Brady Corporation was incorporated under the laws of the state of Wisconsin in
1914. The Company’s corporate headquarters are located at 6555 West Good
Hope Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53223, and the telephone number is (414) 358-6600.
Brady Corporation is a global manufacturer and supplier of identification solutions
and workplace safety products that identify and protect premises, products and
people. The ability to provide customers with a broad range of proprietary,
customized and diverse products for use in various applications, along with
a commitment to quality and service, a global footprint, and multiple sales
channels, have made Brady a leader in many of its markets.
The Company’s primary objective is to build upon its market position and
increase shareholder value by improving in the following key competencies:
Operational excellence — Continuous productivity improvement, business
simplification and process transformation.
Customer service — Focus on the customer and understanding customer needs.
Innovation advantage — Technologically advanced, internally developed
products drive growth and sustain gross profit margins.
Global leadership position in niche markets.
Digital capabilities.
Compliance expertise.
Over the last two years, we made significant portfolio and management decisions
designed to better position the Company for growth in the future. These changes
were a meaningful shift from the more volatile and less profitable consumer
electronics Die-Cut business, which was partially divested in fiscal 2014 and
fully divested in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, to a focus on organic growth
opportunities within our Identification Solutions (“ID Solutions"
or "IDS”) and Workplace Safety ("WPS") segments. In our
IDS business, our strategy for growth includes expanding the business in high
opportunity markets and investing in research and development ("R&D")
activities to develop and launch innovative, high-value products more efficiently.
In our WPS business, our strategy to return to growth includes a focus on workplace
safety critical industries, expansion of our product offerings, further developed
pricing capabilities, and increased investment in digital.
The Company is organized and managed on a global basis within two reportable
segments: Identification Solutions and Workplace Safety.
The IDS segment includes high-performance and innovative identification and
healthcare products that are manufactured under multiple brands, including the
Brady brand, and are primarily sold through distribution to a broad range of
maintenance, repair, and operations ("MRO") and original equipment
manufacturing ("OEM") customers and through other channels, including
direct sales, catalog marketing, and digital.
The WPS segment includes workplace safety and compliance products, which are
sold under multiple brand names through catalog and digital to a broad range
of MRO customers. Approximately half of the WPS business is derived from internally
manufactured product and half is from externally sourced products.