Around the Industry

Nov. 19, 2010
Greenlee rebrands VDV line Greenlee, Rockford, Ill., has consolidated its line of voice data video (VDV) products under the Greenlee Communications brand.

Greenlee rebrands VDV line

Greenlee, Rockford, Ill., has consolidated its line of voice data video (VDV) products under the Greenlee Communications brand. Martha Kness, Greenlee's V.P. of marketing and customer service, said the consolidation under the Greenlee Communications brand will unify the company's extensive line of products focused exclusively on the telecommunications and datacommunications markets. The Progressive Electronics, Tempo, Chesivale Electronics, Industrial Technology, RIFOCS, Datacom Technologies and Opto-Electronics branded products that have been part of Greenlee for years, together with the recent addition of Paladin Tools, will be re-branded under the Greenlee Communications name. The process will start immediately and is expected to be completed over the next year.

DOE-backed public EV charging program expands to D.C.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announced that the first public electric vehicle (EV) charging station in Washington, D.C., was unveiled on Nov. 16. Installation under Coulomb Technologies' ChargePoint America program was supported in part by a $15 million DOE grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program will install more than 500 charging stations in the D.C. area as part of nationwide effort that will add 4,600 charging stations during the next two years. According to a DOE newsletter, Coulomb Technologies is now installing 240V, Level II electric vehicle chargers for commercial and public use across the country. The nine pilot regions include Austin, Texas; Detroit; New York; Orlando, Fla; Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Jose and San Francisco, Calif.; Bellevue and Redmond, Wash.; and Washington, D.C. As the public begins to use these devices, DOE will collect data on travel patterns and about how drivers use their electric vehicles; where and when people charge their cars; and what impacts the chargers might have on the grid.

NEMA's O'Hagan leading efforts to build museum honoring U.S. writers

With a life-long love of literature fueling a quest to celebrate the rich literary history the United States, Malcolm O'Hagan, former president and CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., (from 1991 to 2006), is heading-up efforts to build the American Writers Museum. According to its website, the museum's goal is to, “celebrate and share the literary heritage of the United States through a compelling new museum that will serve visitors of all ages and backgrounds, inviting them to discover and renew their love of reading. Through dynamic and state-of-the-art exhibitions, this centrally-located museum will honor writers and writing, reading and learning.”The American Writers Museum is still in the conceptual stage, but O'Hagan said in a July interview on C-Span that the reception he and others on the museum's executive planning team received have been overwhelmingly positive. He said in that interview that the museum may cost $200 million to build. You can contact him at [email protected].

Sales of Gulf Coast clean-up supplies boost Grainger October sales

October daily sales in the U.S. for W.W. Grainger Inc., Lake Forest, Ill., were up 8 percent, due in part to sales related to the oil spill clean-up in the Gulf of Mexico, which contributed 1 percentage point to Grainger's U.S. sales in October. Market results for Grainger's other key business segments were as follows: heavy manufacturing was up in the mid-teens; light manufacturing was up in the high single digits; retail was up in the mid-single digits; contractor and commercial were up in the low single digits; and government was down low single digits.

GE invests in electric fleet

General Electric, Fairfield, Conn., announced it will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet and through its Capital Fleet Services business — a move the company claims is the largest-ever single electric vehicle commitment.

GE will convert at least half of its 30,000-vehicle global fleet and will partner with fleet customers to deploy another 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015. GE will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt in 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios. GE and its partners will use a mix of electric vehicle technologies to meet their respective needs.

“Electric vehicle technology is real and ready for deployment and we are embracing the transformation with partners like GM and our fleet customers,” said GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt. “By electrifying our own fleet, we will accelerate the adoption curve, drive scale, and move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.”