About us
Let’s shape a new era of mobility. Together.
LEONI is a global provider of products, solutions and services for energy and data management in the automotive industry. The Group employs around 95,000 people in 26 countries and generated consolidated sales of around EUR 5.5 billion in 2023.
Products and solutions for energy and data management
The value chain ranges from standardized cables and special and data cables to highly complex wiring systems and associated components, from development to production. As an innovation partner and solution provider with distinctive development and system expertise, we support our customers on the way to increasingly sustainable and networked mobility concepts from autonomous driving to alternative drives and charging systems. To this end, LEONI develops next-generation cable solutions and wiring systems that reduce complexity and enable higher levels of automation through zonal architecture, for example.
LEONI focuses its automotive research and development activities on the industry's major trends such as electromobility, autonomous driving and connectivity - supplemented by lightweight solutions, multi-voltage and functional integration as well as logistics and engineering expertise. LEONI has already been active in the field of electromobility for around 20 years and, in addition to high-voltage cables and cable harnesses, also offers special components and charging cables for electric cars (BEV) and plug-in hybrids.
Our business is divided into the Wiring Systems and Automotive Cable Solutions divisions. The Wiring Systems division is one of the world's largest suppliers of complete wiring systems and customer-specific cable harnesses for the automotive industry. The Automotive Cable Solutions division is a
Empowering connections.
With our sales offices, development sites and production facilities, we are everywhere in the world where our customers need us. In total, we are active in 26 countries with 52 subsidiaries. The global production network consists of production facilities in Western and Eastern Europe, North Africa, America and Asia. The sites are located in growth regions of the core markets we serve and are selected in particular according to logistics requirements in order to supply our customers reliably and just-in-time
Tradition and progress since the 16th century
The foundations for today's global player LEONI were laid by a small wire workshop in central Franconia back in 1569, when the Frenchman Anthoni Fournier and a handful of employees in Nuremberg began producing the finest gold and silver wires for precious embroidery, known as LEONIsche Waren. LEONIsche Werke Roth-Nürnberg AG emerged from these beginnings in 1917. Even today, the ability to change and a keen sense of market developments and customer needs are among the company's most important characteristics.
1569
Anthoni Fournier founds a workshop for processing wire in Nuremberg, which later becomes one of the founding companies of LEONI. He produces the finest, refined wire products and spun wire, with which valuable embroidery, ribbons and braids can be made - so-called Lyonese Wares. The name is derived from the city of Lyon, where these products were invented.
1621
Fournier's sons open further workshops to the south of Nuremberg for the manufacture of Lyonese Wares, including in Roth. This leads to the companies:
- Johann Balthasar Stieber & Sohn, Nürnberg
- Johann Philipp Stieber, Roth und die
- Vereinigte Leonische Fabriken, Nürnberg
1917
In this year, the three companies Johann Balthasar Stieber & Sohn from Nuremberg, Johann Philipp Stieber from Roth and Vereinigte Leonische Fabriken from Nuremberg merge and found Leonische Werke Roth-Nürnberg AG with the Roth and Nuremberg-Mühlhof plants on April 23, 1917.
1923-1948
After going public in 1923, LEONI opens up new markets with wires and round strands for industry. The rapidly growing electrical industry becomes an important customer group and wires and strands are also used early on in the automotive industry. There are various processes for the required insulation: the first enameled wires are produced in 1928, the first rubber-insulated wires in 1931 and the first plastic cables in 1943. In 1948, the production of ready-made mains connection cables (plug cables) begins.
1956-1967
From 1956 onwards, LEONI also increasingly takes on the further processing of cables, known as cable assembly, initially for the growing household appliance industry, then increasingly also producing cable harnesses for the automotive industry. In 1967, a separate plant for cable harness production is established in Kitzingen, which gradually concentrates entirely on the rapidly growing business with the automotive industry - over time, even simple cable harnesses become complex wiring systems.
1977
Foundation of the subsidiary Câbleries de Sousse, Tunisia (cable harness production).
1978
Foundation of the LEONI sales company in France.
1981
Takeover of the former Grundig plant in Neuburg/Danube (cable assembly).
1983
Foundation of the LEONI sales company in Great Britain.
1985
Foundation of the subsidiary Câblerie du Centre Tunisia (cable assembly) and L.D. Intercon, Ireland (cable assembly - later LEONI Ireland).
1986
Foundation of LEWRON Kabeltechnik Berlin GmbH & Co. KG (cable production and assembly).
1989
Takeover of Westfälische Kupfer- und Messingwerke AG, Lüdenscheid (wire and strand production) and Kabelfabrik Otto Zimmermann (OZET), Lilienthal (cable production and assembly).
1990
Foundation of the LEONI subsidiary in Chicopee, USA (wire and strand production, sales).
1991
Takeover of aurnhammer + benedict GmbH & Co. KG, Weißenburg (wire and strand production) and establishment of LEONI cable harness production in Portugal.
1992
Foundation of LEONI Hungaria, Eger (cable harness production) and LEONI Slovakia, Nova Dubnica (cable assembly).
