Regal Beloit acquires A.O. Smith Electrical Products Company, announces integration and restructuring of HVAC units and brands

Fort Wayne, Ind. — As a result of Regal Beloit’s acquisition of A.O. Smith Electrical Products Company (EPC) last summer, the company has begun transitioning A.O. Smith EPC to Century™ and Genteq®. The A.O. Smith name may be used through August 2012, in accordance with conditions of the acquisition.

Under the new organization, the companies’ divergent brands and product offerings are being categorized under three distinct brands, Genteq, Century and FASCO®.

A.O. Smith EPC’s motors targeting OEM customers will be rebranded Genteq. The Genteq brand specializes in premium ECM blower motors, capacitors and related products for HVAC OEM applications.

American Standard appoints new president and CEO

Piscataway, N.J. — The board of directors of American Standard Brands announced the appointment of Jay D. Gould as president and chief executive officer of the company, a leading North American manufacturer of branded bath and kitchen products, serving both the residential and commercial markets, including the new construction and remodeling markets.

“We are excited to have Jay take the helm of American Standard,” said Tom Taylor, chairman of the board of directors. “He brings tremendous experience in enhancing companies’ leading market positions and creating value by leading with a focus on growth, innovation and brand development.”

Before joining American Standard, Gould was president of the Home & Family group of Newell Rubbermaid. Taking an innovative, consumer-driven approach to building demand, he significantly increased revenues for the company’s Levolor, Calphalon, Rubbermaid and Graco brands throughout the economic downturn. Prior to Newell Rubbermaid, Gould held senior executive roles at the Campbell Soup Company, the Coca-Cola Company and General Mills Inc., where he helped drive the growth of world class brands such as Coca-Cola, Pepperidge Farm and Minute Maid.

Watts Water Technologies to acquire Tekmar

North Andover, Mass. — Watts Water Technologies has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Tekmar Control Systems in a share purchase transaction.

Srinivas K. Bagepalli, Watts Water Technologies president of North America, noted, “Tekmar is a designer and manufacturer of proprietary control solutions for heating, ventilating and air conditioning applications. Its products are designed to add value to any building by improving the efficiency, reliability, comfort and quality of indoor living. Tekmar has pioneered technologies that advance the capabilities of HVAC systems and provides superior customer support and training.

“We are very pleased with the anticipated acquisition of Tekmar, which provides energy saving control solutions for a wide range of hydronic (water based) systems that we believe will complement our existing product offering.”