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Schneider Electric is in talks to sell its CST sensors business
Published:  10 March, 2014

Schneider Electric has confirmed it is in talks to sell a majority stake in its Custom Sensors and Technologies (CST) business, which includes the brands BEI, Crouzet, Crydom, Kavlico, Newall and System Donner Inertial.

According to the French newspaper Les Echos, Schneider is in exclusive talks with private equity firms Carlyle and PAI Partners over the sale which could value CST at €800–900m. The report suggests that Schneider would retain a 30% stake in the business whose portfolio includes sensors, controls, motors, actuators, switches, solid-state relays, fans and pneumatics.

Schneider has confirmed to Reuters that is involved in talks about the possible sale of CST.

Schneider first tried to sell CST a few years ago but delayed the sell-off in 2011 because of the volatility in the financial markets. According to Les Echos, in 2012 Schneider rejected a bid worth almost $1bn for CST from Avago Technologies, which was mainly interested in the US operations.

The CST business includes the French motor and controls manufacturer Crouzet

The CST business employs around 4,400 people worldwide and in 2012 recorded sales worth $604m. Its headquarters are in California and it has manufacturing facilities in France, the US, China, Germany, Morocco and the UK.