1993
Foundation of LEONI Autokabel Slowakia, Trencin (cable harness production), LEWRON Kabeltechnik Polska, Torzym (cable assembly) and the joint venture LEONI-EPAN, Singapore with first production facilities in China (Xiamen and Changzhou).
1994
Foundation of LEONI Cable Assemblies, Logansport (later in Tucson), USA (cable assembly).
1995
Foundation of LEONI Autokabel Polska, Ostrzeszow (cable harnesses) and takeover of the Italian company Felisi S.p.A., Milan.
1996
Takeover of Temco Ltd. Stanford, England (wires and strands). Acquisition of EPAN shares and renaming of EPAN-LEONI to LEONIsche of Asia, Singapore.
1997
Acquisition of the cable harness business of Cummins Engine Company Inc., Columbus, USA and integration into LEONI Wiring Systems Inc, Tuscon (formerly LEONI Cable Assemblies Inc.) Foundation of LEONI Cable Mexico, Hermosillo Foundation of LKH, LEONIsche Kabelwerke Kft. Hatvan, Hungary (cable manufacturing)
1998
Integration of OZET Lilienthal (cable harnesses) into LEONIsche Drahtwerke AG. Merger of the subsidiaries CDC and CDS Tunisia to form LEONIsche Tunisie (cable harnesses). Takeover of the companies CWA, later LEONI Cable Assemblies (Belgium) N.V. (cable assemblies) and elocab, Georgensgmünd, Germany (special cables) Foundation of LEONI Wiring Systems (East London) in South Africa (cable harnesses) and LEONI Cable Inc. in Mexico (cables).
1999
Acquisition of the later LEONI Special Cables GmbH, Friesoythe (special cables), LEONI Automotive Leads GmbH & Co. KG, Brake (assembled cables) and LEONI Kablo ve Teknolojileri, Gemlik/Bursa, Turkey (cables).
Creation of a holding structure: LEONIsche Drahtwerke AG changes its name to LEONI AG and becomes a holding company. The operating business is split into the three companies LEONI Draht GmbH & Co. KG, LEONI Kabel GmbH & Co. KG and LEONI Bordnetz-Systeme GmbH & Co. KG.
2000
Acquisition of the business of the American TRW Group. Continuation under the name LEONI Wiring Systems UK, Newcastle-under-Lyme, England.
Foundation of LEONI Cable Slovakia spol. s.r.o., Stará Turá (Slovakia). Establishment of LEONI Draht Polska Sp. z o.o., Kobierzyce and LEONI Kabel Polska Sp. z o.o., Kobierzyce, both Poland.
In Cuauthémoc, Mexico, the newly built LEONI Cable S.A. de C.V. cable plant is officially inaugurated.
LEONI Kabel GmbH & Co. KG acquires 51 % of the shares in Protec Kabel Produktion GmbH, Schmalkalden. It also takes over Protec Kabel GmbH, Bretzfeld. Protec manufactures ready-to-install special cable packages, for example for industrial robots.
2002
LEONI Kabel GmbH & Co. KG acquires a majority stake in FO-Systems GmbH in Neuhaus-Schierschnitz, a specialist for plastic fiber optic cables.
2003
Two new LEONI plants are inaugurated in China: the special cable plant LEONI Special Cables (Changzhou) Co. Ltd. and the wire and strand plant LEONI Wire (Changzhou) Co. Ltd.
LEONI is one of the first companies in the world to draw up a "Declaration on Social Rights and Industrial Relations", or "Social Charter" for short.
The largest plant ever built by LEONI is inaugurated in Stryj, Ukraine, and the second Romanian wiring systems facility, built in record time, is opened in Bistrita.
2004
LEONI acquires the Ettlingen-based specialty cable assembler Klink+Oechsle. The LEONI Group's activities in the fiber optics sector are bundled under the umbrella of LEONI Fiber Optics GmbH. Series production starts at the newly built Slovakian facility in Ilava.
2005
Acquisition of neumatic Elektronik + Kabeltechnik, Ulm, specialist for customized cable harnesses and individual electronic solutions.
LEONI acquires all shares in the Stolberg-based data cable and specialty cable manufacturer KERPEN, making it the leading German supplier of cables and cabling systems for data transmission.
The joint venture LEONI & STUDER Transportation Systems, founded with the Swiss cable manufacturer Studer, commences operations (rail transportation technology).
2006
With LEONI HighTemp Solutions, LEONI is creating a new facility in North Rhine-Westphalia for the production of specially insulated cables that are used in the high-temperature cable growth market.
LEONI fully acquires the Austrian system house NBG Fiber-Optics for its fiber optics business and takes over a majority stake in Jena-based j-fiber GmbH.
2007
The newly introduced "Code of Ethics" is a code of conduct that obliges all LEONI employees to act responsibly and with integrity.
By acquiring a majority stake in FiberTech, which produces high-quality fiber optics and complete fiber optic systems for laser beam transmission, the Wire & Cable Solutions division is systematically tapping into another market niche.
