Cooper Industries was an American worldwide electrical products manufacturer headquartered in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1833, the company had seven operating divisions including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG explosion-proof electrical equipment; Halo and Metalux lighting fixtures; and Kyle and McGraw-Edison power systems products. In 2011, 59% of total sales were to customers in the industrial and utility end-markets and 40% of total sales were to customers outside the United States. Cooper has manufacturing facilities in 23 countries as of 2011. On November 26, 2012, it was announced that the company will be replaced in the

S&P 500 The Standard and Poor's 500, or simply the S&P 500, is a stock market index tracking the stock performance of 500 large companies listed on stock exchanges in the United States. It is one of the most commonly followed equity indices. As of D ...

index, since its takeover by

Eaton Corporation Eaton Corporation plc is an American-Irish multinational power management company with 2021 sales of $19.63 billion, founded in the United States with global headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, and a secondary administrative center in Beachwood, ...

History

Cooper Industries was founded in 1833 by brothers Charles and Elias Cooper. The company started as a foundry located in

Mt. Vernon, Ohio Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, Knox County, Ohio, United States. It is located northeast of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus. The population was 16,990 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. It is the county seat of Knox County. H ...

and was initially called the C&E Cooper Company. Cooper's initial product offerings included plows, hog troughs, kettles and stoves. By the mid-nineteenth century the company was concentrating on steam engines. As the use of steam power declined in the late 1800s, Cooper again shifted its focus, this time to gas engine technology. By the time the 20th century arrived, Cooper Industries had become the American leader in pipeline compression engines, products that enabled the development of the growing oil and gas industry. This period was also highlighted by a merger with Bessemer Gas Engine Company, which is still referenced to this day in Cooper's stock symbol (CBE). In the 1940s, Cooper played a role in the U.S.

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

effort, supplying engine components that powered almost all of the ships in the Navy's minesweeper fleet, as well as the famous

Liberty Ships Liberty ships were a ship class, class of cargo ship built in the United States during World War II under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Though British in concept, the design was adopted by the United States for its simple, low-cost constr ...

, which carried 75% of the cargo used by Allied armed forces. After the war, Cooper again embarked on an effort to diversify itself in a changing world economy. As the company looked to increase its product portfolio, Cooper expanded its offering into electrical products, electrical power equipment, automotive products, tools and hardware. Cornerstone acquisitions during this period included Crouse-Hinds (1981) and

McGraw-Edison McGraw-Edison was an American manufacturer of electrical equipment. It was created in 1957 through a merger of McGraw Electric and Thomas A. Edison, Inc., and was in turn acquired by Cooper Industries in 1985. Today, the McGraw-Edison brand is us ...

(1985). In the last decade of the 20th century, Cooper underwent a period of portfolio rationalization, reducing its exposure to more cyclical industries such as automotive and petroleum. Ultimately, Cooper emerged focused on the two business segments that remain in the portfolio today – Electrical Products Group and Energy and Safety Solutions. On May 23, 2002, Cooper Industries Inc had completed reincorporation in

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from Ohio. In February 2008, Cooper Industries announced its acquisition of MTL Instruments Group. On November 30, 2012, Eaton announced its completion of acquisition of Cooper Industries. In March 2020, Eaton announced the sale of its lighting business to Signify N.V., the company that was formed from the spin-off of

Philips Koninklijke Philips N.V. (), commonly shortened to Philips, is a Dutch multinational conglomerate corporation that was founded in Eindhoven in 1891. Since 1997, it has been mostly headquartered in Amsterdam, though the Benelux headquarters i ...

' lighting division

Divisions

Cooper Industries was acquired by

in 2012. The divisions are undergoing name changes as a result.

Eaton's Cooper Lighting Business

Eaton's Cooper Lighting Business manufactures lighting fixtures and related products to worldwide commercial, industrial, residential and utility markets. This includes track and recessed lighting (LED, fluorescent, H.I.D.), exit and emergency, vandal-resistant, landscape and complex environment lighting. Eaton's Cooper Lighting Business manufactures lighting fixtures under several brands, many of which were the result of acquisitions. These brands include: :* Corelite :* Fail-Safe :* Halo :* IRiS :* Lumark :* McGraw-Edison :* Metalux :* Neo-Ray :* Portfolio :* RSA :* Sure-Lites :* Shaper :* Streetworks

Eaton's B-line Business

Eaton's B-Line Business (formerly Cooper B-Line) is a global provider of support systems and enclosure solutions for engineered facility subsystem applications in various markets: commercial, industrial, utility and OEM.

