 |
E. O. Schweitzer Manufacturing Co. Joins Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories as a Wholly-owned Subsidiary
MUNDELEIN, IL -- E. O. Schweitzer Manufacturing Co. (EOS Mfg.) and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc. (SEL) are pleased to announce that on July 31, 2004, EOS Mfg. became a wholly-owned subsidiary of SEL.
The fault indicator market leader, E. O. Schweitzer Mfg. designs and manufactures fault indicators, voltage sensors, and current transformers for the electric power industry. The company has sold millions of high-quality fault indicators to hundreds of domestic and international customers. “The sharing of resources and talent enabled by the two companies’ new relationship will result in increased innovation, efficiency, and market strength worldwide,” says Dr. Edmund O. Schweitzer, III, the President and CEO of SEL. “In addition, the synergy between EOS Manufacturing and SEL technologies will enhance SEL’s ability to provide system solutions that result in increased system reliability. It’s an exciting time for both companies as well as for our customers.” From a personal standpoint, Dr. Schweitzer adds that his father, who founded E. O. Schweitzer Manufacturing Company in 1949, “would be delighted and proud of the merging of the histories, capabilities, and talents of SEL and EOS Mfg. The companies already share the many values I learned from my father and mother." One such solution is the application of SCADA-compatible underground fault indicators with SEL relays. The fault indicator communicates the affected section of line back to a communication relay via a SCADA-compatible technology such as a low-cost spread spectrum radio. The relay in turn communicates this information back to the control house, or even to a lineman’s cell phone, all in a matter of seconds.
Even overhead EOS Manufacturing fault indicators without SCADA compatibility team up with relays to reduce fault-finding time. When a fault occurs, the SEL relay reports the distance the fault occurred from the substation. However, if the line branches, the relay by itself is not able to determine on which branch of the line the fault occurred. EOS Manufacturing fault indicators are able to point to the affected branch of the line once the communication relay leads the line crew to the correct area.
“Fault indicators complement distribution relays to help line crews locate faults more quickly, reducing customer outage times,” says Eric Sagen, Distribution Product Engineer at SEL. “Plus, the quality and reputation of EOS Manufacturing fault indicators is such that they’re a natural addition to our product line.”
Dan Clifford, E. O. Schweitzer Manufacturing Director of Sales and Marketing, concurs, adding that “becoming part of the SEL organization will strengthen technology solutions EOS Manufacturing will be able to provide to our customers. SEL’s strong market position as a leading supplier of technology to the utility market will help EOS Manufacturing reach more customers on a global basis.”
SEL provides solutions in the form of systems, services, and products for the protection, monitoring, control, automation, and metering of utility and industrial electric power systems worldwide. All sales and supply contacts remain the same, including telephone numbers and websites. SEL headquarters will remain in Pullman, Washington, and EOS Manufacturing headquarters will remain in Mundelein, Illinois. |
