From Wikicompany

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., (Euronext: Philips) usually known as Philips, is one of the largest consumer electronics producers in the world.

Philips operates in more than 60 countries.

Philips is organized in a number of business divisions:

• Philips Consumer Electronics
• Philips Semiconductors
• Philips Lighting
• Philips Medical Systems
• Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care

History

The company was founded in 1891 by the brothers Gerard and Anton Philips (1874-1951) in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Their first products were light bulbs 'and other electrotechnical equipment'. Their first factory remains as a museum.

In the 1920s, Philips started to manufacture other products.

• 1913 - Philips founds a sports club for its employees. The club was called Philips Sport Vereniging, or PSV Eindhoven, as this commercial footbal club is now known.
• 1939 - Philips' first electric shaver, the Philishave, was introduced.
• 1963 - Philips introduced the Musicassette, or "compact audio cassette".
• 1972 - Philips introduced the laserdisc player, using technology invented already in the 1960s.
• 1983 - Philips launched the Compact Disc in partnership with Sony.
• 1992 - Philips launched the ill-fated Digital Compact Cassette format.
• 2003 - Philips successfully launched the coffeemaker Senseo across Europe. Its ingenious concept is to provide high quality coffee cups from custom-made pads. The "original" Senseo pads are produced by Douwe Egberts.
• 2004 - Philips abandoned the slogan "Let's make things better" in favor for a new one : "Sense and Simplicity".