Cooper Industries -Case Study Essay Example for Free

Cooper Industries -Case Study EssayCooper Industries was organized in 1919 as a manufacturer of heavy machinery and equipment. By the mid-1950s it was a leading manufacturing business of engines and massive compressors manipulationd to force naturalgas through pipelines and oil out of wells. Management was concerned, however, over its heavy dependence on sales to the oil and gas industries and the red-faced fluctuation of earnings caused bythe cyclical nature of heavy machinery and equipment sales. Although the ships companys long-term salesand earnings growth had been above average, its cyclical nature had dampened W totally Streets interestin the stock substantially. (Coopers historical direct results and financial condition aresummarized in Exhibits 1 and 2.)Initial efforts to lessen the earnings volatility were not favored. Between 1959 and 1966, Cooperacquired (1) a supplier of portable industrial male monarch cocks, (2) a manufacturer of small industrial airand proc ess compressors, (3) a maker of small pumps and compressors for oil field applications, and(1) a producer of tire-changing tools for the automotive market. The acquisitions broadened Coopersmarkets but left(a) it still extremely sensitive to general economic conditions. In 1966 Cooper began a full review of its acquisition strategy. After several months of study, threecriteria were established for all acquisitions. First, the application should be one in which Cooper couldbecome a major factor. This requirement was in line with managements goal of leadership within afew distinct areas of business. Second, the industry should be fairly stable, with a broad market forthe products and a product line of small ticket items.This product definition was intended toeliminate any company that had undue profit dependence on a single customer or several large salesper year. Finally, it was decided to acquire only leading companies in their respective marketsegments. This new strategy was in itially implemented with the acquisition in 1967 of the Lufkin RuleCompany, the worlds largest manufacturer of measuring rules and tapes. Cooper acquired a qualityproduct line, an established distribution system of 35,000 retail hardware stores throughout theUnited Slates, and plants in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It also gained the servicesofWilliam minister, president of Lufkin, and Hal Stevens, vice president of sales. Both were extremely knowledgeable in the hand tool business and had worked together effectively for years. Their goalwas to build through acquisition a hand tool company with a full product line that would use acommon sales and distribution system and joint advertising.To do this they needed Coopersfinancial strength. Lufkin provided a solid base to which two other companies were added. In 1969 the CrescentNiagara Corporation was acquired. The company had been highly profitable in the early 1960s butsuffered in recent years under the mismanagement of a lmost investor-entrepreneurs who gainedcontrol in 1963. A series of acquisitions of weak companies with misfortunate product lines eroded Crescentsoverall profitability until, in 1967, a small loss was reported. Discouraged, the investors wanted to getout, and Coopereager to add Crescents well-known and high-quality wrenches, pliers, andscrewdrivers to its linewas interested. It was clear that some of Crescents lines would have to bedropped and inefficient plants would have to be closed, but the wrenches, pliers, and screwdriverswould play an important part of Coopers product policy.In 1970, Cooper further expanded into hand tools with the acquisition of the Weller ElectricCorporation. Weller was the worlds leading supplier of soldering tools to the industrial, electronic,and consumer markets. It provided Cooper with a new, high-quality product line and productioncapacity in England, West Germany, and Mexico. (Information on the three acquisitions is providedin Exhibit 3.) Cooper w as less successful in its approach to a fourth company in the hand tool business, theNicholson File Company. Nicholson was on the original shopping list of acceptable acquisitioncandidates that Mr. Cizik and Mr. Rector had developed, but several attempts to interest Nicholson inexploring merger possibilities had failed. The Nicholson family had controlled and managed thecompany since its founding in 1864, and Paul Nicholson, chairman of the board, had no interest injoining forces with anyone.