Ducommun Intends to Sell Its Metermaster Unit

Ducommun Inc. said it signed a letter of intent to sell its Metermaster unit to E.I.L. Instruments Inc. for about $8 million in cash.

Cypress-based Ducommun said the agreement is subject to the approval of directors of both companies and the completion of a definitive agreement.

A final agreement is expected by month’s end, Ducommun said, with completion of the transaction by mid-December.

Metermaster, which is based in Los Angeles, distributes and services test and measurement instruments. The unit posted 1985 sales of about $20 million and expects about the same performance this year, a Ducommun spokesman said.

E.I.L. also distributes and services test measurement equipment. The company, headquartered in Sparks, Md., posted 1985 sales of about $50 million.

Ducommun said the evolution of its products and services has distanced it from Metermaster’s market, which has grown slowly in recent years.

In addition to distributing electronic components and computer products, Ducommun makes components for the aerospace industry. For the first nine months, Ducommun reported a net loss of $525,000, contrasted with income from continuing operations of $399,000 in the first nine months of 1985.

Ducommun attributed the loss for the first nine months of this year to the recession in the electronics components market.