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History

1989 Pierre Fournier and Philippe Spruch were still young, respectively 32 and 26 year old, when they founded electronique d2.

They were both firmly convinced that sophisticated IT storage solutions developed around the SCSI standard were about to take off. They also realized that most European companies had failed to approach the problem from an industrial perspective and therefore to offer products at affordable prices.

Developing the international aspect of their business was a crucial part of their venture, with priority being given to Europe, to be followed by extensive world coverage.

From the outset, electronique d2 enjoyed the sort of unimpeded growth and steady rates of return that confirmed the soundness of these strategic options.

1990 The company having rapidly outgrown its original premises, the founders' apartment in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, it moved to new 900 square meter premises in rue Watt, also in Paris.

It was also clear that simply designing casings was no longer sufficient to maintain competitive edge. The time had come for the company to develop its own products. Highly qualified engineers were recruited to form a R&D team.

1991 Establishment of the first subsidiary in London (UK).

Design and development of the first electronique d2 SCSI card for PC environment.

1992 Establishment of the Belgian subsidiary in Brussels. Establishment of the Danish subsidiary in Copenhagen.

Philippe Starck took part in the design of a new line of products. Henceforth ergonomics and aesthetics would play an important part in all LaCie product developments (cooperation with Scottish designer Neil Poulton).

1993 Establishment of the German subsidiary in Dé¼sseldorf.

LaCie launched its first range of products for PCs incorporating the parallel/SCSI interface. Later on, LaCie will launch, as part of this range, the very successful Shark cable.

The company moved to larger premises in Massy (southern suburbs of Paris).

1994 Establishment of the Dutch subsidiary in Rotterdam. Establishment of the Swiss subsidiary in Basel.

Launch of the Shark SCSI/parallel connection system for PCs.

The capital investment company Investors in Industry ("3i") acquired a 10% interest in electronique d2.

By this time electronique d2 was already achieving more than 50% of its turnover on exports.

1995 Establishment of the Spanish subsidiary in Madrid. Establishment of the Italian subsidiary in Milan.

The buyout of LaCie, a subsidiary of Quantum, allows electronique d2 to gain a foothold into the North American market.

The capital investment company Investors in Industry ("3i") acquired a 10% interest in electronique d2.

LaCie was operating on the same market niche as electronique d2, however its range of products was almost restricted to Quantum disks. This special relationship gave the opportunity to electronique d2 to renegotiate its contractual conditions with Quantum, already one of its main suppliers.

1996 Establishment of the Swedish subsidiary in Stockholm. Establishment of the Canadian subsidiary of LaCie in Toronto.

From 1996 electronique d2 has been listed at the "Nouveau Marché" in Paris. In 1996, the company also moved to larger premises in Massy.

1997 Transfer of LaCie US to new premises in Portland .

Electronique d2 buys out NATI, a repair and maintenance company.

1998 Acquisition of the goodwill of the American company APS.

From 1998 the name "LaCie" will replace "electronique d2" as the official trade name of the group. Establishment of a communications department in London to promote the LaCie brand name and products throughout the world. Consolidated turnover broke the FRF 1 billion barrier.

1999 Establishment of the Australian subsidiary.

A new subsidiary, based in Massy, has been created to handle worldwide marketing activities. Introduction of the American ERP software, Glovia.

Disposal of NATI, LaCie's after sales service subsidiary, in October 99.

2000 Establishment of the Australian subsidiary.

Launch of the PocketDrive, a revolutionary 2.5" peripheral disk drive. The PocketDrive has already proven very successful.

2001 Creation of the Japanese subsidiary. All European subsidiaries migrated to the new Glovia ERP. All inventory is centralized in Europe. Launch of the first 18-inch flat panel monitor, as well as new DVD players.

2002 Launch of the Fusion CD-RW and the first DVD rewritable drives. The new d2 casing is a success worldwide. LaCie takes its first steps in the retail channel.

2003 Launch of first 500GB external Hard Drive: LaCie Big Disk. Launch of Design by F.A Porsche line of storage solutions. Launch of first Triple Interface Hard Drives.

2004 Launch of first 1TB external Hard Drive: LaCie Bigger Disk.