EXCLUSIVE: MUST CREDIT EDISONREPORT. It was a busy night for Signify and Cooper Lighting Solutions but their respective leaders made time for a quick call with your humble editor. Below is my interview Kraig Kasler, President Cooper Lighting Solutions.
Reid: Congratulations and it sounds like a very exciting deal.
Kasler: These things take time, but we are very excited about the end result. North America is very dynamic and two leaders in a space like this with a common technology platforms is very exciting.
Reid: What is your first step?
Kasler: We just had a call with all of our agents and have finished our employee town hall. So we have already had our first step. But the deal doesn’t close until the first quarter 2020, so we will have limited conversations during this time.
Reid: Will you continue with your existing agents?
Kasler: Yes, we will continue with our agents and go to market separately.
Reid: Who has higher market share in the U.S.?
Kasler: Cooper was larger with the luminaire business, but remember that Signify also has lamps and drivers and components. But globally Signify is the largest and they are now getting larger.