LISI’s history is in a way the industrial history of France, parallel to that of the iron masters of the North and East of the country. For over two hundred years the group has concentrated on adapting to developments in the world and to patient, solid growth. The old fasteners factory in Belfort is today a global business, with key positions on four continents in the assembly businesses.
Frédéric JAPY sets up a watch movement factory in Beaucourt, near Montbéliard.
Some years later MIGEON & DOMINE is founded in Morvillars in the Belfort region, later to become VIELLARD MIGEON et Compagnie (VMC).
JAPY Frères and VIELLARD & MIGEON decide to join forces to launch the industrial manufacture of forged wood screws in France.
The Société Industrielle de Delle is founded by the DUBAIL-KOHLER family in the town of Delle, Belfort. The company quickly begins to specialize in the manufacture of machine-turned screws.
These three family-run businesses merge to form a company called GFD1, thus becoming France’s foremost manufacturer of standard and automotive nuts and bolts. The three founding families are today part of CID (Compagnie Industrielle de Delle), owning a controlling stake in the LISI group.
1 GFD: Générale de Forgeage et Décolletage
GFD acquires BLANC AERO, which specializes in aerospace parts and in packaging components for the Perfumery sector. This new group is named GFI.
GFI is floated on the Paris Stock Exchange’s over-the-counter market and becomes GFI Industries.
Throughout the 1990s, GFI Industries continues to strengthen its positions in its three sectors by acquiring over 15 companies throughout Europe and the US.
To better delineate its specialist areas, GFI Industries became LISI, (LInk Solutions for Industry), with the three divisions taking this name plus the name of its main business sector: LISI AEROSPACE, LISI AUTOMOTIVE and LISI COSMETICS.
The strategy of focusing on Core Business continues:
- Sale of non-strategic business lines (GFD, Ars Industries and the production unit at Aillevilliers);
- Acquisition of California's MONADNOCK (LISI AEROSPACE).
Acquisition of FORM a.s in the Czech Republic (LISI AUTOMOTIVE).
Acquisition of KNIPPING in Germany (LISI AUTOMOTIVE).
Opening of a factory in Canada
(LISI AEROSPACE).
Sale of Gradel (LISI AUTOMOTIVE).
Sale of European distribution firm EUROFAST to ANIXTER France
(LISI AEROSPACE).
LISI AUTOMOTIVE sells its Monistrol plant in the Haute-Loire to the PRECITURN group.
Creation of the LISI MEDICAL subdivision, following acquisition of:
- HUGUENY (Lyon), specializing in spinal implants;
- JEROPA (Escondido-USA), which specializes in dental implants,
- SEIGNOL and INTERMED APPLICATION (Neyron – France) and LIXUS (Tangiers – Morocco), specializing in subcontracting of dental and orthopedic implants.
LISI AUTOMOTIVE is increasing its presence in China – with the creation of a second manufacturing plant in Shanghai dedicated to making threaded fasteners – and LISI AEROSPACE is increasing its presence in India (Bangalore).
On April 1, 2009, the Group sold KNIPPING subsidiary SDU, which specialized in distributing technical products to mines and industry in Germany and Poland.
The Group returned to external growth by making two major acquisitions:
- The takeover of two French sites for the American group Acument Global Technologies, which specialise in automotive fastener manufacturing.
- Purchase by LISI MEDICAL of a site producing hip replacements from the American group, Stryker Corporation, a leading global provider of medical technologies. The agreement is accompanied by a five-year supply contract.