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Cooper Industries To Acquire INTOOL

3 February 1998

Cooper Industries To Acquire INTOOL

            Purchase Grows Cooper's Worldwide Power Tool Business

    HOUSTON, Feb. 3 -- Cooper Industries, Inc.
announced today that it has signed a letter of intent to purchase the INTOOL
Division of Global Industrial Technologies, Inc. .  Terms of the
agreement were not disclosed.  Completion of the sale, which is expected in
the second quarter of 1998, is subject to governmental approvals and certain
other customary closing conditions.
    INTOOL, with 1997 revenues of $113 million, is headquartered in Houston.
The company manufactures and sells pneumatic and electric assembly tools,
precision drilling equipment, fastening systems and portable and fixed mounted
tools used in industrial, automotive, aerospace and energy markets.
    "The acquisition of INTOOL will allow Cooper to extend its product line of
industrial power tools and equipment, offering customers one of the most
complete lines in the industry," said H. John Riley, Cooper's Chairman,
President and Chief Executive Officer.
    INTOOL, which will become a part of the Cooper Power Tools Division,
manufactures products under the brand names Cleco, Quackenbush, Airetool, ITD
Automation and Rotor Tool.  INTOOL employs more than 740 people worldwide at
four manufacturing facilities in the U.S. and 12 domestic and six
international sales offices.
    Global Industrial Technologies, Inc., headquartered in Dallas, is a major
manufacturer of technologically advanced industrial products supporting high-
growth markets worldwide.
    Cooper Power Tools manufactures pneumatic and DC electric tools,
screwdriver bits, impact sockets, universal joints, hoists, and assembly
equipment, sold under the Apex, Buckeye, Doler, Dotco, Master Power
and Recoules trademarks, and licensed trademarks Gardner-Denver and DGD.
Headquartered in Lexington, SC, Cooper Power Tools has more than 1,600
employees in five domestic and five international locations.
    Cooper Industries, with 1997 revenues of $5.3 billion, is a diversified,
worldwide manufacturer of electrical products, tools and hardware and
automotive products.  Additional information about Cooper is available on
the company's World Wide Web site: http://www.cooperindustries.com.

SOURCE  Cooper Industries, Inc.