IEN: Your portfolio includes various products and services. Could you please name the most important areas of business for your company? How does the revenue structure look in those different divisions?
Ledru: We have three lines of business to serve five markets. These three lines are: Circuit Protection (fuse and fusegear), Thermal Management (cooling devices), and Power Interconnection (high-power switches and solutions for traction).
The destination markets we address are Transportation, Power Conversion, Power Generation & Distribution, Industrial Controls, and Power Quality.
The revenue is well balanced with roughly an equal weight for each market.
IEN: Can you name retrospectively some milestones of your company history?
Ledru: It all started in the United States with the foundation of Shawmut Fuses Co. in 1895. In 1928, the Ferraz Company in France was founded. Another landmark in the company's history certainly took place in 1986, whenFerraz became a member of the Carbone Lorraine group. 13 years later, the two companies Ferraz and Gould Shawmut merged into Ferraz Shawmut. 1999 also saw the implementation of a facility dedicated to Thermal Management near Grenoble. Three more recent milestones in the company's history were the acquisition of Lenoir-Elec, a specialist in low voltage contactors in 2006, one year later the acquisition of GE Power Fuses in the US and Areva Medium Voltage activity in Europe, and eventually last year's acquisition of R-Theta Thermal Solutions in Canada.
IEN: Which role do trade shows play within your current marketing mix?
Ledru: We participate in trade shows maily for two reasons: One is of course launching new solutions in the marketplace, the other is business development in emerging markets, which can both be geographic or application markets.
IEN: What is your export quota? Which markets are especially interesting for your company in terms of geographical regions?
Ledru: Due to the fact that our business is global, export quotas have no meaning for Ferraz Shawmut.
Like for many other companies as well, Asia-Pacific, Russia, Middle East and South America are our current targets for business development.
IEN: What are the company's plans for the near future?
Ledru: Our current predominant targets are to develop our business in Asia, as well as in the power efficiency and renewable energies (solar, wind and energy storage) markets, while pursuing innovation and operational excellence.
IEN:Mr. Ledru, thank you for the interview.
Facts & Figures
Employees worldwide: 1920
Turnover 2008: 255 million Euro
Headquarters: Villeurbanne Cedex, France
Sales offices in more than 40 countries worldwide
Main product lines: circuit protection, thermal management, power interconnection
Gabriel Ledru is Sales Manager France at Ferraz Shawmut
