History

On August 20, 2007, our Group -- previously known as Bacou-Dalloz -- changed its name to Sperian Protection.
Our strong leadership tradition dates back to two innovative companies that merged in 2001 to form the Bacou-Dalloz Group.
Known as Bacou-Dalloz until mid-2007, Sperian Protection has inherited its commitment to protect workers around the globe from the Bacou Group founded in 1974, and the Christian Dalloz Group, which began in 1957. Both companies were competent in a range of PPE solutions, and both were positioned as world experts in the protection of workers in high-risk environments. In 2001 these two leading PPE suppliers combined their synergistic expertise in a successful merger. From then on, our Group has been recognized as the world’s leading manufacturer of personal protective equipment.

Today, operating on all continents with a premier position in multiple PPE categories, Sperian Protection is a reference in personal protective equipment throughout the world.
 

Since the September 2001 merger between the Bacou and Christian Dalloz groups, which created a new world leader, our Group has successfully optimized its production, commercial and logistics organizations. It has also broadened and adapted its product portfolio to focus increasingly on personal protective equipment, through the following transactions:

• Acquisition in 2003 of Securitex, a North American manufacturer of protective garments for first responders, thus expanding our offering in the regional public safety market.
• Disposal in July 2004 of Abrium (former Bacou Développement), a French distribution company.
• Disposal in September 2006 of Sunoptics, a designer and manufacturer of premium solar lenses for manufacturers of fashion and sports eyewear.
• Acquisition in December 2006 of Epicon, a Brazilian company that manufactures and distributes disposable respiratory masks, enabling the Group to establish a manufacturing base in South America.
• Acquisition in June 2007 of Nacre, which designs and makes intelligent earplugs, thereby expanding our hearing protection product line and improving our access to the military market.

In 2008 and 2009:

• Acquisition of Combisafe in August 2008, a leading designer and supplier of fall protection systems.
• Acquisition of doseBusters™ technologies (United States) in September 2008, a pioneer in personal noise dosimetry technology.
• Acquisition of Musitani S.A. in December 2008, the fall protection leader in Argentina.
• Sperian Protection concludes divestiture of its Image Wear Business in November 2009.
   
  
  

Bacou
The Bacou Group was founded by Henri Bacou in 1974, initially as a manufacturer of safety footwear in France.
In the years following its creation, the Group made a succession of acquisitions in France: Fernez (respiratory) in 1997, Comoditex and Commeinhes-Remco (clothing) in 1980, Sofraf (gloves) in 1984, Delta Protection and Mutexil (clothing) in 1986, Antec (fall protection) in 1989, Ox'bridge (clothing) in 1993, Fenzy (respiratory) in 1997 and Optrel (welding) in 1998.
Over the same period, the Group gradually acquired distributors that were consolidated in 1999 under the name Bacou Development.
In March 1993, the Group created the subsidiary Bacou USA, which acquired Uvex Safety Inc. (eye and face) in 1994. In 1996, Bacou USA was listed on the New York Stock Exchange, where it traded until the merger with Christian Dalloz in September 2001.
After the death of its founder in 1996, the company continued its acquisitions strategy in the United States with the purchases of Survivair (respiratory) and Biosystems (gas detection equipment) in 1997, Howard Leight (hearing) in 1998, Perfect Fit (gloves) in 1999 and Whiting & Davis and Platinum (gloves) in 2000.