PHILPS Century (two): how to become Europe's largest lighting company

In 1905, PHILPS's first lamp patent. (source: PHILPS official website)

Last year, we mentioned the first twenty years of PHILPS's development, by way of rapid replication for PHILPS to lay down half. And when the United States of America invented the technology of tungsten wire, PHILPS, of course, will not miss this good opportunity, less than a few months, the same copy of the bulb.

Be snatched from the jaws of death

Anton and Gerard triumphantly launched a new tungsten bulb, allowing PHILPS to grow for many years, the three largest light bulb company, suddenly on this new power sanctions.

Over the years, as the United States and German manufacturers have invested a lot of R & D cost and patent, let the United States and Germany manufacturers decided early in an interactive manner authorized so that they can legally use their patents in America and Europe market. By GE, SIEMENS, AEG and Auer formed the German lighting alliance, each other mutual patent, Holland PHILPS will only reject outside.

1911 and 1912 years, the German three lighting industry (SIEMENS, AEG, Auer) composed of the patent community (Patentgemeinschaft) to PHILPS general electric wire drawing patent infringement grounds in Europe filed a lawsuit against PHILPS, PHILPS must obtain patent authorization, payment of union rights of gold, and reduced nearly half of the market sales. It makes a fundamental solution, Anton anxious hopping.

Fortunately, the German patent community is not consistent with the position of ge. General Electric, it secretly worried: if PHILPS has forced their authorization, so that the light bulb market throughout Europe, the Americas, will be filled with his drawing tungsten lamp - this at first glance is a good thing, but it hides the antitrust law (Antitrust Laws) crisis.

When the government is going to America for general electric lamp business monopoly Zha Ge, at this moment, must not let people caught; once in antitrust litigation, is not only a big hit, on the company's share price if lost, the company may even be forced to spin off. Thus, in the case of PHILPS, you can feel that GE is not active.

Anton saw this on the one hand, delay the trial, a slim chance of survival, on the one hand, the acquiescence of Ge, the company's sales focus from Europe, the Atlantic transferred to the west coast of the United states. As a result, the German manufacturers able to cut PHILPS forces in Europe; GE through cripple the way to reduce their market share in the United States, to avoid the risk of antitrust law; and Anton and Gerard Holland PHILPS, in the two large group of hezonglianheng, snatched from the jaws of death.

In 1912, PHILPS escape from death in a great catastrophe in the Amsterdam Stock Exchange listing, Anton and Gerard to sell their shares, their profit of about 15 million euros. From the crumbling bulb when assembly plant, now a rich side: that year, Anton, PHILPS is only 38 years old.

PHILPS physics lab: NatLab

After the patent lawsuit, so that PHILPS brothers aware of their exposure to patent risk, think of the company to raise funds in the open market, into a large R & D laboratory program. However, for a long time, PHILPS has been a production as the main competitiveness of the company, to change the route between the beginning of their own research and development, PHILPS brothers hesitated.

In 1913, general motors, which had escaped the antitrust law, introduced a new type of bulb that had been fed with inert gas, a longer life and lower energy consumption. The technology, which was stolen by Anton last year, turned into "old technology". At this point, Gerard and Anton realise that they cannot escape and competition of General Electric, SIEMENS, decided to give up the past to uphold the second philosophy, set up a special study on the physical and chemical laboratory, Dr. Khost invited the University of Leiden (Dr. Gilles Holst) be wealthy in knowledge of the host sits.

NatLab, 1950s

This is known as the predecessor of Philips Research: NatLab (Natuurkundig Laboratorium, physical laboratory). In the laboratory, Dr. Khost and his scientists began to focus on gas discharge lamp, invented the first high-pressure gas discharge lamp (i.e. fluorescent lamp), today, the gas discharge technology is still PHILPS lighting sector stability contributed more than 70% turnover above; then, Khost realized the vacuum technology can be extended to X-ray career. Laid the foundation for the development of medical career of PHILPS; in addition, Dr. Khost also had solid state physics and pioneer superconductor phenomenon, the human history into the electronic age.

In the Halian was born in Dr. NatLab developed under its auspices, multipolar tube, transistor, and even after the radio, TV, and cd. We can say that after the NatLab, Holland has truly become a powerful R & D and innovation.

After his death, Khost, Khost, his management of the management of the laboratory. Although it has been nearly one hundred years, we can still see a generation of scientific management philosophy, worth us to follow:

1 hire young scientists as much as possible;

2 don't pay too much attention to details;

3 provide section