COMPANY·HISTORIES
NAIC 334290

Other Communications Equipment Manuf.

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

32companies1865–2000founding years32still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedNokia Corporation
1865
FoundedJohnson Controls, Inc.
1885
FoundedNEC Corporation
1899
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedThomas & Betts Corporation
1917
FoundedTrans-Lux Corporation
1920
FoundedRaytheon Company
1922
FoundedMotorola, Inc.
1928
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedThe Boeing Company
1934
FoundedNorthrop Grumman Corporation
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedWinegard Company
1954
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedRadioShack Corporation
1960
FoundedTyco International Ltd.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedCheckpoint Systems, Inc.
1969
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedItron, Inc.
1977
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedWestell Technologies, Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedNovar plc
1985
1987
EconomyBlack Monday: markets fall sharply around the world.
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedL-3 Communications Holdings, Inc.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
FoundedAgilent Technologies Inc.
1999
2000
EconomyThe dot-com bubble bursts.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2008
EconomyThe global financial crisis freezes credit worldwide.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Nokia Corporation →
Active · founded 1865 · Finland
Nokia Corporation is the world's largest manufacturer of mobile phones, with a worldwide market share of about 27…
Johnson Controls, Inc. →
Active · founded 1885
Johnson Controls, Inc.
Antofagasta plc →
Active · founded 1888 · United Kingdom
Antofagasta plc is one of the world's leading producers of copper, with total production levels nearing 472,000 tons in…
NEC Corporation →
Active · founded 1899 · Japan
Early 1920s:NEC, IWE, and a division of the Sumitomo group form a joint venture to produce electrical cables, marking…
Nortel Networks Corporation →
Active · founded 1914 · Canada
Nortel Networks Corporation is one of the world's leading providers of networking products and services, with a…
Thomas & Betts Corporation →
Active · founded 1917
Thomas & Betts Corporation (T&B) is a leading global manufacturer of electrical connectors and components.
Pitney Bowes Inc. →
Active · founded 1920
Pitney Bowes Inc.
Trans-Lux Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
Trans-Lux Corporation manufactures, distributes, and markets large-scale, real-time electronic information displays for…
Raytheon Company →
Active · founded 1922
Raytheon Company is the third largest defense contractor in the United States, trailing only the Boeing Company and…
Honeywell Inc. →
Active · founded 1927
Honeywell Inc.
Motorola, Inc. →
Active · founded 1928
Electronic communications pioneer Motorola, Inc.
Bogen Communications International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1932
With headquarters in New Jersey, Bogen Communications International, Inc., develops, manufactures, and markets…
The Boeing Company →
Active · founded 1934
The Boeing Company is the largest aerospace company in the world, thanks to its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas…
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
The Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
Northrop Grumman Corporation →
Active · founded 1939
Northrop Grumman Corporation is the number three defense firm in the United States, behind The Boeing Company and…
Koor Industries Ltd. →
Active · founded 1944 · Israel
Koor Industries Ltd.
Winegard Company →
Active · founded 1954
Based in Burlington, Iowa, Winegard Company manufactures a wide variety of reception equipment for home, commercial,…
RadioShack Corporation →
Active · founded 1960
RadioShack Corporation--known as Tandy Corporation from its founding in 1960 until mid-2000--is one of the largest…
The Allied Defense Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1961
The Allied Defense Group, Inc.
Tyco International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1962 · Bermuda
Tyco International Ltd.
First Alert, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967
For more than 25 years, First Alert, Inc., along with its subsidiaries, has been a leading worldwide manufacturer and…
Checkpoint Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1969
Checkpoint Systems, Inc.
Lifeline Systems, Inc. →
Active · founded 1974
Lifeline Systems, Inc.
Itron, Inc. →
Active · founded 1977
Itron, Inc., provides products and services to utility companies, helping its customers to collect, manage, and analyze…
Westell Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Westell Technologies, Inc.
Logitech International S.A. →
Active · founded 1981 · Switzerland
Logitech International S.A.
Novar plc →
Active · founded 1985 · United Kingdom
Novar plc is a U.K.-based corporation consisting of three primary business segments: security systems, aluminum product…
Broadwing Corporation →
Active · founded 1997
Broadwing Corporation operates two divisions that serve different segments of the telecommunications industry.
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
L-3 Communications Holdings, Inc., through its L-3 Communications Corp.
Equant N.V. →
Active · founded 1998 · The Netherlands
Equant N.V.
Agilent Technologies Inc. →
Active · founded 1999
Agilent Technologies Inc.
Nexans SA →
Active · founded 2000 · France
France's Nexans SA is one of the world's largest manufacturers, installers, and integrators of cables and systems,…
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