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The lighting company sells lighting solutions (LS), which specializes in large-scale projects.
Munich Seven years ago, the Osram lighting group started lighting with the acquisition of Siteco. But a success story has not come out. After largely futile renovation efforts, the Ex-Siemens subsidiary has now announced the sale of the division. With around 400 million euros, this represents around 10% of the Group's sales.
Following a supervisory board meeting, Osram spoke of an "orderly sales process" for the division with about 1,600 employees. "We will focus even more on future high growth businesses," said Olaf Berlien, CEO. The MDax group is doing well in the lighting solutions sector for the automotive industry and with LED chips.
In addition, Lighting Solutions & Systems (LSS), the owner of the lighting sector, had again suffered a loss in the second quarter of the current fiscal year and had to accept a decline in sales.
Osram wanted to get involved in the lighting business to develop an integrated lighting business. But the lighting market – which includes desk lamps and street lamps in Osram – is extremely fragmented. At the weak market situation, with which also competitors like Zumtobel fight, came home made problems.
This is what Osram had been trying to do with the renovation, including the dismantling of 200 jobs out of 800 at Siteco in Traunreut, Bavaria. After all, the CEO Berlien sees as a success the fact that the profitability of the division has "considerably stabilized" recently thanks to the measures taken. This has now allowed the launch of the sales process. The company is on the bench for some time now.
Osram was particularly troubled by the service sector in the United States, which includes, for example, office lighting services. The market was weak for a long time because few new industrial buildings and offices were built in the USA. According to Handelsblatt newspaper reports from the industry, there are already discussions with interested parties for services in the United States.
In contrast, the search for a buyer for the Siteco lighting sector with its important Traunreut location is just beginning. On the one hand, according to industry, one would be a competitor like Zumtobel – the product line would complement each other. However, the Swiss are struggling with many of their own problems
. One can also imagine that a sale to a Chinese investor such as MLS, who had already taken over Osram's Ledvance Bulb Division, was announced in the industrial circles. "An extension of the professional lighting business could be an option." Even a recovery by a financial investor, which then restructures the company is not ruled out.
Osram did not want to comment on potential buyers. According to industrial circles, a sale in several packages is possible. For example, a lighting company in Asia belongs to the division.
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