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Cooper Industries Opens Industrial Technology Center

ControlGlobal.com
12/12/2008

Cooper Industries celebrated the grand opening of the Cooper Technology Center in Houston last month as part of the celebration of its 175th anniversary as a company. The 35,000-square-foot facility features an auditorium, conference room and multiple training rooms designed to help facilitate industry-specific education and provide hands-on demonstration of the entire line of industrial products and solutions the company offers.

The products of all eight Cooper divisions are represented in the Technology Center with dedicated displays and product in the building design itself. A replica of an industrial plant helps to complete the learning environment with over 250 of Cooper’s industrial offerings installed as they would appear in a refinery. Visitors will see products that include lighting solutions featuring new LED technology, a wide range of fuses and distribution products, fittings, plugs and receptacles, electrical connection and control products, electrical enclosures, cable trays, along with a complete tool room. The above products represent Cooper’s end-to-end offerings designed to meet the needs of harsh, hazardous and heavy-duty environments. Coupled with hands-on classrooms and curriculum representing Cooper’s expertise and global product offering, the model refinery will offer an opportunity for end users and distributors, and engineering and procurement professionals to receive training and education. Based on the current schedule and bookings to-date, several thousand people are expected to use the facility each year.

The Cooper Technology Center is located near the company’s headquarters in Houston, which has become a hub for the oil industry and home to some of the world’s largest consulting engineering firms. Cooper Industries CEO, Kirk Hachigian explains, “Our vision for the Cooper Technology Center came from the industry’s thirst to keep current with the latest technology and products that facilitate increased productivity, enhanced energy efficiency and maximum safety for both workers and facilities. Now professionals who design and build industrial facilities can see Cooper’s entire line of industrial offerings under one roof, from the newest lighting technologies and electrical fuses to transformers and energy automation solutions to mass notification systems.”

Prior to the opening of the Technology Center, a person would have to visit several Cooper facilities located across the country—including Syracuse, N.Y., Milwaukee, Wisc., Atlanta, Ga., Raleigh, N.C., and more—to see the breadth of the company’s offering. Now companies can send their employees to the Center for training on all the Cooper products or for customerized courses covering their specific operations.