BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — Novar plc of the United Kingdom announced that it is acquiring the assets of Alerton Technologies Inc., Redmond, Wash. Alerton is a leading designer and manufacturer of building automation and control systems for HVAC applications. The transaction is to be completed on March 3, 2003.

The name of the business will be changed to Alerton Inc. and it will become part of Novar’s Intelligent Building Systems (IBS) division as a wholly owned subsidiary of Novar Controls Corp. Alerton Inc. will remain in Redmond and the Novar and Alerton brands will be handled through the combined activities of the two companies’ dealer network across North America and worldwide.

“This acquisition will position the combined business for growth. We will offer a wide range of building controls products and services to our end users through one of the strongest dealer organizations in the industry. Our intention is to grow the overall business. We will logically want to provide an array of products that meets the industry’s growing need for sophistication and integration,” stated Ian Whiting, president, Novar IBS Americas.

Novar notes that Alerton is considered a pioneer in the development of the BACnet protocol, a leading communications protocol for open systems, in addition to its proprietary family of controls.

Alerton’s Kevin Caskey will be vice president and general manager of the unit and will be responsible for the sales and distribution activities of the combined Alerton/Novar Technology Centers network in North America. Other senior members of both the Novar Controls and Alerton management teams will be involved in running the business to provide continuity and expertise, says Novar. Alerton’s founders, Tony Fassbind and Clair Jenkins, will remain as consultants for the remainder of 2003.

Publication date: 02/24/2003