World-Wide Group Developed From 1891

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29851, 18 June 1962, Page 11

World-Wide Group Developed From 1891

. The Philips organisation w’as started in a small way at Eindhoven. Holland, in 1891 by Gerard Philips. The choice of Eindhoven was by chance, as there happened to be available there for sale an idle factory equipped with a steam-engine. Two years later. Dr. Gerard Philips was joined by his brother. Dr Anton Philips (the father of the present president), then a young stockbroker. Anton Philips came along to assist for a few months, but became so enthusiastic that he remained. That -was the beginning of the present worldwide organisation. The early activity of the firm was just the manufacture of electric lamps and equipment for the control of electric light, and this was its main function for nearly a quarter of a century. Then it began developing radio equipment, and establishing companies overseas, made rapid progress, and finally branched out into production of electronic products in the widest sense of the word, both for industrial use and home ent°rtainment. In 1933. Philips started their first chemical and pharmaceutical research and production and are now one of the world's foremost suppliers of X-ray and medical equipment Later. telecommunication record s , home appliances, and electrical apparatus were added to the ranee

By 1940. the number of staff had risen to about 100.000 In New Zealand, the local manufacture como-ises radio, television. electric razors, loudsneakers. various comoonent parts and certain highly complicated electronic equipment Some of this is exnorted abroad. Among the future activities of the organisation are comouters and components for specialised equipment in development. as well as extension of the main industry groups.

Early in its historv Phi’ : p= Eindhoven had established a highly efficient research laboratory. This was regarded 'as an important phase of the company’s progress and wa= developed to the extent where its technical labo-a-tories are regarded as being

to the forefront in all parts of the world. The Philips Industrial World Federation has growm into a company with assets amounting to £225 million, an annual turnover of approximately £5OO million, and a staff of 226.900. It trades with almost every country on all five continents and is the largest electronic concern in the world.