It’s reported that Cooper Industries has acquired Illumination Management Solutions, Inc. (IMS) of Irvine, California that specializes in optics and system design for LED fixtures. Cooper did not reveal the purchase price or other details.
Optics are critical to improving the energy efficiency of LED fixtures and creating lighting patterns that improve safety and customer comfort, according to Ron Holder, IMS president.
Cooper Industries' chairman and CEO Kirk S. Hachigian said that LED technology is a key growth platform for the company, which over the past two years has acquired io Lighting and UK-based Clarity Lighting. The acquisition of IMS and the talent it brings into their organization strongly complements their technology investments, Hacigian added. As a result, Cooper will be able "to bring more LED-based solutions to the market faster" and it better "positions the company to meet the expected global demand for more energy-efficient solutions and infrastructure investment, including the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009."
Cooper also is building its own LED research lab in Peachtree City, Ga., which it said will act as a “centralized resource” for the company’s global LED business, which it expects to grow quickly because of energy efficiency requirements in the federal government’s stimulus package.
