Sonepar Expands in Latin America, Malaysia and Czech Republic

July 1, 2014
Global electrical distribution powerhouse Sonepar SA, Paris, moved to expand its role in Central and South America’s developing economies. Information on the Sonepar website announced that IESA, San Jose, Costa Rica, and Melexa, Bogota, Colombia, have joined Sonepar.

Global electrical distribution powerhouse Sonepar SA, Paris, moved to expand its role in Central and South America’s developing economies. Information on the Sonepar website announced that IESA, San Jose, Costa Rica, and Melexa, Bogota, Colombia, have joined Sonepar.

Sonepar followed these announcements with new additions to the family in Malaysia and the Czech Republic. In Malaysia, Sonepar added Sun Power, a one-location, 80-person distributor in Klang Valley (Southwest of Kuala Lumpur). It specializes in electrical protection equipment for the construction market.

In the Czech Republic, Sonepar added a distributor called VaP, with four branches and 38 people producing €11 million in sales. VaP sells cable, installation and industrial materials as well as lighting products mainly to installers, industry and utilities.

Founded in 1975 in San José, IESA (Instalación Eléctrica SA) is the number-two provider of electrical supplies in the Costa Rican market, with annual sales of €18 million (approximately US$24.5 million) and a staff of 110. IESA serves electrical installers and construction contractors through five branches supplied by a central warehouse. As is typical with Sonepar’s acquisitions, IESA founder Francisco Morice Rodriguez and CEO Rodrigo Esquivel Mora will be staying on to contribute to the future growth of IESA.

Melexa, the number-one provider of electrical supplies in Colombia with annual sales of €80 million (approximately US$108.7 million), covers the country with eight branches, and recently opened another one in Panama. As a Rockwell distributor, Melexa supplies industrial customers, resellers, and installers with cable, industrial automation and datacom products and solutions. Other lines highlighted on the company’s website include Eaton/Cooper Industries, Hoffman, Siemens, Legrand and Belden. Ricardo, Eduardo and Arturo Rodriguez Mutis (CEO, CFO and CIO, respectively) and their 330 associates will now be able to leverage Sonepar’s international strength to accelerate their business growth in Colombia.

These acquisitions follow the company’s recent purchases of MGM Electric in Canada and Interstate in Malaysia.