” said Drew Piller, director of national & strategic accounts.
For more information, visit omnicable.ca.
Legrand NCA Announces New Chief Marketing Officer
Legrand® recently announced Laurie Englert as its newest chief marketing officer (CMO) for Legrand, North and Central America. She takes on this position as the former CMO of 15 years, Stephen Schoffstall, retired at the end of 2022. In this role, she will oversee marketing strategy across all Legrand business divisions and serve as a member of the executive committee.
Englert brings to this position more than 30 years of experience in various marketing and communication roles; managing high-performing, customer-focused functional teams such as digital experience, customer relationship management, learning experience, channel marketing, customer care and more. Most recently, she led the integration of nine independent brands into one brand under Legrand | AV. Previously, Englert held marketing director and vice president level roles at both Milestone AV Technologies and Graco Inc. Englert is fueled by her passion for design thinking, an innovation framework and drive to drastically improve the digital experience. She has championed the customer experience, developing a strategy for organizational change to a consumer-centric mindset. Throughout her career, Englert has continuously strived to expand her business acumen, earning a Master of Business Communication from St. Thomas University in 2017 and becoming involved in many non-profit boards and associations.
“We are thrilled to have Laurie as our new CMO, bringing her leadership and expertise to our corporate marketing team,” said John Selldorff, CEO of Legrand North and Central America. “With her extensive marketing, design thinking and customer experience background, we’re confident she will propel Legrand to the next level and continue pushing the industry forward.”
For more information, visit legrand.us.
OmniCable’s Greg Donato Announces Retirement
Omni Cable LLC, headquartered in West Chester, Pennsylvania, announces the retirement of Greg Donato, OmniCable’s chief commercial officer (CCO), effective April 21.
Donato has more than 39 years in the industry, the past 30 between OmniCable and Houston Wire & Cable (HWC). He spent 15 years at HWC prior to joining OmniCable as executive vice president of sales and operations. Over his 15-year career with OmniCable, he has held various roles, including COO, and helped shape OmniCable into the company that it is today.
“His leadership contributions include the creation of some of our outside sales roles, opening the Charlotte and Seattle branches, launching the Corporate Sales Center and starting up the Supply Chain team and Business Development team,” said Greg Lampert, OmniCable’s president and CEO. “He has hired and mentored many of today’s leaders and built an outstanding reputation throughout the industry with customers, suppliers and, of course, our team members. He will be greatly missed, but we wish him all the best in retirement.”
“The past 39 years have been an amazing experience. I have developed so many business and personal relationships from our industry that I am sure will carry beyond my retirement. I want to thank our customers and suppliers for their support over the years. In addition, I want to thank all the employees I have worked with for being such a big part of our success. Thank you for allowing me to be part of such a great company and team,” said Donato. “I was fortunate to have great mentors over the years to learn from, but I especially feel fortunate to have spent my entire career in our industry. I look forward to the next chapter of life and spending time with my family.”
For more information, visit omnicable.ca.