Litton Sells Encoder Unit to Bay Area Manufacturer

Litton Industries Inc. of Beverly Hills sold its encoder business in Chatsworth to a subsidiary of BEI Electronics Inc. of San Francisco, an electronic components manufacturer, BEI said.

The transaction, which included the sale of Litton’s ITEK Measurement Systems operation in Newton, Mass., was for an undisclosed amount of cash, plus the assumption of debt, according to BEI.

The Chatsworth encoder operation makes electronic devices that “read” and convey the motion of objects. The devices can be used in airplanes, for example, to convey the plane’s altitude to air traffic controllers.

BEI said the Chatsworth unit has annual sales of about $8.5 million and has about 100 employees.