Philips’ headquarters are still in Eindhoven. It employs 256.400 people all over the world, and has sales and service outlets in 150 countries. Research laboratories are located in six countries, staffed by some 3.000 scientists. It also has an impressive global network of some 400 designers spread over twenty-five locations. Its shares are listed on sixteen stock exchanges in nine countries and it I active in about 100 businesses, including lighting, monitors, shavers and color picture tubes; each day its factories turn out a total of 50 million integrated circuits.
Royal Philips Electronics is managed by the Board of Management, which looks after the general direction and long-term strategy of the Philips group as a whole. The Supervisory Board monitors the general course of business of the Philips group as well as advising the Board of Management and supervising its policies. These policies are implemented by the Group Management Committee, which consists of the members of the Board of Management, chairmen of most of the product divisions and some other key officers. The Group Management Committee also serves to ensure that business issued and practices are shared across the various activities in the group.
The company creed is “Let’s make things better”. It is committed to making better products and systems and contributing to improving the quality of people’s work and life. One recent example of this is its “Genie” mobile phone. To dial a number you just have to say it aloud. Its Web TV Internet terminal brings the excitement of cyberspace into the living room. And on travels around the world, whether passing the Eiffel Tower in Paris, walking across London’s Tower Bridge, or witnessing the beauty of the ancient pyramids of Giza, you don’t have to wonder any more who lit these world famous landmarks, it was Philips.