Belden Incorporated
American technology company
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belden Inc. is an American multinational company that designs, manufactures, and distributes networking, connectivity, cable, and security products.[1] Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, the company is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BDC and is a component of the S&P 400.[1] Belden serves industrial automation, enterprise, smart-building, and broadband markets.[2]
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics |
| Founded | 1902 in Chicago, Illinois, US |
| Founder | Joseph C. Belden |
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri , US |
| Key people | |
| Products | Networking, connectivity, cable, and security products |
| Revenue |  US$2.461 billion (2024) |
 US$266.5 million (2024) | |
| US$198.4 million (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$3.328 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | US$1.295 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | ~7,500 (2024) |
| Website | www |
History
Founding and early years
Belden was founded in Chicago, Illinois, in 1902 by Joseph C. Belden as the Belden Manufacturing Company.[3][4] A former purchasing agent for the Kellogg Switchboard & Supply Company, Belden started the company to produce the high-quality silk-wrapped magnet wire used in telephone switchboard coils.[3] In 1910 the company introduced an enamel wire insulation marketed as "Beldenamel," which became an industry standard.[3] Over the following decades Belden expanded into electrical wiring, cable, and signal-transmission products used in radio broadcasting, television, industrial automation, and computer networking.[4]
Cooper Industries and 1993 spin-off
In 1980 Belden was acquired by the Crouse-Hinds Company, which was itself acquired by Cooper Industries in 1981, making Belden a division of Cooper Industries.[3][4] In 1993 Belden was spun off as an independent, publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange, with corporate headquarters in St. Louis, Missouri.[3][4]
Merger with Cable Design Technologies
In 2004 Belden merged with the Cable Design Technologies Corporation (CDT) to form Belden CDT Inc., which later resumed the name Belden Inc.[5] In 2005, John Stroup was appointed president and chief executive officer.[4] Under Stroup, Belden pursued a series of acquisitions in industrial networking, broadband, cybersecurity, and connectivity, expanding beyond its traditional wire-and-cable business.[4]
Acquisitions during this period included Hirschmann and Lumberg Automation (2007), Telecast Fiber Systems (2009), GarrettCom (2010), Byres Security and Poliron (2011), Miranda Technologies and PPC (2012), and OTN Systems (2021).[4]
Recent developments
In February 2023, Belden appointed Ashish Chand as president and chief executive officer.[6] In April 2023, as part of a community program, Belden donated $100,000 to the Richmond Fire Department in Richmond, Indiana, to fund firefighting equipment upgrades.[7]
For the 2024 fiscal year, Belden reported revenues of approximately $2.46 billion and net income of $198.4 million.[2] The company reported record revenues of about $2.72 billion for the 2025 fiscal year.[8]
On July 1, 2026, Belden completed its acquisition of RUCKUS Networks from Vistance Networks in a cash transaction valued at approximately $1.87 billion, net of cash acquired.[9] The deal, funded in part by a $1.85 billion senior secured term loan, added enterprise Wi-Fi, Ethernet switching, and AI-driven network-management platforms to Belden's portfolio, which the company said strengthened its position as a provider of end-to-end information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) networking solutions.[9]