Power from working together

During 2007 Eaton grew its power quality business significantly through acquisitions. The acquisitions of MGE Office Protections Systems, The Moeller Group and Phoenixtec show Eaton’s commitment to the power quality business and building it into serving customers all around the world. Eaton’s knowledge, product range and sales organisation are all now wider than ever. And the company plans to achieve a great deal more in the future.

“These acquisitions are just a start. To get the maximum value out of these arrangements we have a lot to do. Our sales and service people have already done impressive work in familiarising themselves with the new product range. This will be followed by massive investment in business development, channel operations, personnel and resources,” says Jorma Mannerkoski, Director, Eaton’s Power Quality division, EMEA.

Other recent acquisitions include sales and service partners such as Balmen in Madrid, Spain and PK Electronics in Brussels, Belgium. These will allow Eaton to serve its local customers in the most effective way.

Like pieces of a puzzle

The acquisitions of MGE Office Protection Systems, The Moeller Group and Phoenixtec Power Company, Ltd. consolidate Eaton’s position as a leading global supplier of power quality systems, electrical power distribution and control products. The four companies complement each other in production, distribution, and geographically.

The Moeller Group brings to Eaton a broad portfolio of power distribution and control products that meet International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards. The Moeller Group’s products are an important addition to Eaton’s Power Chain Management concept. The company’s European and Asian distribution networks and remarkable Eastern European production facilities significantly expand Eaton’s capabilities in electrical markets.

The high quality of MGE Office Protection Systems single-phase UPSs propel them to a leadership position in the IT sector and in France, Southern Europe and Africa. Together with the strong presence of the Powerware product line in Northern Europe and the UK, Eaton can now serve its partners and customers with significantly more sales and service power than before with both single- and three-phase UPSs and ePDUs.

Taiwan-based Phoenixtec's 900 engineers and five manufacturing sites significantly increase Eaton's production capabilities and its presence in Asia. As a former Eaton subcontractor Phoenixtec is familiar with Eaton's products and way of working, which makes it´s integration into Eaton organization smooth. Eaton is now the leading UPS producer in China.

Focus on EMEA

Through these acquisitions, Eaton’s Power Quality business has grown stronger in Europe, Middle-East and Africa (EMEA).

“Eaton has turned from an American company into a truly global one. Our slogan ´Powering Business Worldwide´ is everyday life at Eaton,” states Mannerkoski, himself a Finn. “In terms of customer value, this means that the same reliable products and services are available to power our customers’ businesses wherever they operate.”

Eaton now has a presence in 31 countries across the EMEA area, with close to 1,000 professionals in its Power Quality division and a number of partners all around the EMEA region. Nearly 100 Eaton people in service demonstrate the strong focus on customer satisfaction.

“The local presence, as well as our organisation being bigger and stronger than ever before, enables us to support our partners in the best possible way. We want to help them in choosing the right products for the customers in an easy and effective way. The expanded product portfolio is an excellent starting point for this,” Mannerkoski points out.

The expanded product portfolio, a result of the MGE Office Protection Systems acquisition, gives Eaton the possibility to become a leading player in the IT sector. Products such as BladeUPSs and ePDUs help to strengthen the company’s position in the world of medium-size data centres. The portfolio also enables access to the large UPS market with Powerware 9395, which serves mega data centres.

Global company with shared values

“I have been positively surprised at how similar the business cultures of the merged companies are. All the companies have long-term goals in their operations. The focus is on product development, sustainability and putting the customer first,” Mannerkoski concludes.

Eaton’s recent acquisitions

MGE Office Protection Systems designs and manufactures secured power products and solutions for enterprises, small business and homes. The company brings to Eaton a complementary range of single-phase uninterruptible power systems up to 20 kVA and surge suppressors. MGE Office Protection Systems is one of the largest UPS suppliers in Europe and is expanding its presence in Asia/Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe and North America.

MGE Office Protection Systems is headquartered in France, and has offices in more than 40 countries and customers in more than 60 countries. The company’s operations and customer base will greatly enhance Eaton’s presence in France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain and North Africa.

The Moeller Group is a leading supplier of components for commercial and residential building applications and industrial controls for industrial equipment applications. Moeller sells products primarily to customers in Western and Eastern Europe and the Asia Pacific region. Based in Bonn, Germany, The Moeller Group has 15 global production facilities, sales offices in more than 90 countries and approximately 8,700 employees.

Phoenixtec manufactures single- and three-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems that are sold globally. Phoenixtec has leading positions in UPS markets, particularly in China, Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Based in Taipei, the company has manufacturing facilities in Mainland China and Taiwan, and employs approximately 5,800 people.