Strategy

Brice de La Morandière, Chief Executive Officer of Sperian Protection, discusses the Group’s strategy:
 
“Our goal is to be the recognized leader in the PPE industry over the long term.
Our men and women are focused on increasing our competitiveness and further differentiating our offer for our customers. Their dedication and longstanding passion for protecting people in the workplace are determining assets in this unprecedented economic crisis, to further implement our strategic development plan and prepare for the future.
We have five strategic priorities: strengthening our focus on end-customers, providing them with advanced expertise thanks to the long-term experience we have in many industries, fostering innovation for the real benefit of millions of users around the world, serving our customers with well-established and trusted brands, and strengthening market share in specific developing countries”.

More than being the market leader, our Group aims to become the ‘reference leader’ in personal protective equipment for key segments and markets throughout the globe. Our strategy is based on strengthening our differentiation for our customers by focusing on four main strategic directions:

• Staying close to our customers and strengthening our relationships with end-users
  More than ever, our Group places customer focus at the heart of its strategy. One of the strengths that set Sperian Protection apart is the intimate knowledge of its markets and of customers’ environments. Encouraging close proximity to customers deepens our thorough understanding of their business and helps us to better meet workers’ expectations.
  Our long-term expertise in safety allows us to focus on high-potential market segments, develop innovative solutions that closely meet users’ needs, and offer companies solutions to help manage and prevent risk in the workplace.
  For several years now, the Group has focused on a few business sectors where it believes it has a real edge, such as construction and infrastructures, oil and gas services, telecommunications and utilities, government and military contracts, and the wind farm industry. In addition, we are allocating resources to get into position in sectors that benefit from government stimulus plans such as the public works, automobile and renewable energy sectors.
  Establishing ourselves as their first partner for quality PPE solutions and services symbolizes our goal to be the most respected and recognized PPE manufacturer around the world.
  
  
• Improving expertise and innovation
  The Group is developing its offering through ongoing innovation, supported by the expertise of end-users’ environments it has acquired over time. Over the years, our teams have gained a thorough understanding of the risks involved in each environment and how to prevent them with the right protective equipment. Sperian Protection is building on its advantage to offer innovative safety solutions that offer the utmost protection, comfort, ease of use and style that workers want to wear. The combination of high-quality protection properties and user comfort in our PPE are two hallmarks of our innovation strategy. They provide the relevant protection to face hazards in the workplace, and also help workers to comply with safety rules. Our policy of ongoing, customer-focused innovation has one goal: to contribute to major improvement in workplace safety and productivity.
  The Group’s R&D commitment is based on careful attention to user expectations, in-depth knowledge of customer industries, anticipation of regulations, proficiency in leading-edge technologies and partnerships with outside experts. Our Group works to enhance its expertise through collaboration with various universities and research centers that have specific skills in targeted areas.
  In addition, our recent acquisitions (Nacre in 2007, doseBusters, Combisafe and Musitani in 2008) help to strengthen both our technological expertise in key areas such as working at height, noise reduction, real-time noise dosimetry, and our geographical positions in Latin America and in the Middle East.
  
  
• Providing high-quality safety solutions marketed under powerful brands
  To support our differentiation strategy and to offer solutions for a global market, Sperian Protection invests in strengthening the power of its brands. Brands are an important trust vehicle and a valuable means of promoting the Group’s reputation for safe, stylish, comfortable and reliable PPE. These are critical for increasing awareness and loyalty not only in countries where the Group is already well established, but also in those where we aim to develop market share.
  Our Group has capitalized on its name change in 2007 to streamline its portfolio and serve our global market around four flagship brands: Uvexä, innovative leader specializing in premium protective eyewear for the American market, Howard Leightâ, global brand expert in hearing protection and conservation, Millerâ, global brand expert in personal protective solutions for safety at height, and of course, Sperian for other product ranges. This brand policy forms the foundation of a clear and effective marketing approach, leveraging both the reputation of the Group’s historical brands and the reputation now being built with the Sperian brand.
  
  
• Expanding in emerging markets
  Sperian Protection is rolling out a targeted investment strategy to extend its operations in emerging countries. To generate long-term expansion, the Group is developing in countries with high growth potential: countries that are waking up to safety problems, countries where the economic growth tends to be significantly higher than that of OECD countries.
  In 2008 Latin America was the focus of this development with acquisition of Musitani, the Argentinian leader in fall protection. This operation complements our manufacturing and distribution facilities already operating in Mexico and Brazil, and significantly boosts our presence in the rapidly-expanding Mercosur market. On the other hand, the Group continues to strengthen our presence with end-users in China, Eastern Europe and in Middle Eastern countries, where acquisition of Combisafe, the fall protection leader already established in Dubai, enabled us to consolidate our presence with the big players in this region.