Eaton Corporation's founders knew it takes power to drive progress

The world is a decidedly different place today than it was in 1911. But there are striking similarities, too.

Then, as now, dynamic forces were reshaping the global economy, technology was reinventing business, and both were redefining our world and society.

It's unlikely that inventor Viggo Torbensen and entrepreneur Joseph Eaton could have predicted those parallels when they founded the company that became Eaton Corp. -- 100 years ago.

But they did understand a vital equation that has stood the test of time: It takes power to drive progress.

Combining their ingenuity, Torbensen and Eaton developed an axle that enabled trucks to endure the rugged roads of the early 20th century, consume less fuel and demand less maintenance.

As we celebrate our 100th anniversary, more than 73,000 Eaton employees are combining their ingenuity to solve one of our era's greatest challenges -- delivering more power while consuming less of the world's resources.

Eaton is in the business of "power management," and that takes many forms, from improving the energy efficiency of buildings, planes and vehicles to helping massive machines leave a smaller footprint on our planet. Eaton's innovative technologies help our customers manage electrical, hydraulic and mechanical power safely and efficiently. We help them control their costs and reduce their carbon footprints.

As we look to the future, we fully understand that power management will remain critical to our customers -- and the world. As the cost of extraction, processing and distribution of energy becomes more and more expensive, our customers are seeking technologies to help them become more efficient. This need will fuel Eaton in the years ahead.

Underpinning our confidence in the future is our values-based culture -- our simple, straightforward commitment to "doing business right." This has provided the solid foundation for Eaton's continuing growth as a Fortune 200 company. In this, our 100th year, we expect to post record sales and profits thanks to the dedicated efforts of our people around the world.

Like our founders, we know that you can't achieve progress by standing still. The world today truly is a different place. And the people of Eaton remain dedicated to helping solve the world's complex energy challenges, providing safe, efficient and sustainable power management solutions.

We can't think of a more important goal for the century ahead.