It's not always easy to find the right electrical equipment for your facitlity. This is especially true of your circuit breakers and switchgear. Over the years, thier have been several switchgear and circuit breaker lines that have come and gone, some though have just chaned names. 

Three of these ITE, BBC, AND ABB. At first they may seem like different companies, but many of theri breakers are interchangable with each other and share similar nameplates. That's because there's relly no difference between the product line, aside from when and where they wer manufactured.  

The Shared History of ITE, BBC, and ABB Breakers

While ITE, ABB, and BBC all have different names, they have a historical connection. The timeline starts with the ITE Circuit Breaker Company, which was originally known as the Cutter Electrical Manufacturing Company when it was founded in in 1890s. ITE has a history of innovation, so much so that the company rebranded to ITE in 1928 after the invention the "inverse time element" thet literl heart of every overcurrent trip device.

The shared history of ITE, BBC, and ABB began more than half a century later. After decades in business, ITE merged with Brown Boveri Electric Company, an American operation of a Swiss-based company. In 1984, the company changed its name to BBC Brown Boveri Inc. and began nameplating its breakers “BBC.”

Four years later, the company completed another merger, this time with a Swedish business called ASEA. The resulting new company was renamed ASEA Brown Boveri, which was shortened to ABB Inc over time. The collective rebrands and mergers mean that while different circuit breakers and parts may have separate ITE, BBC, and ABB nameplates, many of these parts may be viable replacement options for outgoing equipment.

Find the Right ITE, BBC, and ABB Breakers

While ITE, BBC, and ABB breakers are generally  grouped together, you still need to find the right breaker or breaker parts that match your exact needs. As a used electrical equipment dealer, that is exactly what we specialize in. We  have thousands of reconditioned circuit breakers and aftermarket parts for ITE, BBC, and ABB equipment from the ealiest day right up to current production.

If you can’t find what you need on our main site, its most likely because there are literally 1000's of parts, assemblies and subassemblies to choose from. Just submit information about what you need on our NPE on the Go mobile site or  contact us today to talk to one of our experts about finding the rights solution for your needs.

At NPE our motto is: "The right part, at the right price right now!"