Chinese Consortium Completes Acquisition of LEDVANCE
The sale of LEDVANCE by OSRAM to the Chinese investment consortium, consisting of the strategic investor IDG Capital, the LED packaging manufacturer MLS CO., LTD. (MLS) and Yiwu State-Owned Assets Operation Center (Yiwu), was successfully completed effective today, March 3rd, 2017 and with economic effect as of March 1st, 2017. This follows the parties obtaining all necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.
“We are very pleased with this transaction, as MLS and LEDVANCE complement each other in an ideal way. Through MLS, we gain access to very cost-efficient and powerful LED components and will strengthen our market presence in Asia, especially in China. This supports the LEDVANCE strategy to expand our product portfolio, foremost in the areas of LED lamps, LED luminaires and Smart Lighting. We look forward to pursuing the many new opportunities that the partnership with MLS brings,” said Jes Munk Hansen, CEO of LEDVANCE.
“It is great to be part of this exciting acquisition, as it brings together a leading Chinese LED manufacturer and a German lighting company with over 100 years of experience, strong brands, proven technology and international sales channels. What drives us as the majority owner within the investment consortium, is to leverage our global investment expertise and resources to help Chinese companies and long-established companies from developed markets make the most out of their joint market potentials“, said Antony Yu, Partner from IDG Capital.
“We are really looking forward to working together with our colleagues at LEDVANCE. The wealth of experience and qualifications of LEDVANCE’s management team and employees provides a strong basis for collaboration. We will be working closely together in order to strengthen our position as leaders in the global lighting market,” said Sun Qinghuan, Chairman of MLS.
LEDVANCE and MLS will now focus on leveraging synergies. Through MLS, LEDVANCE now gains access to cost-efficient LED components for its LED products and will be able to expand its market presence in China, the largest lighting market in the world. MLS, in turn, benefits from LEDVANCE’s vast industry experience and its strong international market presence.
Based on an agreement with OSRAM, LEDVANCE will continue to use the OSRAM brand name for its products (SYLVANIA for USA and Canada). Intellectual property rights have been clearly allocated, so MLS and LEDVANCE can continue to drive innovations globally.
About LEDVANCE:
With almost 9,000 employees and active in more than 120 countries, LEDVANCE GmbH is one of the world's leading general lighting providers for professional users and retail customers. Emerged from the general lighting business of OSRAM GmbH, the company offers advanced LED lamps, standardized LED luminaires, intelligent, networked Smart Home and Building solutions, and traditional light sources. Since 2017, LEDVANCE is owned by a consortium led by the strategic investor IDG Capital and including the leading Chinese lighting company MLS and the financial investor Yiwu. In the 2016 fiscal year, LEDVANCE achieved a turnover of around 1.9 billion Euro. Based on an agreement with OSRAM, LEDVANCE will continue to use the trusted OSRAM and SYLVANIA (for USA and Canada) brands for its products.
About IDG Capital:
Founded in 1993, IDG Capital was one of the first foreign venture capital firms to enter the Chinese market and focus exclusively on Chinese companies. IDG Capital’s portfolio includes more than 500 companies and the company has conducted over 120 successful exits. IDG Capital currently has $10 billion total assets under management.
About MLS:
MLS is one of the leading high-tech lighting companies in China, with its headquarters located in Zhongshan City, Guangdong. The company is listed on the Shenzhen stock exchange since 2015. Producing one of the highest monthly packaged LED volumes in the world – with up to 70 billion units per month – the company in terms of sales is ranked amongst the top 10 companies within the global LED industry. MLS is committed to continuously developing the LED supply chain and, with its leading market share, it has become one of the most important LED product manufacturers in the world. MLS is devoted to supplying energy-saving and eco-friendly lighting products to its customers globally.
About Yiwu:
Yiwu manages companies and provides financial and investment management resources for equity investments. Yiwu manages a volume of more than €11 billion in gross assets and €4 billion in net assets.
