ST. PAUL, Minn., April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Pentair (NYSE: PNR) announced
today that it has opened a new facility consolidating several of its Pentair
Electronic Packaging operations and business activities in a new
150,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Des Plaines, Ill. The new
comprehensive production center, near Chicago's O'Hare International Airport,
houses Pentair's precision stamping operations, cabinet manufacturing, and
system integration services, expanding the Company's support for the fast
growing telecommunications and data communications markets.
"Pentair Electronic Packaging's new Chicago area facility will help
support the aggressive growth needs of our key telecom customers, such as
Motorola, Dell Computer, Compaq, Tellabs, and Hughes," said John Abbott,
president of Pentair Electronic Packaging. "This state-of-the-art production
center will strengthen our customer partnerships and support the many exciting
new contracts that we have been awarded by existing and new customers. This
location will work together with our other strategic locations in North
America and in Europe and Asia."
Mark Horita, who has been appointed General Manager of the Chicago
facility, will continue to build upon his excellent background of supplying
electronic assembly to original equipment manufacturers. The Des Plaines
plant, which currently employs more than 240 people, consolidates Pentair
Electronic Packaging operations formerly housed in Wood Dale and Elk Grove
Village, Ill.
Pentair's Electrical and Electronic Enclosures Group generated global
sales of $643 million in 1999. The Pentair Electronic Packaging
( http://www.pentair-ep.com ) division was formed in mid-1999 to focus on the
data communications and telecommunications industries to capitalize on the
growth these industries offer.
Pentair ( http://www.pentair.com ) is a diversified manufacturer operating
in three principal markets: professional tools and equipment, water and fluid
technologies, and electrical and electronic enclosures. The company employs
14,000 people in more than 50 locations around the world and currently as
annualized sales exceeding $3 billion. The company's stock (PNR) is listed on
the New York Stock Exchange.
SOURCE Pentair, Inc.
CONTACT: Mark Cain of Pentair, 651-639-5278/