Atar Capital Acquires Universal Lighting and Douglas Lighting Controls from Panasonic

April 5, 2021

Atar Capital, a Los Angeles-based global private investment firm, announced today it has completed the acquisition of Universal Lighting Technologies and Douglas Lighting Controls from parent company, Panasonic Corporation. 

Universal Lighting Technologies manufactures and markets innovative LED lighting solutions for the commercial market with solutions that range from LED upgrades and retrofits to connected lighting solutions and IoT digital services. Douglas Lighting Controls develops advanced control systems and end-to-end energy-efficient digital lighting control solutions for commercial buildings, campuses and sports complexes. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Through the change of ownership, the businesses will be renamed Universal Douglas Lighting Americas, Inc. and will operate as one company to address the needs of the market for a broader and more integrated suite of products and solutions.

This is Atar Capital’s seventh platform acquisition in just over four years. Commenting on this latest acquisition, Cyrus Nikou, founder and managing partner of Atar Capital, said, “Commercial lighting is an industry that is rapidly evolving with exciting new technology that is transforming the future of lighting and how we view it and use it. The acquisition of these two highly respected companies offers a huge opportunity for us to support greater innovation and growth in this industry. We are excited to complete this transaction and look forward to continuing to build upon the success of both companies.”

Robert Lezec, senior managing director at Atar, added, “The commercial lighting industry is in the midst of a significant transformation as cost-efficient LED light sources are now being supplemented by increasingly sophisticated controls, sensors and networking functionalities. Smart IoT lighting not only helps to drive incremental cost savings, but it also provides a platform for many valuable features within commercial spaces, including data collection and tracking, among others. We see numerous opportunities for these companies to capitalize on this industry-wide trend and we are excited once again to be at the heart of where technology meets sustainability.”

Through this acquisition, Atar confirms the position of Ty Anderson as chief executive officer of both companies. “With this acquisition we have the opportunity to significantly enhance our ability to continue to create an exciting future for the field of commercial lighting. Our relationship with Atar Capital will give us the support needed to drive further innovation in the development of lighting solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers,” said Anderson.

Nikou led the Atar investment team that also included Senior Managing Director Lezec, Managing Directors Vijay Mony and Stanley Huang, Director T.J. McCaffrey and Senior Associate Roman Zelinsky. Dykema provided legal counsel to Atar Capital. FGI Finance provided financing and GCA Advisors was the sell-side investment bank.

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