Eaton's Bussmann Business

Eaton's Bussmann Business (formerly Cooper Bussmann) manufactures and markets a wide variety of North American and European-styled fuses for the electrical, electronics and transportation industries. The company also produces industrial and mobile wireless solutions, plus inductors and transformers for power quality in electronics applications. Bussmann's main industrial manufacturing facilities are located in the United States (Black Mountain and Goldsboro NC, Chicago IL, Ellisville MO, Boca Raton FL), in Mexico (Juarez and Mexico City), in UK (Workington and Burton-on-the-Wolds), in Hungary (Győr), Xi’an (China), India (Pondicherry), Costa Rica (San Jose), Brazil (Itu). Business Units * Electrical - Serving infrastructure, automation, renewable energy and transportation/high reliability * Electronics - Serving renewable energy, automation and transportation/high reliability, computers, communications and consumer * Transportation - Serving hybrid/electric vehicles, traction * Wireless - Serving transportation, heavy duty/off-road, and industrial * Consumer - Serving automotive aftermarket and hardware/home center

Eaton's Cooper Safety Business

Eaton's Cooper Safety Business (formerly Cooper Safety) specializes in notification, alarm and safety systems. This includes emergency lighting, fire detection and alarm systems, hazardous area communications, life safety notifications, mains lighting and security systems. Cooper notification acquired Wheelock inc. In 2006.

Eaton's Cooper Wiring Devices Business

Eaton's Cooper Wiring Devices Business (formerly Cooper Wiring Devices) works closely with Eaton's Cooper Lighting Business. The company has acquired well known brands like

Eagle Electric Eagle Electric Manufacturing Company, founded in 1920, was a maker of electrical devices, switches and circuit units based in Long Island City, New York, in the borough of Queens. History The company was founded by Louis Ludwig and his younger br ...

, Arrow Hart, ArrowLink, RhinoBox, Aspire, Aspire RF, and MediaSync. The companies products include cable assemblies, data connectors for military, home and commercial, lighting switches, outlets, receptacles, subsea wiring and communications ports.

Eaton's Cooper Power Systems Business

Eaton's Cooper Power Systems Business (formerly Cooper Power Systems) a subsidiary of Cooper Industries is a global manufacturer and provider of power delivery apparatus for the utility, commercial, and industrial markets in the medium voltage and high voltage ranges. The company provides products and services required to transform, protect, connect, and build out an electric power system backbone. Reliability and grid-point solutions include: Integrated Volt/Var Control (IVVC), feeder, and substation automation systems. Endpoint solutions include: Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Demand Response (DR). Additionally the company provides engineering optimization and modeling tools.

Eaton's Crouse-Hinds Business

Eaton's Crouse-Hinds Business (formerly Cooper Crouse-Hinds) specializes in explosion proof and hazardous environments

Joint Ventures

Apex Tool Group

Apex Tool Group was formed in July 2010 as a joint venture of two manufacturers, Danaher Tool Group and the Cooper Hand Tools division of Cooper Industries. The two businesses offer industrial, commercial, and do-it-yourself customers a selection of over 30 leading brands, including Crescent, GearWrench, Armstrong, and Weller. In October 2012,

Danaher Corporation Danaher Corporation is an American globally diversified conglomerate with its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The company designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services. The company's ...

and Cooper Industries sold the

Apex Tool Group Apex Tool Group is an American supplier of hand tools and power tools. It was formed as a joint venture of Cooper Industries and Danaher by the merger of Cooper Tools and Danaher's Tools and Components segment. In October 2012, Danaher and Coo ...

Bain Capital Bain Capital is an American private investment firm based in Boston. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, public equity, impact investing, life sciences, and real estate. Bain Capital invests across a range of industry se ...

for a fee of around $1.6 billion.

Cooper Industries CEOs

* Charles Cooper 1833-1895 (chairman from 1895 incorporation to his death in 1901) * Frank L. Fairchild 1895-1912 * Charles Gray "C.G." Cooper 1912-1919 (chairman to 1922) * Desault B. Kirk 1919-1920 * Beatty B. Williams 1920-1940 and 1941-1943 (chairman 1940-1956) * Charles B. Jahnke 1940-1941 * Gordon Lefebvre 1943-1955 * Lawrence F. Williams 1955-1957 (chairman 1956-1959) * Eugene L. Miller 1957-1975 (chairman 1971-1983) * Robert Cizik 1975-1995 (chairman 1983-1996) * H. John Riley Jr. 1995-2005 (chairman 1996-2006) * Kirk S. Hachigian 2005- 2012

References

External links

Company homepage
{{Authority control 2012 mergers and acquisitions Manufacturing companies established in 1833 Companies formerly listed on the New York Stock Exchange Marine engine manufacturers 2012 disestablishments in the United States 1833 establishments in Ohio Tax inversions Manufacturing companies disestablished in 2012 American companies established in 1833 American companies disestablished in 2012