Thomas & Betts

Thomas and Betts was founded in 1898 by two Princeton University engineers, Robert Thomas and Hobart Betts. The company began as a seller of conduits to electrical distributors, mainly in New York City at the time of the installation of the first electric lighting.

For over 120 years, Thomas and Betts has been recognized as one of the leading providers of electrical fitting. T&B began making their own products after they incorporated in 1917 and established their headquarters to New Jersey. The company invented cable ties, in 1958, that are used for assembling wire harness in airplanes.

Thomas and Betts has expanded its product offers over the years through acquisition of companies focused on critical infrastructure in the power protection industry. Their electrical fittings include brands such as Liquidtight® fittings, Erickson® couplings and others, pioneering many industry standard rigid fittings including Chase® nipples and Erickson® couplings and BlueKote® conduit bodies.

In 2012, the company was acquired by Swedish/Swiss firm ABB (ASEA Brown Boveri) for $3.9 billion. Thomas and Betts have operations in approximately 20 countries, with manufacturing, marketing and sales activities concentrated primarily in North America and Europe.

They are manufacturers of electrical connectors and components used in industrial, commercial, communications, and utility markets, and a leading producer of commercial heating units and highly engineered steel structures used primarily for utility transmission.