Gould Electronics said its planned sale of circuit-protection group Gould Shawmut to Groupe Carbone Lorraine was nearly complete in July 1999. The deal was announced at $143 million in cash, with closing expected within six weeks; later Mersen corporate histories record the acquisition in 1999, but do not give an exact closing date.
What Gould announced in July 1999
EDN reported on July 12, 1999, that Gould Electronics Inc. had nearly completed the spin-off of Gould Shawmut, its circuit-protection group. The reported buyer was Groupe Carbone Lorraine, based in Paris, and the announced consideration was $143 million in cash. Gould executives said they intended to use the proceeds to strengthen the company’s core materials and components businesses serving electronic and optical interconnect industries. EDN’s contemporaneous report
The report described completion as expected within the next six weeks. That was the timetable announced on July 12, not a verified closing date.
How Gould Shawmut was to fit with Ferraz
The announced plan was for Gould Shawmut to merge with Ferraz, Carbone Lorraine’s electrical-protection business, under the name Ferraz Shawmut. EDN said the combined business was expected to have sales and service operations in more than 40 countries. That figure described the planned merged entity in 1999; it should not be read as a current footprint.
Why the product portfolios complemented each other
Gould Shawmut’s portfolio included its patented Amp-trap family of current-limiting fuses. EDN said those products would complement Ferraz’s circuit-protection devices designed for power semiconductors. The combination was also presented as a way to expand Ferraz’s presence in North America. These are the strategic rationale and product descriptions reported at the time, not a current product or compatibility recommendation.
What later corporate histories confirm
Mersen’s corporate history lists the 1999 acquisition of the Gould-Shawmut group’s electrical-protection division, described as American-standard fuses. The history also records that Carbone Lorraine became Mersen in 2010. Mersen’s 2024 Universal Registration Document and its 2023 registration document provide this later corporate-history context.
Those records support the acquisition history, but they do not establish the precise date the transaction closed or prove that it closed within EDN’s six-week estimate. The available record therefore supports the sequence—announced sale to Carbone Lorraine, planned combination with Ferraz, and acquisition recorded in 1999—without a specific closing day.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the announcement means for Gould Shawmut products
The 1999 report identifies Amp-trap current-limiting fuses as part of Gould Shawmut’s offering, but it does not establish which legacy models remain available today or whether any particular fuse is suitable for a given installation. Anyone identifying or replacing equipment should check the exact model, ratings, and application requirements rather than infer compatibility from the historical brand or product-family name.
Quick Recap
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- IMPORTANT NOTE: Please remove the jumper cap of S5 when controlling AC current or DC current voltages other than 12V, otherwise the module will be burned or will not work properly.
- Operating Voltage: DC 12V; Quiescent Current: 5.5mA; Max. Operating Current: 42mA; Max. Load Voltage: terminal NC is DC 30V or AC 250V, terminal NO is DC 28V or AC 125V; Max. Load Current: 10A
- Functions: Supports on delay and off delay modes, the delay time can be adjusted from 0.1s to 1h, the delay mode and delay time can be set by shorting or opening the jumper pins and rotating the potentiometer.
- Self Protection: Built with protection against reversal diode, supports anti-reverse protection.
- Applications: This module works as a switch with time delay on and off function, highly recommended for automotive circuit modification, and LED lights, DC motors, pump and smart home control system.
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- Coil voltage: 110V/120V AC; Contact capacity: 10A 240VAC with din rail and self-tapping screws.
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