Leviton

Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc. is an American manufacturer of electrical wiring equipment in North America.[1] It produces electrical light sockets, receptacles and outlets, switches, dimmers and other lighting control systems, wire, power cables, power cords, wall and ceiling occupancy sensors, wall plates, datacom, and other electrical products.

For other uses, see Leviton (disambiguation).
Leviton Manufacturing Company, Inc.
TypePrivate
IndustryElectrical equipment
Founded1906
FounderIsidor Leviton
Headquarters
Melville, New York
,
USA
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Donald Hendler (CEO)
Daryoush Larizadeh (President & COO)
Stephen B. Sokolow (Chairman)
ProductsElectrical Devices,
Lighting Controls,
Network Solutions,
Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment,
Energy Measurement & Verification,
Security & Automation
Number of employees
6,500 globally
Websitewww.Leviton.com

Leviton is most famous for its Decora wall switch, the flat low profile form factor which replaced the standard toggle switch in many homes and offices.[2] The word "decora" is often used as a generic term for such switches regardless of manufacturer, but Decora is still a legally recognized trademark of Leviton.

History
The original Leviton logo, used from 1924 to circa 1968

The company was founded in 1906 by Isidor Leviton.[3] He began by manufacturing brass mantle tips for the natural gas lighting infrastructure in Manhattan. They sold their mantle tips on a pushcart on the Bowery on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He also designed a screw-in lampholder for Thomas Edison's electric lamp in 1910, and within ten years the lampholders were being used in nearly every apartment in New York City.

In the 1920s Leviton moved to the neighborhood of Greenpoint, in Brooklyn, and in 1936 the company built its own two square block, four-story factory and warehouse, which still stands today. The following year they acquired the American Insulated Wire Company, adding wire, cables, and cords to their product line.

Leviton bought Deal Electric Company in 1950, and Hale Brothers, which was renamed Leviton Canada, in 1953, and started to produce fluorescent lighting.

In 1965, Isidor Leviton's son Harold Leviton was named president and CEO.

Leviton moved its corporate headquarters to Little Neck, in Queens, New York, in 1973.[4]

In September 1999, Leviton acquired stage lighting controller manufacturer NSI Corp. as part of their Lighting Control Division.[5]

Donald Hendler and Stephen Sokolow, two of Harold Leviton's sons-in-law, were named CEO and chairman of the board respectively in December 2007, following the latter's death.[6]

Leviton moved from Little Neck in June 2009 to a slightly smaller but more energy-efficient corporate headquarters in Melville, N.Y.[4]

In 2011, Leviton partnered with Ford Motors to produce their ever-green Electric Vehicle Chargers for Ford Electric Cars.[7] Leviton also partnered with Toyota to manufacture chargers for the Toyota plug-in Electric Vehicles[8]

In 2012, Leviton launched its Universal Dimming device line which dims any dimmable light-emitting diode, compact fluorescent light, or incandescent lightbulb.[9] This results in dramatic energy savings. The company also released its Zipline Fluorescent Energy Retrofit Module, which eliminated retrofit wiring of ballasts.[10]

Leviton acquired Home Automation Inc. in August 2012,[11] and renamed it Leviton Security & Automation.

In October 2013, Leviton acquired UK-based JCC Advanced Lighting.[12]

In October 2015, Leviton introduced its Omnistat 3 Hospitality Thermostat for 'cost-effective control of HVAC, lighting, and electrical loads' increasing HVAC energy efficiency in hotel guest rooms.[13][14][15]

Leviton currently has operations in more than 85 countries on 6 continents, and employs approximately 6,500 persons. Its products include over 25,000 devices and systems, which are used both residentially and in businesses.

North American locations
  • Leviton Mfg. Company Inc., Melville, NY
  • Leviton Mfg. of Canada Ltd., Pointe-Claire, QC
  • Leviton Network Solutions, Bothell, WA
  • Leviton Lighting & Controls, Tualatin, OR
  • Leviton Energy Management, Controls and Automation (EMC&A) – New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
  • Leviton Mfg. Co., Morganton, NC
  • Leviton S. de R.L. de C.V. Mexico City

Recent awards

2014: Leviton Receives Three EC&M "Product of the Year" Category Awards[16]
2013: Leviton SmartlockPro OBC AFCI Receptacle Recognized as “2013 Best New Home Product” by This Old House Magazine[17]
2012: Home Channel News Golden Hammer Award[18]
2012: Today's Facility Manager magazine Readers’ Choice Award[19]
2012: NECA Showstopper Award[20]

Patent lawsuits

In March 2007, Leviton was sued in United States District Court by Lutron Electronics regarding various dimmers, switches, and wireless lighting control systems.[21][22] Lutron also filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission alleging that Leviton has produced several patent-infringing products in Mexico and China and then imported them into the United States.[23] The lawsuit was settled with a cross-license of certain of the parties' respective patents.[24]

References
  1. Anonymous. Energy & Power Management. Troy: Jun 2005.Vol.30, Iss. 6; pp. 29–35. ISSN 1556-5467
  2. Decora – Leviton Web Site
  3. Leviton History > Leviton Web Site. Retrieved December 12, 2019
  4. Gary Dymski (June 10, 2009). "Leviton moving to energy-efficient HQ in Melville". Newsday.
  5. Robert Cashill (September 1, 1999). "Leviton acquires NSI Corp".
  6. "Leviton reorganizes after passing of CEO". December 1, 2007.
  7. "Leviton and Ford Receive UL Certification for Focus Electric Home Charging Station". Oct 10, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  8. "Toyota selects Leviton to charge up Prius Plug-in, RAV4 EV". AutoblogGreen. Aug 11, 2011.
  9. Universal Dimmers > Leviton Web Site
  10. "Zipline Lighting Retrofit > Leviton Web Site". Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  11. Julie Jacobson (August 1, 2012). "Leviton Acquires Home Automation Inc".
  12. Steve Crowe (October 29, 2013). "Leviton Acquires UK-based JCC Advanced Lighting".
  13. "Guest Room Control, Leviton website, accessed 2/23/2016". Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2016-02-24.
  14. Leviton Launches Omnistat™ 3 Hospitality Thermostat for Guest Room Energy Management, dated Oct. 19, 2015, accessed 2/23/2015
  15. Weinschenk, C. LEED Report: Hospitality Efficiency Growing. February 22, 2016 By Carl Weinschenk, in Energy Manager Today, accessed 2/23/2016
  16. "Leviton Receives Three EC&M "Product of the Year" Category Awards". PR Newswire. April 4, 2014.
  17. "Leviton Outlet Branch Circuit AFCI Receptacle Recognized as a "2013 Best New Home Product" by This Old House Magazine". The Business Journals. Nov 8, 2013.
  18. Ken Clark (May 2, 2012). "The Golden Hammer strikes again". Home Channel News.
  19. "Leviton Lighting Controls Wins Second Straight TFM Readers' Choice Award". PR Newswire. Feb 21, 2012.
  20. "Leviton Zipline™ Product Awarded NECA Showstopper Award". PR Newswire. Nov 6, 2012.
  21. Julie Jacobsen (March 4, 2007). "Lutron Sues Leviton Over RF Lighting Controls". cepro.com. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved 2012-07-22.
  22. "Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. v. Leviton Manufacturing Co., Inc". justia.com.
  23. Joe Paone (March 2007). "Lutron Accuses Leviton of Patent Infringement". Custom Retailer.
  24. Jeremy J. Glowacki (Nov 16, 2007). "Leviton to Pay Lutron in Settlement". Residential Systems.
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