— 1777
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 & Compagnie (VMC).
— 1806
JAPY Frères and VIELLARD & MIGEON
decide to join forces to launch the
industrial manufacture of forged wood
screws in France.
— 1899
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 machined screws.
— 1968
These three family-run businesses
(KOHLER, JAPY and VIELLARD) merge
to form a company called GFD
1
, 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.
— 1977
GFD acquires BLANC AERO
, which
specializes in aerospace fasteners and in
packaging components for the Fragrances
sector. This new group is named GFI.
— 1989
GFI is floated on the Paris Stock
Exchange’s
over-the-counter market and
becomes GFI Industries.
— 1990 / 2000
Throughout the 1990s, GFI Industries
continues to strengthen its positions
in its three sectors
by acquiring over 15
companies throughout Europe and the US.
LISI ANNUAL REPORT 2009
HISTORY
— 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 fasteners and assembly components businesses. Solid roots for writing the future.
(1)
GFD: Générale de Forgeage et Décolletage
10
Adaptation and growth,
two centuries of industrial history
