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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Despite the original headline calling it a “merger,” ITT Industries acquired privately held C&K Components in a cash transaction announced in April 2000 and completed on June 26, 2000. The surprise was strategic: C&K had recently presented itself as an independent company planning rapid growth, not as a business preparing to sell.
What happened
Trade coverage on April 28, 2000 reported that ITT Industries would buy C&K Components for approximately $117 million. ITT announced completion on June 27, with its financial filings recording the closing date as June 26, 2000. C&K became part of ITT Cannon’s connectors-and-switches operation.
This was an acquisition, not a merger of equals. C&K was privately held, and the consideration was paid in cash. C&K continued as a distinct brand and operating unit in the early integration plan.
Why the price appears in three forms
| Figure | What it represents | Source context |
|---|---|---|
| $117 million | Announced headline purchase price | Contemporary trade reports and completion coverage |
| $106.9 million | Purchase price net of cash acquired | ITT’s 2000 financial statement note |
| Approximately $108 million | Rounded net-of-cash amount | Another ITT filing |
These figures describe the same transaction on different bases. The available filings do not provide a complete reconciliation, so the most defensible reading is that $117 million was the reported gross value while ITT’s accounting disclosures presented the cost net of cash acquired. See ITT’s 2000 filing and its related purchase-accounting disclosure.
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Why C&K was attractive to ITT
A broad standard-switch portfolio
C&K, founded in 1957, was described as a worldwide leader in switches for telecommunications, computer equipment and electronic equipment. Its more than 400-page catalog included toggle, tactile, DIP, snap-action, membrane and rotary switches. ITT Cannon was better known for customized and innovative switch products. Executives said the lines had little direct overlap, making the combination complementary rather than duplicative.
Distribution that reached North American designers
C&K sold through major distributors including Arrow, Avnet, Future Electronics, Kent Electronics and Sager Electronics. It also used direct international sales and Future Electronics outside North America. That channel presence gave ITT access to customers who routinely bought standard components through distribution rather than through a highly customized sales process.
Geographic and manufacturing fit
C&K operated plants in Newton, Massachusetts; Kettering, England; and San Jose, Costa Rica. ITT Cannon’s switch manufacturing network included facilities in China, France, Germany and the United States. C&K was particularly strong in North America, while ITT Cannon had stronger switch sales in Europe and Asia-Pacific.
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Scale and one-supplier purchasing
Contemporary coverage put the combined businesses at approximately $350 million in revenue. ITT said the broader portfolio would let customers source more switch and related products from one supplier, and described the combination as making ITT Cannon the world’s largest switch manufacturer. That ranking was ITT’s claim in the period, not an independently audited market-share measurement. The rationale is detailed in EE Times’ account of the deal.
Why the sale surprised the market
The strongest explanation is the contrast between C&K’s public growth story and the sudden transaction. Shortly before the announcement, executives were describing an aggressive standalone plan. Chief operating officer Robert Palmatier reportedly outlined an ambition to triple sales within two years through new products, operating improvements and new business. C&K had also discussed acquiring other companies.
That public posture did not prove that no confidential sale discussions existed, but it gave customers and competitors little reason to expect a takeover. A C&K spokeswoman said the company had been instructed by ITT not to discuss the acquisition before the announcement, adding to the abruptness of the news. The contemporary account is preserved by EE Times.
How the transaction came together
ITT Cannon president Gerard Gendron said ITT had been prepared to buy C&K the previous year. The effort was delayed while ITT completed its acquisition of STX Pte. Ltd., a conductive-rubber-switch business formerly associated with San Teh Ltd. The C&K opportunity resurfaced soon after that deal.
C&K’s board selected the winning bidder through an auction. Gendron said he did not know the identities of the other bidders. An industry source told EE Times that Tyco International was among several possible bidders; that report was not an official bidder list.
What ITT planned after closing
Preserve the C&K name and management
ITT expected C&K’s management team to remain and planned to retain the C&K brand. Executives argued that discarding a recognized name immediately would destroy market value. C&K was to operate within ITT Cannon rather than disappear into an anonymous product line.
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Cross-sell while reviewing channels
Later trade coverage described C&K as a separate unit whose sales and marketing teams also promoted ITT products such as tactile switches, keypads, interface controls and dome arrays. Distribution arrangements were placed under review. The approach preserved customer continuity while testing how the two sales systems could work together; it did not promise instant cost savings or a complete operational merger.
Accounting treatment
ITT used purchase accounting and recorded the excess of purchase price over assigned net assets as goodwill, with the cited 2000 filing describing 30-year amortization. C&K’s 2000 sales were approximately $113 million according to ITT disclosures.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What it meant for competitors and customers
The electromechanical-switch market was described at the time as having lackluster growth prospects, making scale and distribution especially important. A larger supplier could offer OEMs broader sourcing and fewer vendor relationships, while independent suppliers faced greater pressure to specialize or reposition.
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Those effects were period assessments rather than proven long-term outcomes. NKK Switches’ president viewed possible post-deal customer uncertainty as an opportunity, while Venture Development Corp. analyst commentary suggested smaller suppliers would need to compete more aggressively or risk being acquired. Customers could also worry about price changes, discontinued parts, lead times and distributor-policy changes during integration.
Part of a wider ITT switch strategy
C&K was not an isolated move. ITT had acquired STX in October 1999 and later bought MMI from TRW in November 2000, indicating a broader effort to build scale in switches. EDN’s period overview places the C&K transaction within that sequence: ITT Industries expanding.
The documents establish the strategic intent and early operating structure, but they do not establish that projected synergies were achieved or provide a complete long-term corporate history. ITT subsidiary documentation lists C&K within the company’s structure at the time; it should not be used to infer its current ownership or operating status without later evidence. See the ITT acquisition and subsidiary filing.
The bottom line on the “merger” headline
C&K Components surprised the switch industry because a company advertising independent expansion suddenly sold itself to ITT. ITT bought breadth in standard switches, a powerful North American distribution network and complementary manufacturing reach; C&K gained the resources and global channels of ITT Cannon. The transaction changed the competitive logic of the market, but the evidence supports a clear account of the deal’s rationale and immediate structure—not a claim of confirmed long-term success.
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