Kasa Announces Joint Venture

Kasa Companies and Elektro Anlagen Enter Joint Venture, Kasa Anlagen, to Bring Manufacturing Improvement Expertise to Customers Worldwide

 Salina, KS—January 25, 2011—Kasa Companies announces a new joint venture with India-based Elektro Anlagen to form Kasa Anlagen, established to deliver market-leading manufacturing improvement capabilities to customers worldwide. The new Kasa Anlagen engineering, manufacturing, and sales operation center—based in Chennai, India—is responsible for all engineering, manufacturing, and sales in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia for both partner companies.

Combining Kasa Companies’ and Elektro Anlagen’s expertise in quality, premium service and fast response times, Kasa Anlagen better serves global customers by delivering reduced lead times and improved commercial terms and prices. These capabilities, along with Kasa Anlagen’s Optimum Techno Commercial Solutions offering, unite to create a turnkey provider of manufacturing improvement products and services for the global industry.

In this joint venture, Kasa Companies will hold a 30 percent stake in the company in the beginning, and have the option to increase its stake to 50 percent over a period of time. The balance will be held by the promoters led by Sundarram Balaji, who is the Managing Director of Elektro Anlagen.

“We are proud to announce our partnership with Elektro Anlagen and the formation of a new company, Kasa Anlagen,” said Dan Stutterheim, President of Kasa Companies. “Our goal is to be the market leader – first in India, and then globally - providing our customers with solutions that will improve their manufacturing performance and successfully add to their bottom line.

“In the Americas, our company has focused on creative solutions and assisting our customers in improving their manufacturing and process systems,” Stutterheim added. “We hope to continue this quality performance in India.”

For this venture, Kasa Companies required a business partner with three distinct qualities including trust, a customer-driven organization, and a desire to provide total automation solutions. After reviewing a total of 13 potential partner companies, Kasa Companies selected Elektro Anlagen based upon the company’s superior qualifications and ability to best support Kasa Companies’ future goals, including global initiatives.

In discussing their new partnership, M.S. Balaji, CEO of Elektro Anlagen, said, “This joint venture represents a strategic move to unite two innovative companies that will change the face of manufacturing improvement across the globe.”

About Kasa Anlagen

Kasa Companies originated in 1974 with a team of engineers providing industrial controls to a variety of industries, known as Kasa Industrial Controls. Kasa Fab became a part of the team in 1988, offering metal fabrication and contract manufacturing services. To complement the company’s manufacturing services, KSolutions was added in 2007 to provide leadership on manufacturing improvements and system integration. In 2010, Intellifinishing joined Kasa Companies to deliver modular, scalable, flexible and efficient industrial finishing solutions.

Elektro Anlagen (EA), established in 1992 in Chennai, India, provides total solutions in industrial electrical equipment and automation. The company is an ISO 9001:2000 certified manufacturer of power and control panels, and a solutions provider in application study, design and development, software development, commissioning, training and after-sales service.

For more information on Kasa Anlagen, call 1-800-755-5272 (US & Canada) or +91-44-2478-0154 (International). Visit Kasa Companies online at www.kasacompanies.com