Fuses

The Wathen Company is proud to offer the Littelfuse product line. The need for the highest safety and quality standards in the fuse market is very apparent. New vehicles sold today contain an average of 90 fuses with many containing more than 100 fuses, for instance, the 2002 BMW 745i has 104 fuses.

Littelfuse partners with every major automotive and heavy duty OEM. That is why more than 95% of domestic and 70% of foreign new vehicles contain Littelfuse fuses. (Your customers and Installers will have a Littelfuse fuse in their hand when they need a source to replace a fuse.) Littelfuse has introduced every new fuse in the industry for the past two decades, starting with the ATO blade fuse. Littelfuse holds more than 130 patents on circuit protection devices, more than all the other fuse manufacturers in the world combined. Other fuse manufacturers are licensed by Littelfuse to utilize its product designs and trademarks. Partner with the industry's innovator - Littelfuse.

PICKING THE RIGHT FUSE SHOULDN'T BE LEFT TO CHANCE!

At first glance, it's hard to tell the difference. But it spells a critical difference between real protection and serious auto damage, costly repairs. Although blade fuses may look alike, some are potentially dangerous because they simply do not work. In 1976, Littelfuse introduced the revolutionary ATO® blade fuse that was installed on General Motors vehicles. The fuse had to meet stringent safety and performance specifications. And today it's the industry standard.

As the blade fuse became an international standard for vehicle circuit protection, imitations appeared in the market. These fuses were tested and found to be extremely dangerous. With heavy overload currents (up to 300%) they failed to open and protect the circuit, even after 30 minutes.

Because the ATO® blade fuse is designed to meet the exacting standards of a vehicle's electrical system, the use of imitations immediately created a situation that could result in an auto fire or serious damage to the vehicle.

Responding to this growing problem, in 1983 the United States International Trade Commission and then President Ronald Reagan issued and approved an exclusion order prohibiting the importation of the look-alike blade fuses into the United States. This order was initiated because many of these fuses were proven to be totally unsafe.

The imitation fuse problem still exists today. Despite aggressive efforts by Littelfuse and the federal government to stop the importation of unsafe imitation fuses, these products are finding their way to retail shelves, service stations and installers. And they are just as unsafe today as they were in 1983.

THE FUTURE OF CIRCUIT PROTECTION

Littelfuse's new product development process is based on practical innovations designed around the needs of the customer. The circuit protection products of the future will offer greater features to protect increasingly complex electrical systems, meet the booming demand for on-board electronics and make the Circuit Protection category a continuously stronger part of the Automotive Aftermarket.

Partner with Wathen and Littelfuse in this vital market.

Call or fax for additional information, catalogs and/or application help.
The Wathen Company, Paxton, Illinois 60957
Phone (800) 544-6311 - 24 Hour Fax (217) 379-9066
E Mail: wathenco@yahoo.com

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