Business Briefs for the Week of Oct. 5, 2009

Legrand, is launching a strategic branding initiative in the North American marketplace. The new branding initiative will include new corporate literature, advertising campaigns, in-store merchandising, signage, and Web presence investments that are already in motion and will occur at varying paces beginning as early as the 4th quarter of 2009.

Albeo Technologies, Boulder, Calif., recently announced customers will now be able to purchase their award-winning C-Series solid-state lighting systems through Grainger, Lenexa, Kan. Grainger will offer Albeo’s C-Series High-Bay, Linear, GarageLED, and Talea under-cabinet-LED, plus T8LED Troffer, and T8LED Conversion Kit lighting systems. The products will be available through Grainger’s national branch network and the Grainger Web site and will also be featured in the company’s 2010 catalog.

ilumisys has granted a license for patents on its light-emitting diode (LED) fluorescent tube replacement to Northbrook, Ill.-based LED Lighting. The licensing agreement provides for royalty payments to be made on a per-unit basis in exchange for rights to manufacture and sell products covered by Altair’s patent portfolio.

Littelfuse, Des Plaines, Ill., will create a new Technical Center at a research park located on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus. Scheduled for completion by March 2010, the 14,500-sq-ft facility will accelerate Littelfuse's product development efforts and support customers' product testing requirements.

Southwire Co., Carrollton, Ga., completed its acquisition of the assets of Phoenix, Ariz.-based Maxis. Founded by electrical contractors nearly eight years ago, Maxis was known for applying leading-edge technology and years of practical experience to the development of tools and equipment used in the installation and management of electrical wire and cable products.