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Latest Scoop
Legrand
Launches New Branding Strategy
Legrand SA, one of the largest electrical manufacturers
in the world, is launching a new branding initiative for the North
American marketplace that will impact its stable of product lines,
including Wiremold, Pass & Seymour, Ortronics, WattStopper, On-Q,
Cablofil and Vantage.
The new branding initiative will include new corporate literature,
advertising campaigns, in-store merchandising, signage and web presence
investments that are already in motion and will occur at varying paces
beginning as early as the fourth quarter of 2009.
IDEA
E-Biz Forum Report from Tuscon
The annual gathering of the electrical industry’s
dataheads convened in the Arizona desert this week with a lighter
turnout than previous meetings, but with an invigorated sense of the
importance of synchronizing product data throughout the electrical
supply chain.
Whereas last year’s meeting was a celebration of the 10th anniversary
of IDEA’s formation and the formal introduction of Bob Gaylord as the
industry data association’s new president, the 2009 IDEA E-Biz Forum,
Sept. 22-24 in Tucson, Ariz., finds the organization deep in the
process
of realizing its new strategic mission.
EC&M
Top 50 Electrical Contractors Battle for Business
Notwithstanding the beginnings of a decline in
non-residential construction following the housing sector’s fallen
house of cards, revenue for electrical and datacom services reported by
the firms on this year’s Top 50 electrical contractors list remained
steady, with a total of $13.3 billion.
However, only a few firms on the listing, which appeared in the August
issue of Electrical Construction & Maintenance magazine and is
available at www.ecmweb.com, experienced significant revenue gains,
which were boosted by ample backlogs and the closeout of large
projects.
People On The Move
Chris Baynes
takes the reins at Baynes Electric Supply
Baynes Electric Supply Co. Inc. (Brockton,
Mass.): Chris Baynes has been appointed as the new company
president. He has spent the last eight years as vice president at the
company, where he was responsible for cross-functional management of
the
business and for building strong customer, manufacturer and vendor
relationships in preparation for this new leadership post. Baynes
replaces his father, Louis Baynes, who will become chairman of the
board.
Ericson
promotes Johnson to national sales and marketing manager
Ericson Manufacturing (Willoughby, Ohio): Jim
Johnson has been promoted to national sales and marketing manager.
Johnson joined Ericson this past March, serving as the North Central
regional sales manager. Prior to joining Ericson, he spent 18 years
with
the Lester Sales Co., a manufacturer’s rep. He brings to Ericson more
than 20 years of experience within the industry, and has a B.S. degree
from Northern Illinois University and maintains his CPMR certification.
On The Wire
Housing
Starts Slip Backward in August
Privately-owned housing starts in August were at a
seasonally adjusted annual rate of 598,000, 1.5 percent above the
revised July estimate of 589,000, but 29.6 percent below the August
2008
rate of 849,000, according to U.S. Commerce Dept. data released on
Sept.
17. Single-family housing starts in August were at a rate of 479,000,
three percent below the revised July figure of 494,000.
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Washingon, D.C., said
because the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit is set to expire at
the end of November, the window is now basically closed to start a new
home that can be completed in time for purchasers to take advantage of
that credit.
NEMA
introduces first smart grid standard
In conjunction with an address by Commerce Secretary
Gary Locke to GridWeek today, the National Electrical Manufacturers
Association (NEMA), Rosslyn, Va., has announced the completion of
SG-AMI 1-2009 Requirements for Smart Meter Upgradeability, the first
official original Smart Grid standard.
Breaking News
EPI
Drops 2.9% Year-to-Date in August
Last month’s EPI was a mixed bag. Overall, the August
EPI increased 0.2% over July 2009, but dropped 2.9% from August 2008.
Yet several categories saw some relatively sizeable month-to-month
increases, including power cable (+12.3%); switchgear (+1.4%);
telephone
(+1.1%); and hand & power tools (+1.0%). Fasteners registered the
biggest month-to-month decline (-0.9%).
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