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Philips
Headquartered in Amsterdam, Philips is a multinational Dutch electronics company that specializes in consumer electronics. The company employs over 123,000 people in over 60 countries and is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. The company was founded in 1891 by Gerard Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The first Philips products were light bulbs, and the company's first factory still stands as a museum devoted to light sculpture. The company went on to manufacture other products like vacuum tubes, or valves, after acquiring a couple of valve companies in the 1920s. On May 9, 1940, the directors at Philips received word of the German invasion that was to take place in the Netherlands the next day. They fled the Netherlands for the United Stated, along with a large portion of the company's capital, and began operating from the US as the North American Philips Company.
Philips produces consumer electronics, domestic appliances lighting, medical systems, and various other electronic goods. Philips has a long history of innovation; some of their key innovations include the invention of the Laserdisc, compact disc, DVD, and Blu-ray. The electronics manufacturing powerhouse has acquired a host of companies throughout the years, including Amperex, Magnavox, Signetics, Mullard, Agilent Heathcare Solutions Group, ATL Ultrasound, and portions Westinghouse, Philco, and Sylvania. Philips presently has operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, Poland, the UK and the US. Some of their sponsorships include naming right to stadiums in both the Netherland and the US, and the premier basketball league in Australia.
