Pentair to Buy Steinhauser

Dec. 10, 2014
Deal Enhances Service Offering of its Hoffman Brand of Equipment Protection Solutions, Brings Steinhauser Automated Enclosure Technology into Pentair Fold

Pentair has signed an agreement to purchase Steinhauer Elektromaschinen AG, Germany, a producer of enclosure machining and related technologies. The planned acquisition will further enhance Pentair's brand of Hoffman equipment protection solutions by expanding its services capabilities to provide tools for customers to design and select the right electrical protection solutions for their applications and automate the panel-building process.

The terms of the planned acquisition were not announced and closing of the transaction, currently expected to occur in the first quarter of 2015, is subject to certain regulatory and other approvals and reviews.

Steinhauer's ModCenter technology, shown at Automation Fair in Anaheim, California, and the SPS/Drives exhibition in Nuremburg, Germany, in November, is a series of automated enclosure machining centers designed for panel builders, OEMs, systems integrators or any company requiring customized enclosures.

With the Mod Center, Hoffman customers will have enclosure modification capabilities that will help reduce labor-intensive manual work, increase overall productivity and, more importantly, enable them to deliver a complete solution to end users much more quickly. "From modifying one-off panels to performing complex modifications, the Steinhauer ModCenter provides efficient, quality solutions for our enclosures," said Alok Maskara, president, Pentair Technical Solutions.

The ModCenter automates such time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks required for customizing panels and enclosures as drilling holes and taping and measuring for correct placement. It accommodates a wide range of global enclosure dimensional standards. The machine offers programmed automated modifications for a variety of materials, including mild carbon steel, stainless steel, aluminum, die-cast aluminum, copper or any machinable composite materials including PVC, polycarbonate, thermoplastic and fiberglass. It also features Auto-Sketch software that integrates seamlessly with industry-standard CAD DXF files that ensures precise holes and cutouts.

The ModCenter can customize any make of enclosure. There are four ModCenter models in the family that can handle enclosures from up to 93.7in/2380mm tall by 93.7in./2380 mm wide and back panels up to 78 in. tall by 72 in. wide down to 63 in./1600 mm tall by 49 in./1250 mm wide and back panels up to 65 in./1650 tall by 94 in./2400mm wide.

The acquisition of Steinhauser will fit well with Hoffman's "customer first," strategy, says Mark Lamps, platform vice president at Hoffman Electrical Enclosures, adding that the ModCenter can help reduce transportation and modification turnaround times. "The ModCenter will allow Hoffman customers to quickly respond," he says. "Take the example of California. It can take three or four days for a panel customized at a Hoffman location in, say, Minnesota, to get to California. If a local panel builder can do the work nearby, that works to everyone's advantage. Panel builders and OEMs are prime candidates for the ModCenter."

Maskara adds, "With the addition of Steinhauer to the Pentair family, Hoffman will be able to better serve our customers with a new solution that reduces customer lead time and increases their productivity."