Electrical equipment maker Cooper Industries has announced its acquisition of Irvine, Calif.-based Illumination Management Solutions Inc. (IMS), a provider of specialized optics and systems designs for LED fixtures. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “The acquisition of IMS demonstrates Cooper’s ongoing strategic commitment to become a market leader in energy-efficient solid-state lighting solutions,” said Cooper Industries’ Chairman and CEO Kirk S. Hachigian. Cooper, founded in 1833, operates electrical products and tools business segments and employs about 31,000 people. It made inroads in the growing LED market by buying Illinois-based io Lighting in August 2007 and UK-based Clarity Lighting in December 2007, Hachigian said, and now is building Cooper Lighting LED Innovation Center in Peachtree City, Ga., to centralize all of its global LED-based activities. Officials say that acquiring IMS will help the company enhance its LED systems and optical design capabilities and accelerate product development and marketization. The move also better positions Cooper to meet expected global demand for more energy-efficient products and infrastructure, including those outlined in President Barack Obama’s economic stimulus package signed into law last month. IMS designs and manufactures LED systems and fixtures for a variety of lighting applications, and it developed LightBAR technology, which enables extended design life and performance in roadway and infrastructure lighting as well as in safety applications in oil and gas, emergency lighting and other industrial applications. “Optics are critical to improving the energy efficiency of LED fixtures and creating lighting patterns that improve safety and customer comfort,” said Ron Holder, president of IMS. For more information, visit: www.cooperindustries.com