Cooper Industries' Products Chosen as Category Winners in 2012 Electrical Construction & Maintenance Product of the Year Competition

DUBLIN, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A total of five products from Cooper B-Line, Cooper Crouse-Hinds, Cooper Interconnect and Cooper Wiring Devices, subsidiaries of Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE), have been chosen as category winners in this year's Electrical Construction & Maintenance (EC&M) magazine Product of the Year competition. The winners include Cooper B-Line's Rapid Ring™ Self-Adjusting Pre-Fab Ring; Cooper Crouse-Hinds' Champ FMV LED Floodlights and ACE Series Explosionproof Variable Frequency Drives; Cooper Interconnect's Sunnector Solar Assemblies and Harnesses; and Cooper Wiring Devices' Combination USB Charger with Tamper Resistant Receptacle.

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The competition's 31 category winners were selected from a pool of more than 125 nominations by an expert panel of ten judges representing electrical professionals from the engineering, contracting and plant facilities and maintenance industries. Category winners will now be featured on the EC&M website where readers will vote to determine which products earn Platinum, Gold or Silver distinction in this year's July issue.

"We are excited to have such an impressive number of products recognized as finalists in this year's EC&M Product of the Year competition," said Cooper Industries Chairman and CEO, Kirk S. Hachigian. "These nominations are a true testament to the hard work and effort that goes into each phase of our product development process. We look forward to the online voting period and hope to emerge at the top come July."

Taking home the top spot in this year's "Boxes & Enclosures" category is Cooper B-Line's Rapid Ring™ Self-Adjusting Pre-Fab Ring. Installing in as little as 15 seconds, the Rapid Ring system is self-adjusting to various wall depths and types of tile up to two inches. It fits most standard boxes and brackets and offers installers a completely tool-free trim-out phase. With its innovative 4-step installation, this revolutionary pre-fab system installs quickly, compressing contractors' project schedules while also helping cut operational costs and reducing onsite waste.

In both the "Luminaires (Outdoor – Area)" and "Motors, Drives & Motor Controls" categories, Cooper Crouse-Hinds took the top prize. The Champ® FMV LED Floodlight was named the winner in the "Luminaires (Outdoor – Area)" category and offers energy efficiency and long life with exceptional lumen output.  This luminaire is the industry's only Class I, Div. 2 / Zone 2 and Class II, Div. 1 floodlight, providing the same durability and reliability of a traditional Champ floodlight, coupled with the efficiency and high performance of Cooper LED technology.  The 64-188W Champ FMV LED Floodlights are equivalent to 100-400W MH and provide up to 57% energy savings.

In the "Motors, Drives & Motor Controls" category, the ACE Series Explosionproof Variable Frequency Drives (VFD) were named the top winner. Available up to 60HP, this revolutionary product features a NEMA 7 enclosure with patent pending active cooling technology, allowing a traditional VFD to be housed inside the classified enclosure without the risk of overheating.  It is the world's only VFD that can be installed in a Class I, Division 1 location, resulting in significant installation savings in addition to the energy savings and performance improvements provided by the VFD.

Cooper Interconnect's Sunnector Solar Assemblies and Harnesses were also selected as a winner topping the "Wire & Cable" category. Developed to deliver outstanding value and reliability, Sunnector products allow for a quick and easily installation and feature pre-fabricated Home run, Parallel array, Whip and Jumper assemblies.  They are designed to work with rigid and flexible thin-film, monocrystalline and multicrystalline PV modules to stand up to harsh environmental exposure. They are also manufactured in controlled conditions utilizing high efficiency equipment to reduce job site risk and withstand exposure in photovoltaic applications.

Lastly, Cooper Wiring Devices' Combination USB Charger with Tamper Resistant Receptacle was chosen as the top winner in the "Wiring Devices" category. Eliminating bulky charging adapters that are frequently lost or misplaced, Cooper's Combination USB Charger quickly and easily provides consumers with the ability to charge their electronic devices directly from a standard outlet. They also contain UL approved Tamper Resistant Shutters to ensure compliance with the 2011 NEC Article 406.12 that requires all 125V receptacles in dwelling units to be Tamper Resistant.

To learn more about Cooper Industries and its comprehensive range of electrical products and solutions, visit www.cooperindustries.com.

About Cooper Industries

Cooper Industries plc (NYSE: CBE) is a global electrical products manufacturer with 2011 revenues of $5.4 billion.  Founded in 1833 Cooper's sustained success is attributable to a constant focus on innovation and evolving business practices, while maintaining the highest ethical standards and meeting customer needs.  The Company has seven operating divisions with leading market positions and world-class products and brands, including Bussmann electrical and electronic fuses; Crouse-Hinds and CEAG explosion-proof electrical equipment; Halo and Metalux lighting fixtures; and Kyle and McGraw-Edison power systems products.  With this broad range of products, Cooper is uniquely positioned for several long-term growth trends including the global infrastructure build-out, the need to improve the reliability and productivity of the electric grid, the demand for higher energy-efficient products and the need for improved electrical safety.  In 2011 sixty-two percent of total sales were to customers in the industrial and utility end-markets and forty percent of total sales were to customers outside the United States.  Cooper has manufacturing facilities in 23 countries as of 2011.  For more information, visit the website at www.cooperindustries.com.

Contact: Mike Petrasek
(412) 394-6611
[email protected]

SOURCE Cooper Industries plc