VERN SUR SEICHE, FRANCE -- Lacroix Electronics has acquired a stake in electronic manufacturing services provider Firstronic for an undisclosed amount.

Grand Rapids, MI-based Firstronic has plants in Michigan and Mexico and partner deals in China, Czech Republic and India. It focuses on the automotive, healthcare, home and building automation, avionics and industrial sectors.

A new subsidiary named Lacroix North America will be formed and the first joint activities are scheduled for spring 2017. The alliance will also enable consolidated purchasing through the European and US arms, the firm added.

Lacroix, with four plants in Europe but none in the US, saw a JV as the best way to help its customers access production in North America. Under terms of the JV, Firstronic will provide production support for Lacroix customers, Firstronic CEO and president John Sammut told CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY. Lacroix's stake in the company helps ensure customers they are committed to the operation.

"This alliance will provide support for customers of Lacroix Electronics, the Lacroix Group’s EMS subsidiary, in North America, in particular for automotive equipment vendors who have factories in the US and Mexico and wish to collaborate with local partners specializing in the production of electronic assemblies," said Vincent Bedouin, chairman of the Lacroix Group.

“This structural step in our strategic plan demonstrates our commitment to supporting our customers and their expectation to work with global EMS suppliers. It will help accelerate Lacroix’s international development outside Europe. Firstronic is a concrete response to the requirements expressed by our strategic customers,” said Vincent Bedouin, chairman of the Lacroix Group. “The collaboration is based on shared values, comparable processes, and very similar customers. [Sammut] previously managed an EMS of similar size to Lacroix Electronics. He is a graduate of INSEAD and knows Europe very well,” he added.

Lacroix Electronics had 2016 sales of 311 million euros and has 3,150 staff members.