Manufacturer News: 10.25.2011

WAC Lighting Supports Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, WAC Lighting hosted “Pink Dress Down Days.” Each Friday in October, employees wore pink clothing and Breast Cancer Awareness bracelets in an effort to donate to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. WAC Lighting President Shelley Wald said, “As a ‘Responsible Lighting’ company, WAC is committed to offering hope and inspiration to those who have been affected by breast cancer.

Schneider Electric’s Editors’ Event

Schneider Electric made several company announcements at its recent 2011 Editors’ Event:

• The company has acquired Telvent. According to a company news release, “Telvent is a global IT solutions and business information services provider dedicated to helping improve efficiency, safety and security for the world’s leading companies.” With the acquisition, Schneider Electric and Telvent will together be able to give their customers energy management and efficient infrastructure solutions.
• Schneider Electric launched its StruxureWare software platform. The software is, “designed to simplify energy management and optimize energy usage in all types of buildings, data centers and industrial facilities.” StruxureWare is the software piece of Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure portfolio. It basically allows users to monitor, automate and report on management systems within a building.
• The company recently launched a university relations program. According to a company news release, the program, “will provide schools with initiatives ranging from executive-level sponsorship and participation in campus speaking opportunities, subject-matter access for energy management curriculum development and university research projects, strategic counsel on university sustainability plans, sponsorships of university competitions focused on green technology and energy management, and a commitment to provide global career opportunities to recent college graduates who are preparing for careers in green technology.” Schneider Electric says the company will also work with schools toward creating learning labs to showcase technology of the future.

Recall: 2,000 Pool Pump Motors

According to a news release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 2,000 pool pump motors made by Nidec Motor Corporation and Emerson Motor Company, both of St. Louis, have been recalled. The CPSC says that the pump cover is not grounded properly, creating a risk of electrical shock. So far no injuries have been reported.

Tyco Remains Newsworthy

As many in the industry may remember, in 2007, Tyco International split into three pieces. One piece is the present-day Tyco International. Another is TE Connectivity. The third, the electrical and metal products business which was renamed Atkore International, is a private concern (owned by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice – which also owns pieces of HD Supply and Rexel). And, of course, the once-famous electrical supplier AMP, which is now inside TE Connectivity, was a piece of Tyco.

Recently, the remaining Tyco International said it would split again into three pieces:

• ADT (residential security)
• Flow control products
• Commercial fire and security

Tyco executives held a conference call after announcing the three-piece split.

According to a report on TheDeal.com, at least one banker claimed that someone else might buy at least one of the pieces; “France's Schneider Electric SA, which reportedly weighed a $30 billion bid for Tyco, could resurface to pursue the fire and security business.”

A report from TheStreet.com last month mentioned not only Schneider, but also GE and Siemens as possible buyers of various parts of the now-smaller Tyco.

Headliners

Possible Acquisition: Litex Industries said earlier this month that it would try to buy Craftmade International for $4.25 per share (via a tender offer). Craftmade, according to the Litex news release, has looked upon the deal favorably “subject to certain conditions.” As of last Monday, the price of Craftmade stock as traded on the Pink Sheets (symbol CRFT.PK on Yahoo! Finance) was $4.02. Litex offered to buy Craftmade early last year, but the deal never went through. The offering price was higher last year; for much of 2010, Craftmade’s stock traded above the $5 mark.

Lawsuit: Fujikura subsidiary AFL said that a U.S. District Court had issued a preliminary injunction in the case AFL brought against Fiberoptics Hardware LLC. The case involves fusion splicers.

Possible change in LED lighting socket: A recent article on Cnet.com presented the possibility of a dramatic departure for LED lighting—a snap-in socket. It’s called the Helieon, from Bridgelux and Molex. The pitch—“Line voltage, greater cost savings, and no external components.” See photo below:

Lighting manufacturing deal: Vu1 Corp. said earlier this month that it signed on with Huayi Lighting Co. Ltd. Huayi, of GuZhen, ZhongShan City, China, will supply 250 million electron stimulated luminescence™ bulbs to Vu1 over five years, with “exclusivity” for the first two years.

Slowdown in LED & lighting: According to an article posted to LEDsmagazine.com, “The general market slowdown in lighting is affecting companies in all parts of the supply chain, delaying Siemens’ intended initial public offering of Osram, while public companies have taken a hit in the stock market.”

“Smart electrical gear:” Defined by Allan Worthy of Siemens in an article on DataCenterDynamics.com, “smart electrical gear” is electrical distribution equipment that can “integrally support monitoring, configuration, control, and two-way, real-time communication between the apparatus and the user.”

Solar Makers & Suppliers

American Solar Wholesale said in a company news release that it “produces one of the highest-rated polycrystalline module series available in the world today.” On its website, American Solar Wholesale says “The company has been selected as one of only five approved suppliers by Affiliated Distributors Buying Group.” American Solar Wholesale recently signed on with FLS Energy, Amboy NC and Renogy LLC to supply solar modules for use at the North Carolina Justice Center in Raleigh.

First Solar Inc. did not meet a deadline and thereby lost a $1.9 billion federal loan guarantee. 247wallst.com posted a piece about what happened in this deal.

Solectria Renewables of Huntington Beach, Calif., which claims to be “the leading U.S. PV inverter manufacturer,” held a ribbon-cutting last month at its factory and office, which was recently expanded.

Suntech Power Holdings, based in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China, which says it is “the world’s largest crystalline silicon PV module manufacturer,” said it supplied 35MW of solar panels for two power plants in California.  

United Solar, a subsidiary of Energy Conversion Devices and maker of UNI-SOLAR thin-film solar modules, said in a news release that 259 of those modules were used in California “for one of the largest known residential solar installations in the world.”

Yingli Green Energy, a Chinese solar supplier, said its Americas unit would supply 10MW of solar modules for the New Jersey Oak Solar facility. That equals 55,000 of the company’s multi-crystalline modules.