Eaton acquires lighting technology business.

CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 15, 1997--Eaton Corporation today said it has acquired the assets of Integrated Building Systems Company (IBS), a developer of lighting technology for commercial and industrial buildings. The purchase price was not disclosed.

IBS, which is based in Roselle, Illinois, had 1995 sales approaching $1 million. Eaton said IBS will become part of its Cutler-Hammer business unit.

"While IBS' annual sales aren't sizable, this asset and technology acquisition is an important one for us, and potentially significant to the industries we serve," said Joseph L. Becherer, Senior Vice-President, Cutler-Hammer.

"Lighting is second only to motors as the largest user of energy in most commercial and industrial facilities, and as state and federal energy conservation laws continue to be strengthened, the effective control of electricity will become an increasingly important issue," Becherer said.

He said sales of the IBS system, which will be marketed as the Pow-R-Control Lighting Control System, are expected to approach $3 million in 1997. The Pow-R-Command product line offers features that include time-of-day scheduling, holiday scheduling, manual override, telephone override, daylight and ambient lighting controls, and metering and event controllers.

Cutler-Hammer is a leader in the development of electrical power monitoring systems, and Becherer said the microchip technology developed by IBS will be incorporated into Cutler-Hammer panelboards along with remote control circuit breakers, as well as becoming integrated with the existing Cutler-Hammer IMPACC Monitoring and Control System, which provides complete electrical system monitoring capability in industrial and commercial facilities.

Cutler-Hammer, a part of Eaton Corporation, had sales of nearly $1.7 billion in 1995, and is one of the world's leading suppliers of industrial control products and power distribution equipment. Eaton Corporation is a global manufacturer of highly engineered products which serve vehicle, industrial, construction, commercial and aerospace markets. Principal products include truck transmissions and axles, engine components, hydraulic products, electrical power distribution and control equipment, ion implanters and a wide variety of controls. Headquartered in Cleveland, the company has 54,000 employees and 155 manufacturing sites in 26 countries around the world. Sales for 1995 were $6.8 billion.

CONTACT: Eaton Corporation, Cleveland

Renald M. Romain, 216/523-4736