TORONTO — Thomas & Betts Corp. plans to expand its plastic electrical products business by acquiring Marr Group Ltd. of Mississauga, Ontario.
Marr employs about 50 and operates 11 thermoset compression presses and eight thermoplastic injection presses with clamping forces of 80-275 tons, according to Shauna Lathe, Marr's vice president of finance.
She estimated her firm's annual sales at about C$11 million (US$8.14 million). It molds electrical wire connectors, outlet boxes and box connectors, primarily for Canada's market, but it also exports to the United States and offshore.
Thomas & Betts has not decided the long-term fate of Marr, according to Thomas & Betts spokeswoman Rene Johansen. She said Marr is a good fit with her company but Thomas & Betts already has a significant presence in Canada, including production plants in Iberville, Quebec, near Montreal, and elsewhere.
Johansen said in a telephone interview from Thomas & Betts' Memphis, Tenn., headquarters that Marr's president and owner, Donald Marr, will leave the firm when Thomas & Betts completes the buy in early March. Marr was unavailable for comment. Other officials did not disclose terms of the planned cash deal.
Johansen said Thomas & Betts makes plastic and metal electrical connectors, boxes and other products for residential, commercial and industrial markets.
The firm boosted its plastics business a year ago when it acquired Amerace Corp. of Hackettstown, N.J.
She said one of Amerace's major products was Elastimold plastic underground electrical connectors.
Thomas & Betts has annual sales of roughly $2 billion and operates about 40 production plants around the world.