2008
At the beginning of the year, LEONI takes over the wiring systems division of French automotive supplier Valeo, thus realizing the most significant acquisition in its corporate history. Together with the Group, renamed LEONI Wiring Systems France, LEONI becomes the European market leader and the world's fourth-largest supplier of wiring systems for the automotive industry.
LEONI taps into the vehicle market in Korea by acquiring a stake in wiring systems manufacturer Daekyeung.
2010
LEONI opens a base in Nagoya, thereby bundling the activities of the Wire & Cable Solutions Division in Japan. A development office in Pune, India, for wiring systems activities is added in the spring.
In order to further expand its market position in the international commercial vehicle industry, LEONI is taking over the production facilities of the AEES Power Systems Group plant in Beiusş, north-western Romania.
2011
The microbus mia, which will be launched in Germany and France, is the first electric vehicle to be equipped with a complete wiring system from LEONI's Electromobility business unit as standard, both in the low-voltage and high-voltage range.
LEONI joins the UN Global Compact. In doing so, the company is committing itself to greater sustainability and will report annually on its progress.
LEONI Wiring Systems also opens a further production facility in Jining, China.
2012
LEONI takes over the Korean wiring systems manufacturer Daekyeung.
LEONI opens a sales office in Dubai; LEONI also opens a cable production facility in the Pune region to exploit opportunities in the Indian market.
2013
Opening of a new plant near Pune for the supply of standard cables for the rapidly growing Indian automotive industry.
LEONI's Wiring Systems Division opens a fourth wiring systems plant in Langfang, China.
2015
LEONI opens its fifth production facility in Tieling for wiring systems in China.
The first wiring systems plant is opened in Paraguay in November.
2016
New building in Ukraine: The Wiring Systems division lays the foundation stone for a new plant in Kolomyia, western Ukraine, in October.
2017
In its anniversary year, LEONI demonstrates its diversity and shows that tradition and progress belong together: Festivities, videos, advertising and PR activities as well as interactive measures for employees bring the company's history to life: from a wire workshop founded in 1917 to a specialist for intelligent energy and data solutions.
Construction of the factory of the future, which combines state-of-the-art cable production with a high-tech laboratory and development center for innovative products and solutions, begins at the German site in Roth.
LEONI opens its second plant for cable harnesses and wiring systems at the new Kolomyja facility in western Ukraine. The Company is also further expanding its capacity in the Americas region with its third Mexican wiring systems facility in Mérida.
2018
LEONI opens its third wiring systems network in Serbia in Niṧ.
2019
IPO or sale of the Wire & Cable Solutions Division planned.
The factory of the future at the Roth site is home to the first employees in the competence center for the development and production of state-of-the-art data cables for autonomous driving.
LEONI starts series production of the wiring system for the ID.3, Volkswagen's first purely electric vehicle.
2020
The spread of the coronavirus increasingly led to the suspension of production by major car manufacturers in March. Against the backdrop of the associated decline in sales for many customers and products, LEONI also had to temporarily cut back production at its European, North African and American wiring systems facilities.
2021
With the sale of Studer AG and the holding company LEONI Schweiz AG, the sale of LEONI Fiber Optics and the management buyout of the Data Communication and Compound divisions of LEONI Kerpen GmbH in Stolberg, LEONI has reached further milestones in its gradual separation from the Wire & Cable Solutions Division and its strategic focus on the automotive business
LEONI opens a new plant in Kraljevo, Serbia, making it the largest private industrial employer in the country.
2022
Outbreak of war in Ukraine. Thanks to the cohesion of the LEONI family and the outstanding commitment of the employees at both LEONI facilities in Ukraine, the effects of the war were overcome in the best possible way in the months that followed. Production in Ukraine can be resumed quickly after brief interruptions.
Climate-neutral by 2045: LEONI launches ReWire sustainability program.
Opening of the Innovation Industrialization Center (IIC) at the Kitzingen facility. In this think tank for the wiring system of the future, new wiring system architectures are developed for the mobility of tomorrow.
Completion of the sale of the Automotive Cable Solutions Business Group refused by the buyer. Together with the creditors, LEONI immediately began to adapt the refinancing and restructuring concept to the new situation.
2023
At the end of March 2023, all syndicate lenders, major Schuldschein creditors and Stefan Pierer as strategic investor agreed on a financial restructuring plan with the participation of LEONI AG, applying the German Corporate Stabilization and Restructuring Act (StaRUG).
On 31 May 2023, financial creditors and shareholders approved the restructuring plan. This comprised a capital cut consisting of a reduction of the existing share capital to zero euros (with a subsequent delisting) and a subsequent cash capital increase of EUR 150 million through the issue of new shares, which significantly strengthened liquidity for the operating business. The cash capital increase was subscribed solely by a company founded by Stefan Pierer.
Furthermore, LEONI AG was relieved of about half of its financial liabilities by contributions from financial creditors (banks and promissory note creditors) in the form of a haircut amounting to EUR 708 million.
On July 14, 2023, Klaus Rinnerberger became the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LEONI AG.
