No sooner does ABI publish my recent Insight on the seemingly continuous flow of acquisitions taking place across the smart grid ecosystem than another quickly follows. After Eaton’s capture of Cooper Industries last month, I remarked that it is unlikely that its “chief competitors will be resting on their laurels – ABB, for example, is said to have earmarked $9 billion to $18 billion for acquisitions over the next five years.” Right on cue, the company has just announced that it is to acquire Tropos Networks, a Silicon Valley-based company that develops and markets wireless technologies and products for distribution area communication networks. Although the exact terms of the deal are currently unknown, ABB will certainly not have used up too much of its vast “purchase pot” – Tropos employs just 55 people compared to the 26,000 at Cooper Industries (which sold for $12.6 billion).
