Our history

Our history

With more than 100 years of history, Vignal Group is renewing itself to support the transport and industrial vehicle sectors in perpetual motion.
Historique history VIGNAL GROUP
  • 1919, lyon native Léon VIGNAL creates his electrical equipment company

  • 1960, VIGNAL SA concentrates its activity on lights for heavy duty vehicles thanks to its proximity to the manufacturer BERLIET.

  • 1975, G. CARTIER Systems located in the Alps acquires VIGNAL.

  • 1989, the VALEO group buys CARTIER Systems and reorganizes the company.

  • 2003, VALEO sells the company VIGNAL SYSTEMS to its management accompanied by financial investors. The VIGNAL brand is reborn.

  • 2014, VIGNAL LIGHTING GROUP (holding company of Vignal Systems) acquires ABL lights located in France (Caen) and in the United States (Mosinee, WI). ABL Lights is the market leader of work lights for industrial vehicles. Thanks to this acquisition, the group develops its product lines and expands into new markets.

  • 2016, VIGNAL LIGHTING GROUP further extends its product lines with the acquisition of CEA SA based in Rancate, Switzerland. This company specializes in beacons and safety products for special vehicles, particularly agricultural vehicles. The Vénissieux location having become too small, the group moved to Corbas on a new 11,500m² site. This site h=gathers a production workshop, an R&D center, the VIGNAL SYSTEMS offices and the headquarters of VIGNAL LIGHTING GROUP.

  • 2018, to offer the best service to its Asian customers, VIGNAL LIGHTING GROUP opens a factory in Changzhou, China. Vignal Changzhou aims to serve the Asia zone, including China, South Korea, Japan ...

  • 2020, VIGNAL LIGHTING GROUP changes its name and becomes VIGNAL GROUP.

  • 2021, VIGNAL GROUP strengthens its optical parts injection tooling division by acquiring the Italian company BBL. It is part of the Swiss subsidiary VIGNAL CEA.

VIGNAL GROUP acquires the SESALY company based in St Priest-Lyon (France). SESALY designs, manufactures and markets on-board light and sound signaling systems for passenger transport vehicles and industrial vehicles. The products developed as well as the markets ran by the Company present a great complementarity with those addressed by the VIGNAL GROUP.

 

  • 2022, VIGNAL GROUP acquires the company SARR located in Le Mans, France. As an equipment manufacturer for specific vehicles, SARR benefits today from more than 60 years of experience in the automotive industry and from a specific know-how in cutting and application of films, industrial screen printing, harnesses manufacturing, roof bars,  and plastic injection.
 
  • 2024, VIGNAL GROUP acquires INTERSIGNALETIC, based in Lyon, France. INTERSIGNALETIC designs, manufactures, assembles and markets temporary mobile signage items: warning light triangles, vehicle lighting equipment, warning lights, etc., mainly for the French fire department (departmental fire and rescue services - SDIS), but also supplying organizations such as the Police, Customs, Gendarmerie, SNCF, and industry.