The foundations of the world’s biggest electronics company were laid in 1891 when Gerard Philips established a company in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to manufacture light bulbs and other electrical products. In the beginning it concentrated on making carbon-filament lamps and by the turn of the century was one of the largest producers in Europe. Developments in new lighting technologies fuelled a steady program of expansion and, in 1914, it established a research laboratory to stimulate product innovations.
In the 1920s, Philips decided to protect its innovations in X-ray radiation and radio reception with patents. This marked the beginning of the diversification of its product range. Since then, Philips has continued to develop new and exciting product ideas like the compact disk, which it launched in 1983. Other interesting landmarks include the production of Philips’ 100-millionth TV set in 1984 and 250-millionth Philishave electric shaver in 1989.