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Ecmweb 24167 Link Lighting Control Gettyimages 506608984 1024
Ecmweb 24167 Link Lighting Control Gettyimages 506608984 1024
Ecmweb 24167 Link Lighting Control Gettyimages 506608984 1024
Ecmweb 24167 Link Lighting Control Gettyimages 506608984 1024
Ecmweb 24167 Link Lighting Control Gettyimages 506608984 1024

Cree to Sell Lighting Business to Ideal Industries

March 15, 2019
Cree will be selling its business to Ideal for approximately $310 million.

Ideal Industries, Sycamore, IL, will be bolstering its lighting solutions offering in a very big way with today’s news that it will be buying Cree Inc., Durham, NC, one of the biggest LED manufacturers and best-known brands in the lighting market.

A Cree press release said the company had “a definitive agreement to sell its Lighting Products business unit (Cree Lighting), which includes the LED lighting fixtures, lamps and corporate lighting solutions business for commercial, industrial and consumer application to Ideal Industries for approximately $310 million before tax impacts, including up-front and contingent consideration and the assumption of certain liabilities.

“Cree expects to receive an initial cash payment of $225 million, subject to purchase price adjustments, and has the potential to receive a targeted earn-out payment of approximately $85 million based on an adjusted EBITDA metric for Cree Lighting over a 12-month period beginning two years after the transaction closes,” the release said.

Cree’s stock price was up +2.5% to approximately $55 per share at the opening of trading on Friday.

The press release also said the news is part of Cree’s strategy, announced last month, “to create a more focused, powerhouse semiconductor company, providing growth capital for Wolfspeed, its core Power and RF business, and equips Cree with additional resources to expand its semiconductor operations. The deal also enables Cree Lighting to gain additional global focus, channel support and investment as it becomes a growth engine for the IDEAL team.”

Cree said in its lighting’s portfolio and SmartCast Technology are complementary to Ideal’s lighting control business and channel of suppliers, distributors, agents, and customer relationships.  

“Our combined technology and expertise will continue to build on Cree Lighting’s history of leadership and fits with the advanced systems Ideal has pioneered over the past 103 years,” said Jim James, chairman and CEO of Ideal Industries, in the press release. “Together, we will create a powerful combination of innovation, channel strength and operational excellence. We’re acquiring a very special business poised for sustained success, and we look forward to assisting Cree Lighting in realizing its potential.”

Gregg Lowe, CEO of Cree, said in the release, “Cree has made significant progress over the last 18 months in sharpening the focus of our business to become a semiconductor powerhouse in Silicon Carbide and GaN technologies. Over that time frame, we have grown Wolfspeed by more than 100%, acquired the Infineon RF business, more than doubled our manufacturing capacity of Silicon Carbide materials, and signed multiple long-term supply agreements, which, in aggregate, are in excess of $500 million. With the addition of today’s lighting divestiture news, Cree is well positioned as a more focused semiconductor leader.

“Cree’s technologies are at the forefront of the automotive industry’s transition to zero emission electric vehicles, the telecommunications industry’s move to faster 5G networks and the continued ramp up of LEDs for specialty applications. Our leadership in Silicon Carbide and GaN position us well to capitalize on the tremendous advantages that these technologies offer our customers. This transaction provides significant resources to help accelerate Wolfspeed’s growth while providing a terrific growth opportunity for the Lighting Business and its employees through an expanded channel that strengthens its market position. We believe this decision benefits the company and our employees, shareholders and customers as it unlocks value, increases management focus on the core business and supports our mission to accelerate silicon carbide adoption.”

The closing of the transaction is anticipated to occur in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019, and is subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

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