Perrot Duval
| Perrot Duval Holding SA | |
|---|---|
| legal form | Corporation |
| ISIN | CH0002906912 |
| founding | 1896 |
| Seat | Geneva , Switzerland |
| management | Nicolas Eichenberger ( CEO and Chairman of the Board of Directors ) |
| Number of employees | 332 (2008) |
| sales | 84.4 million CHF (2007/2008) |
| Branch | Investment company (originally automotive industry ) |
| Website | www.perrotduval.com |
The Perrot Duval Holding SA , based in Geneva, is a Swiss investment company focused on selected sectors of automation technology . On the one hand, the company is active in process automation , which is used in the manufacture of chemical and pharmaceutical products, through its subsidiary, Füll Process AG , which was founded in 1989 . On the other hand, Perrot Duval, through the Infranor group she founded in 1941, specializes in the automation of movements carried out by industrial machines or autonomous systems and devices such as medical, simulation or communication devices.
The group of companies employs a total of 332 people and achieved consolidated sales of 84 million Swiss francs in the 2007/2008 financial year. The Perrot Duval Holding is listed on the Swiss Stock Exchange SWX Swiss Exchange listed , its roots go back to the early days of the automobile industry the end of the 19th century.
history
The company was founded by Gaston Perrot in 1896 when the first automobiles appeared in Switzerland. At that time, he was appointed to represent Michelin and Benz vehicles and brought together the representatives of the automobile companies active in Geneva, including Daimler , Peugeot and Audibert-Lavirotte , in the “Société Générale des Voitures Automobiles”. A year later, Gaston Perrot merged with Maurice Duval and converted the company to “Perrot Duval & Cie”.
In 1905 the company was converted into a stock corporation and listed on the stock exchange. At that time, the company owned all or part of five automobile garages in Geneva, Chamonix, Monte Carlo and Paris and held minority interests in various companies. Until 1920 she represented the manufacturers Rochet-Schneider in Lyon, Martini , Westinghouse , De Dion-Bouton , Minerva , Panhard & Levassor , Vermorel , Berna , Studebaker , Delahaye , Overland , Lancia and Citroën . In 1905, Perrot Duval took part in the first "Exposition Nationale de l'Automobile et du Cycle", now known as the Geneva Motor Show .
In addition to her activity as a representative, Perrot Duval also ran her own workshop for the construction of cars and bicycles . The company also assembled engines for a series of cruisers from the Corsier shipyard and produced clutches for motor boats . Perrot Duval also helped found the Motosacoche company by the brothers Henri and Armand Dufaux .
In 1927 the company modernized its garages and acquired stakes in garages in other cities in western Switzerland . Perrot Duval took over the representation of the brands Brasier and Mathis and later also of Rolls-Royce and Bentley .
Perrot Duval, which was converted into a holding company in 1934, began at the end of the 1930s to expand its activities beyond its core area as a specialist in the automotive industry to include car headlights and street lighting . To this end, the company concluded a license agreement and developed lighting products that were sold under the “Infranor” brand, registered by Perrot Duval in 1940. As a result, Infranor was expanded into the «Lighting» division and was later able to carry out a number of internationally important and prestigious orders in the field of headlight lighting for monuments and castles . In 1943 Perrot Duval founded Bellevue-Garage AG (today Belwag AG ) in Bern , in which it still holds a minority stake.
Realignment
While Perrot Duval was able to adapt and expand its mechanical capabilities for the manufacture of military equipment during World War I , the Second World War and the post-war years were difficult times. In 1944, Gaston Perrot, who died in 1949, sold his majority stake in Perrot Duval to a new group. To ensure the continued existence of the company, it had to sell several of the company's key activities or find new partners. In 1951 Perrot Duval changed hands again. This managed to get the representation of Daimler-Benz in Geneva. At the same time, a new partner was sought who could realign the company as general director.
This person was found in Maurice Eichenberger in 1954. Eichenberger came from an old industrial family and subsequently represented the second important person in the history of Perrot Duval. Under his leadership, the "Lighting" department was industrialized and internationalized. In addition, starting in 1959, a new business activity was opened up with the entry into the electronics sector and the automotive sector was brought back into profitability.
In 1970 the automotive sector was given up in favor of activities in the electronics sector. As the “Industrial Automation” division, these increasingly formed the new core business of Perrot Duval and Infranor. Finally, in 1972, the “lighting” division was given up and sold to an American company specializing in outdoor lighting.
As a result, the “Industrial Automation” area was expanded through various acquisitions and brought together under the umbrella of the “Infranor Inter AG” sub-holding, which was floated on the stock exchange in 1987. In 1992, Maurice Eichenberger handed over management to Nicolas Eichenberger. In the same year, after around two years of preparation, a second business area in the field of process automation was created and a further sub-holding company was founded for this purpose. Perrot Duvall, for its part, now serves as a holding company for the business areas it controls.