Developed first automatic motor starter patented by Cutler in 1900, laying the foundation for the modern motor control industry, and in 1901 the company designed the control equipment for the Panama Canal. By the 1930s, engineers at Cutler-Hammer had obtained 28 patents for the use of vacuum tubes to control heavy currents. Cutler-Hammer became part of Eaton in 1978 bringing over $500 million in sales of a complete portfolio of power control and switching devices.