Laird plc

The Laird Group
Public (LSE: LRD)
Industry Electronics
Founded 1824
Headquarters London, United Kingdom
Key people
Dr Martin Read CBE Chairman
David Lockwood CEO
Revenue £630.4 million (2015)[1]
£22.5 million (2015)[1]
£(7.6) million (2015)[1]
Website www.laird-plc.com

Laird plc is a leading British-based electronics and technology business. It is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

The company was founded by John Laird in 1824 as Birkenhead Ironworks in Liverpool.[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.[6] In 2008 it changed its name from Laird Group PLC to Laird PLC.[7]

More recently the company has expanded in electronics with acquisitions such as Wisconsin based LS Research in November 2015[8] and German based Novero in December 2015.[9]

Operations

The company's has operations organised as follows:

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Annual Report 2015" (PDF). Laird plc. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Cammell Laird day two: The fall and rise of a maritime giant". Liverpool Echo. 30 April 2013. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  3. "Metro's well tried technology". New Scientist. 8 December 1977. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  4. "A Brief History of the Metropolitan Railway Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd 1845-1945". Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  5. "Trelleborg to buy Laird's components". The Engineer. 15 November 2000. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  6. "Laird Group waits for shareholder approval". DIY Week. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  7. "The Laird Group PLC Annual General Meeting". 9 May 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  8. "Laird Acquires LS Research". Interactive Investor. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  9. "Laird PLC Acquisition of Novero for €65 million". Directors Talk Interviews. 18 December 2015. Retrieved 10 February 2015.

External links

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