Around the Industry

General Cable secures exclusive to sell Mercury Cable products

Mercury Cable & Energy, Dana Point, Calif., announced it has signed a three-year deal giving General Cable Corp., Highland Heights, Ky., exclusive rights to purchase and sell its products in the United States and Canada. Mercury Cable makes high-voltage composite-reinforced conductors (HVCRC) for electrical transmission lines.

Madison Electric teams with Time Saver to launch cable support line

Madison Electric Products Inc., Bedford Heights, Ohio, put together a deal with Time Saver Products Inc., Cleveland, to launch a new line of cable supports under the brand name “Clip-It.” The cable supports, developed by Time Saver founder Doug Hill, are polycarbonate plastic devices that make securing cable and conduit easier and “virtually tool-free.”

Hill started Time Saver Products five years ago, and has been in the electrical trade for 35 years. He started with the MC Clip, an idea that occurred to him when he was watching electricians struggling to organize MC cable in an installation, and has spent the five years fleshing out the product line and researching the market. The Clip-It line launched with Madison Electric also includes EMT clips, panel straps and MC stud supports.

Acuity and Samsung team up to develop LED lighting

Acuity Brands, Inc., Atlanta, and Samsung LED Co. Ltd., Seoul, South Korea, will jointly develop lighting products utilizing light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Said Vernon Nagel, chairman, president and CEO, “The opportunity for highly energy-efficient lighting solutions utilizing LEDs and lighting controls continues to expand due to demand for sustainable solutions, the growing need to reduce energy and maintenance costs, and regulatory drivers requiring the use of more efficient lighting and controls solutions. Our collaboration with Samsung LED underscores our commitment to sustainable lighting solutions that deliver the benefits of solid-state technology with a focus on lighting quality for a superior visual environment.”

Cooper Lighting rolls out 16 new outdoor LED lighting fixtures

Cooper Lighting, Peachtree City, Ga., has launched 16 new LED outdoor fixtures for streetlighting, area/site lighting, parking garages, pathways, canopies and wall-mount applications. “Cooper Lighting is committed to providing industry-leading lighting solutions with traditional lamps, LED systems and controls to deliver operating cost savings and environmental benefits for the end-user customers and our channel partners,” says Neil Schrimsher, president, Cooper Lighting. “Cooper continues to invest heavily in each of these areas with strategic acquisitions, internal product development and best-in-class infrastructure.”

Schneider Electric outlines India growth plans

Schneider Electric plans to quadruple its sales in the fast-growing India market over the next three years, according to a report from ELECRAMA 2010 on the website Tech Whack, a technology website based in India. Schneider Electric introduced five new product lines for the Indian market from its power, energy efficiency, ISC (installation systems and control) and industrial units.

“India is part of the select group of 5 most important countries of Schneider Electric,” Olivier Blum, managing director, Schneider Electric India, is quoted as saying. “And, the range of products, solutions and services launched today suggests our growing thrust on research and development. Globally, an investment of nearly five per cent out of the global turnover is made in R&D, out of which a significant part will be spent in India. We intend to increase our market share in India by quadrupling our sales turnover by 2013.”

Schneider announced it will begin marketing LED luminaires in the India market, initially targeting rural areas.

Federal Signal agrees to buy RFID manufacturer

Federal Signal Corp., Oak Brook, Ill., will acquire Sirit Inc., Toronto, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for applications such as tolling, electronic vehicle registration, parking and access control, asset management, cashless payments and supply chain systems. The transaction has a total equity value of approximately $48 million.

Record-breaking year for wind

The U.S. wind industry broke all previous records by installing nearly 10,000 megawatts (MW) of new generating capacity in 2009 (enough to serve over 2.4 million homes), an increase of 39 percent, but U.S. wind turbine manufacturing declined from the previous year, the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) said in its Q4 report.

The association had anticipated a drop as large as 50 percent in manufacturing, but the boost in funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) helped reduce the economy's impact on turbine production. Yet, the lack of long-term energy policy continues to blunt the sector's growth, the association said. Total U.S. wind-generated power surpassed 35,000 MW in 2009.