Legrand (company)


Legrand is a French industrial group historically based in Limoges in the Limousin region.
In 2011, the firm was the largest global producer of switches and sockets, with 20% of the global market, and in cable management, generating 75% of its turnover internationally. The group is also expanding its product range in sustainable development and energy saving technologies, an has developed new products for photovoltaic installations and lighting control.

History

The company's origins date back to 1865, when a Limoges porcelain workshop was set up on the route to Lyon originally making porcelain dishes. In 1904, the company was taken over by Frédéric Legrand, who gave his name to the company. In 1919, the company entered into partnership with Jean Mondot, an artisan from Limoges who had started, a small factory, in Exideuil making electric switches using porcelain and boxwood.
Manufacturing subsequently gradually diversified into electrical equipment. At that time, before the appearance of plastic, porcelain was the best available insulating material. In 1949, following a factory fire, the decision was made to concentrate exclusively on electrical wiring devices. The company very quickly extended its range to cover protection products, cable management products, emergency lighting, etc.
Since then, Legrand has made 120 targeted acquisitions becoming a large, diversified maker of electrical wiring devices with more than 150,000 product items. As of 2006, it has bases in 70 countries and sales in 180 countries.
Some notable dates:
1966: First subsidiary outside France established in Belgium.
1977: Development outside Europe with the takeover of Pial in Brazil.
1984: First subsidiary in the United States with Pass & Seymour.
1989: Acquisition of Bticino, Italy's largest electrical equipment manufacturer.
1996: Acquired Fael in Poland, Luminex in Colombia, MDS in India, and WattStopper in the United States.
1998: Acquisition of Ortronics, a US leader in structured cabling and Voice Data Image.
2000: Acquisition of Wiremold in the United States, and Horton Controls, a US lighting controls company, merged into its WattStopper brand, and Quintela and Tegui in Spain.
2005: Acquisition of ICM Group, world leader in wire mesh cable trays.
2006: Acquisition of the electrical wiring devices division of TCL China and Shidean, Chinese leader in audio and video door entry systems. Acquisition of Vantage Controls, US lighting control specialist.
2007: Acquisition of HPM, No. 2 in electrical wiring devices in Australia, and Kontaktor, the leading Russian manufacturer of power circuit breakers. Took over MACSE, the Mexican leader in cable trays, UStec, US specialist in residential networks, TCL Wuxi, Chinese specialist in modular circuit breakers and Alpes Technologies, specialist in energy compensation and measurement.
2008: Acquisition of PW Industries, a US cable tray specialist; HDL, the No. 1 in Brazil producer of residential access control ; Estap, the Turkish leader in VDI enclosures, and Electrak, UK specialist in ground-laid cable trays.
2009: Legrand is severely affected by the economic crisis. The group sees a 15.6% fall in its turnover. It still manages to maintain its operating margin at 17.6%, as against 17.7% in 2008. A return to growth is forecast for the second half of 2010
2010:
2011:
2012:
Takeover of Numeric UPS of India in 2012.
2014:
In March, Legrand signed n agreement to acquire Lastar, Inc. a Moraine, Ohio cabling and connectivity products supplier which, in 2013, reported more than $140 million in revenue and had nearly 1,000 total employees in nine locations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Brands falling under the Lastar umbrella are the Quiktron and Cables to Go which became C2G in 2012.
2015:
Legrand North America acquired Raritan Inc., completed in September.
2017: In June, Legrand started procedures to purchase Milestone AV, the manufacturer of AV racks and mounts in the US and overseas. Milestone manufactures products under the brand names Chief, Sanus, Echogear, Da-Lite, Projecta, and Vaddio.
2020:
Acquired of Focal Point LLC, a private architectural lighting manufacturer based in Chicago. In November, Legrand North America acquired Server Technology.

Stock market

At the end of 2006, the minority shareholders sell their holding via an accelerated private institutional placement, thereby taking traded shares to 35% of the capital and increasing the share's liquidity.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As of July 1st, 2020, the Board of Directors is composed of the following:
● Angeles Garcia-Poveda, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and member of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee; member of the Board of Directors as an independent Director since 2012 and as Lead Director from 2013, Chairwoman of the Nominating and Governance Committee and member of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee;
● Olivier Bazil, member of the Board of Directors since 2002 and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee and of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee;
● Isabelle Boccon-Gibod, independent Director of Legrand since 2016 and member of the Audit Committee and of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee;
● Christel Bories, independent Director of Legrand since 2012, Chairwoman of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee and member of the Audit Committee;
● Benoît Coquart, Chief Executive Officer of Legrand since 2018;
● Edward A. Gilhuly, independent Director of Legrand since May 30, 2018 and member of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee;
● Philippe Jeulin, Director representing employees since June 26, 2018;
● Patrick Koller, independent Director of Legrand since May 30, 2018 and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee;
● Michel Landel, independent Director of Legrand since May 29, 2019, and Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee;
● Annalisa Loustau Elia, independent Director of Legrand since 2013 and Chairwoman of the Compensation Committee;
● Éliane Rouyer-Chevalier, independent Director of Legrand since 2011, Chairwoman of the Audit Committee and member of the Compensation Committee;
● Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Legrand from 2006 until June 30, 2020, member of the Board of Directors and of the Strategy and Social Responsibility Committee;