LaCie

LaCie, S. A. based in Paris, is a French manufacturer of computer accessories such as hard drives, RAID systems, optical drives and computer screens. The screen division aims by devices with high color fidelity, especially to customers in the field of professional image editing, especially printers. In 2012, Seagate Technology acquired a majority stake in the yet listed at this time on the stock exchange NYSE Euronext Paris Euro LaCie. In mid-December 2013, took the Seagate Group by squeeze-out the remaining shares and took the company private.

History

The company was founded in 1995 by the merger of the American La Cie in Portland, Oregon and the French électronique d2 in Paris and has been operating since 1998 under the name LaCie.

The American part of the company was established in July 1987 by Robert and Tudy Kamerman, and Roger Bates as La Cie, Ltd.. founded in Tigard, Oregon. Joel Kamerman, son of the founding couple, took over as president and CEO whose leadership. In December 1990, bought Plus Developement, a daughter of the hard drive manufacturer Quantum Corporation, the young company on and supported it at that, continue under the direction of Joel Kamerman, to become the licensed suppliers of external SCSI drives for Apple.

In 1989, Pierre Fournier and Philippe founded the award électronique d2. At the beginning they sat in their apartment only hard drives in SCSI enclosures, to sell them as external peripherals. By 1990 the company had grown strong, invested in research and develop their own products. A year later, it opened offices in London, Brussels and Copenhagen. In 1995, it was possible to buy out the U.S. company La Cie from the Quantum Group and thereby to create a foothold in America.

In December 2009, LaCie took over the software manufacturer Caleido with its distributed memory application Wuala. In November 2011, LaCie said to have acquired a stake of 11.17% from the German TV manufacturer Loewe. After the cut in capital in October 2013, the share was only 2.87 % but.

In May 2012, announced the U.S. manufacturer Seagate Technology, he will acquire the majority shareholding in the company's capital at a valuation of € 146 million. After acquisition of the majority of the company's founders late September a public offer was launched in 2012 to the remaining shareholders. After the expiration of the offer Seagate held 94.85 % of the capital. In December 2013, Seagate secured by a squeeze-out the remaining shares and took the previously listed on the NYSE Euro Next and represented in the Index CAC Small companies on 19 December by the Exchange.

Products

Core business was initially the production of external SCSI hard disks. Over the years, CD or DVD drives and burners, and magneto- optical systems, Syquest drives, streamer and data storage were added with a USB or FireWire port. Screens are also equally to the product offering.

Moreover, even NAS operating system, a backup software and cloud storage memory about the brand wuala offered.

Design

In view of the fact that the target group first Apple Macintosh clients were commissioned LaCie or its predecessor companies each professional designers with the design of its products. Working in Paris in 1991, Philippe Starck for électronique d2 and designed the drives K1, Apollo and Tokyo that reminded with hand-brushed aluminum on the shiny chrome toaster of the 1950s, and therefore given the nickname toaster -drives. Industrial designer Neil Poulton and Christophe Pillet initiated the appropriate projects as Starck's staff. Both were also later, after her separation from Starck, several more times for LaCie operates.

From 2003 to 2006 Porsche Design has designed a range of products for LaCie. In 2006 followed colorful housing by Karim Rashid and the Brick drive by Ora- ito

In 2007, the Centre Georges Pompidou acquired some LaCie products for his collection, among which were Poulton Le Coq, d2, LBD, Firewire Speakers, Pocket Drive, Rugged, Ito 's Brick and USB hub and two drives with Porsche Design.

LaCie introduced in early 2014 at the Consumer Electronics Show ( CES) in Las Vegas LaCie Christofle Sphere ago, a spherical external storage solution, which was created in collaboration with the design studio of the French manufacturer of fine silverware Christofle.