Loading AI tools
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laird plc was a leading British-based electronics and technology business. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Advent International in July 2018.
Company type | Public |
---|---|
LSE: LRD | |
Industry | Electronics |
Founded | 1824 |
Defunct | 2018 |
Fate | Acquired |
Headquarters | London, United Kingdom |
Key people | Dr Martin Read CBE Chairman Tony Quinlan CEO |
Revenue | £936.6 million (2017)[1] |
£63.8 million (2017)[1] | |
£71.8 million (2017)[1] | |
Website | www.laird-plc.com |
The company was founded by John Laird in 1824 as Birkenhead Ironworks in Birkenhead, Wirral.[2] In 1903 it merged with Charles Cammell & Company Limited and, as Cammell Laird, went on to build numerous ships for the Royal Navy.[2] In 1976 its transport division, which traded as Metro-Cammell, secured a major order to build mass transit railway carriages for the Hong Kong Mass Transit System.[3]
In 1977 its shipbuilding business was nationalised and in 1989 it disposed of its mass transit railway activities.[4] In the 1980s it moved into security products and in the 1990s into electronics. In 2000 it disposed of its automotive industry activities[5] and more recently, in 2007, it disposed of its security business to Lupus Capital.[6] In 2008 it changed its name from Laird Group PLC to Laird PLC.[7]
The company subsequently expanded in electronics with acquisitions such as Wisconsin based LS Research in November 2015[8] and German based Novero in December 2015.[9]
In March 2018 Advent International made an offer for the company valuing at £1 billion.[10] The transaction was completed in July 2018.[11]
Advent subsequently broke Laird up, selling Laird Connected Vehicles to Molex Electronic Technologies in September 2018,[12] Laird Thermal Systems to Bregal Unternehmerk in July 2021,[13] Laird Performance Materials to DuPont also in July 2021,[14] and Laird Antennas to TE Connectivity in November 2021.[15]
The company's had operations organised as follows:
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.