COMPANY·HISTORIES
SIC 3663

Radio and Television Broadcasting and Communications Equip-ment

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

28companies1886–1990founding years28still active0no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedRobert Bosch GmbH
1886
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedGeneral Signal Corporation
1904
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedGTE Corporation
1920
FoundedHarris Corporation
1926
1929
EconomyThe stock market crashes; the Great Depression spreads worldwide.
FoundedCitizen Watch Co., Ltd.
1930
FoundedFujitsu Limited
1935
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
FoundedCrown Equipment CorporationFoundedGrundig AG
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedLitton Industries, Inc.
1953
FoundedAnam Group
1956
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
FoundedCobra Electronics Corporation
1961
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedAlpine Electronics, Inc.
1967
FoundedElectromagnetic Sciences Inc.FoundedSensormatic Electronics Corp.
1968
1971
EconomyThe dollar leaves the gold standard; currencies float.
1973
EconomyThe OPEC oil embargo triggers a global shock.
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
1979
EconomyA second oil crisis drives inflation higher worldwide.
FoundedUltrak Inc.
1980
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedBell Atlantic Corporation
1983
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedHughes Electronics Corporation
1985
FoundedSBS Technologies, Inc.
1986
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.
1997
EconomyThe Asian financial crisis rattles global markets.
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
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

Dynatech Corporation →
Active
Dynatech Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of products that support voice, video, and data…
Robert Bosch GmbH →
Active · founded 1886 · Germany
One of the ten largest companies in Germany, Robert Bosch GmbH is best known as a worldwide supplier of automotive…
General Signal Corporation →
Active · founded 1904
The General Signal Corporation is the leading manufacturer of equipment and instruments for process control, and…
Reliance Electric Company →
Active · founded 1907
Reliance Electric Company is a manufacturer of large mechanical couplers and electrical motors and drives used in heavy…
GTE Corporation →
Active · founded 1920
GTE Corporation ranked as the world's third-largest publicly owned telecommunications company in 1996.
Harris Corporation →
Active · founded 1926
The origin of the Harris Corporation, a leading American electronics company, is actually to be found in the printing…
Victor Company of Japan, Limited →
Active · founded 1927 · Japan
Victor Company of Japan, Limited (JVC) is one of several Japanese companies that has evolved to dominate the…
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. →
Active · founded 1930 · Japan
Citizen Watch Co., Ltd.
Fujitsu Limited →
Active · founded 1935 · Japan
Perhaps the most dramatic example of Japan's ability to overcome long odds in a short space of time has been the growth…
Ampex Corporation →
Active · founded 1944
Ampex Corporation is among the world leaders in the fields of magnetic recording, digital image processing, and…
Crown Equipment Corporation →
Active · founded 1945
Crown Equipment Corporation is one of the world's top ten manufacturers of industrial lift trucks and ranks as…
Grundig AG →
Active · founded 1945 · Germany
Grundig AG is a German consumer electronics manufacturer with significant shares in the market for television sets,…
Cubic Corporation →
Active · founded 1951
A leader in its two diverse businesses, Cubic Corporation is the parent company of two major business segments: Cubic…
Litton Industries, Inc. →
Active · founded 1953
The U.S.
Anam Group →
Active · founded 1956
With an estimated one-third of the global semiconductor assembly market, the Anam Group ranks among South Korea's…
Watkins-Johnson Company →
Active · founded 1957
A leading high-technology competitor, Watkins-Johnson Company is a producer of semiconductor-manufacturing equipment…
Cobra Electronics Corporation →
Active · founded 1961
Cobra Electronics Corporation designs and markets consumer electronics products like cordless telephones, telephone…
Alpine Electronics, Inc. →
Active · founded 1967 · Japan
Alpine Electronics, Inc., is one of the world's leading manufacturers of sophisticated audio, navigational, and…
Aydin Corp. →
Active · founded 1967
A world class provider of products and systems for the acquisition and distribution of information over electronic…
Electromagnetic Sciences Inc. →
Active · founded 1968
Electromagnetic Sciences Inc.
Sensormatic Electronics Corp. →
Active · founded 1968
Sensormatic Electronics Corp.
British Aerospace plc →
Active · founded 1978 · United Kingdom
British Aerospace plc (BAe) is the largest defense contractor in Europe, as well as being a leading aerospace company.
Ultrak Inc. →
Active · founded 1980
Ultrak Inc.
Bell Atlantic Corporation →
Active · founded 1983
Bell Atlantic Corporation is growing ever-more prominent in U.S.
Geotek Communications Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Geotek Communications Inc.
Hughes Electronics Corporation →
Active · founded 1985
Hughes Electronics Corporation is one of the world's leading satellite and wireless communications companies.
SBS Technologies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1986
SBS Technologies, Inc.
Orbital Sciences Corporation →
Active · founded 1990
Orbital Sciences Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, is an unrivaled, leading-edge space technology company…
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