Eaton Corporation Announces Changes in Senior Management; Carson Named Head of Cutler-Hammer Group; Head of Aeroquip Group To Retire.

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 13, 1999--

Eaton Corporation (NYSE:ETN) today announced the promotion of Randy W. Carson to Senior Vice President and Group Executive for its Cutler-Hammer Group, effective January 1, 2000 and the retirement of Howard M. Selland, Senior Vice President and Group Executive for the company's Aeroquip Group, effective January 31, 2000. The company noted that these changes in senior management are unrelated.

Carson replaces David M. Wathen. Selland will be succeeded by Daniel E. Kimmet, who has been named Vice President, Aeroquip Operations, effective January 1, 2000. Carson and Kimmet both will report to Alexander M. Cutler, Eaton President and Chief Operating Officer.

Cutler-Hammer Group

Carson joined Eaton earlier this year as Vice President, Growth Initiatives, working with senior operating managers on new product and strategic marketing programs and on significant cross-company initiatives. "Randy has made a big impact in a short period of time," said Cutler. "His contributions have been especially significant in the area of E-business and in our relationships with key customers. Cutler-Hammer also will benefit from his leadership experience in the electrical industry, where he more than tripled sales for Rockwell Automation in six years." Carson will be based at the Cutler-Hammer Group's headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA.

Wathen has accepted the position of Principal at Questor, a private equity fund partnership. "In his two years with Eaton, Dave brought tremendous, positive personal energy to Cutler-Hammer and built a strong team," said Cutler. "He created a market-based organization and aligned operations to support this strong customer focus. We will miss him but support his decision to make this career change."

Carson joined Eaton from Rockwell International, where he was Senior Vice President of Rockwell Automation. He began his career in 1972 at Allen-Bradley, where he held increasingly responsible positions in sales, marketing and distribution. Carson was named Vice President of Allen-Bradley's Intelligent Sensing business in 1988. His subsequent management positions included serving as Senior Vice President of Allen-Bradley's Automation Group and as Executive Vice President of Reliance Electrical Group. Carson has a B.S. in electrical engineering from Valparaiso University.

Aeroquip Group

The management change will have no affect on Aeroquip's business-unit structure or operations. During the month of January, Selland will work with Kimmet to ensure a seamless transition. Kimmet will be based at the Aeroquip Group's headquarters in Maumee, OH.

"Howard Selland's 36 years of service at Aeroquip have been marked by strong leadership," said Cutler. "He is a forward-looking and innovative executive with several noteworthy business programs to his credit. Howard's retirement comes after achieving three major objectives associated with Eaton's acquisition of Aeroquip-Vickers, Inc. in April, 1999: successful integration of the business into Eaton, strong financial results in Aeroquip's first year as part of Eaton and the effective transition of the Aeroquip-Vickers leadership team."

Kimmet has been Vice President of Aeroquip's automotive operations for six years and his Aeroquip-Vickers career includes 25 years of management experience. "Dan Kimmet has proven himself in virtually every one of Aeroquip's businesses," said Cutler. "He is a highly qualified leader and well-prepared to succeed Howard Selland."

Prior to managing the Aeroquip Automotive Group, Kimmet held a variety of engineering positions in the Industrial Products Division. He became General Manager of Aeroquip's aerospace business in 1988 and was promoted to Vice President of the Aerospace Group in 1990. In 1993, he was appointed Vice President of the company's Automotive Group. Kimmet holds a B.A. and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University and is a graduate of Harvard University's advanced management program.

Eaton is a global manufacturer of highly engineered products that serve industrial, vehicle, construction, commercial, aerospace and semiconductor markets. Principal products include hydraulic products and fluid connectors, electrical power distribution and control equipment, truck drivetrain systems, engine components, ion implanters and a wide variety of controls. Headquartered in Cleveland, the company has 64,000 employees and 205 manufacturing sites in 25 countries around the world. Eaton's sales for 1998 were $6.6 billion. On April 9, 1999, Eaton acquired Aeroquip-Vickers, Inc., which had sales of $2.1 billion in 1998. The Internet address for Eaton is: http://www.eaton.com/