ETN vs WDC Comparison

Founded in 1911 by Joseph Eaton, the eponymous company began by selling truck axles in New Jersey. Eaton has since become an industrial powerhouse largely through acquisitions in various end markets. Eaton's portfolio can broadly be divided into two parts: its electrical and industrial businesses. Its electrical portfolio (representing around 70% of company revenue) sells components within data centers, utilities, and commercial and residential buildings, while its industrial business (30% of revenue) sells components within commercial and passenger vehicles and aircraft. Eaton receives favorable tax treatment as a domiciliary of Ireland, but it generates over half of its revenue within the US.

Western Digital is a leading vertically integrated supplier of hard disk drives. The HDD market is essentially a duopoly, with Western Digital and Seagate as the two largest players. Western Digital designs and manufactures its HDDs, with much of the manufacturing and workforce located in Asia. Data centers are the primary consumers of HDDs.