Cooper Industries Ltd., Houston, announced the acquisition of Wheelock Inc., Long Branch, N.J., a designer and manufacturer of fire safety and emergency incident communications systems and devices. Wheelock is a privately held company with 2005 annual revenues of approximately $46 million. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Wheelock manufactures a comprehensive fire notification product line that includes electronic strobe horns, mini-horns, strobes, speakers and speaker strobes and power supplies. The company also manufactures communication systems that combine background music, messaging, and emergency voice evacuation and telephone zone paging for military bases, retail establishments, factory and warehouse operations, and campus environments.
Wheelock becomes part of Cooper Menvier, based in the United Kingdom. With the acquisition, Cooper Menvier gains complementary capabilities to enhance its core product offerings in fire safety and security detectors, panels and signaling devices, including strobes, sounders, call points and bells. Additionally, Wheelock provides Cooper Menvier with UL-approved products.
“With its strong history of innovation, Wheelock provides a strategic extension to our European portfolio with products specifically designed and manufactured for the U.S. market,†said Kirk S. Hachigian, chairman and chief executive officer of Cooper Industries.
Cooper Industries Ltd. is a global manufacturer of electrical products and tools, with 2005 revenues of $4.7 billion, approximately 30 percent of which are international sales.
