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Baldor Announces Acquisition of Pow'r Gard Generator Corporation

24 October 2000

Baldor Announces Acquisition of Pow'r Gard Generator Corporation

    FORT SMITH, Ark., Oct. 23 Baldor Electric Company
, marketer, designer, and manufacturer of electric motors and
drives located in Fort Smith, Arkansas today announced that it has reached an
agreement to purchase Pow'r Gard Generator Corporation in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
Pow'r Gard is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of generators and
generator sets.
    Founded in 1965 and privately owned, Pow'r Gard has annual sales of
$25 million.  Their 100 employees are located in a new 120,000 sq ft facility
in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  Pow'r Gard manufactures and markets a variety of
generators from 1.3 to 150 kW.  Their product line includes portable
generators for the construction and rental equipment markets, towable models
for the industrial and construction markets, and standby generators for
business and home use.  Other markets for their generators include
telecommunications, agriculture, government, and military.  Pow'r Gard's
customer list includes Boeing, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, the FAA, IBM, and
Chase Manhattan Bank.
    "Generators are a natural extension of our leadership position in the
industrial motor market," commented John McFarland, Baldor's President and
CEO.  "The acquisition of Pow'r Gard provides us a solid foundation on which
to build in the multi-billion dollar generator market."
    Pow'r Gard's President, Tom McGuire, commented, "We are very excited to
become a part of Baldor, a company twice selected as one of the best 100
companies to work for in the United States.  Pow'r Gard's products and
philosophies fit well in Baldor's strategy for growth."
    There are several growth factors driving the generator market.  The
importance of uninterrupted electric power is critical to many companies as
they expand their business information systems, especially those with
internet-based systems.  Standby generators are used by these companies to
protect their information networks from electric power interruptions.  As the
demand for electric power pushes many electric utilities to critical peak load
conditions, many commercial and industrial companies are installing secondary
and backup power generation capabilities themselves.
    "Many of our end customers are looking for new ideas to reduce their
energy needs.  Baldor's Super-E premium efficient motors are the most energy
efficient motors that customers can buy.  Match these motors with one of our
adjustable speed drives, and even greater energy savings are possible," added
R. S. Boreham, Jr., Baldor's Chairman.  "With the addition of generators to
the Baldor family, we can now offer customers another energy solution,"