Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics, commonly known as Philips) is a Dutch multinational electronics company headquartered in Amsterdam. It was founded in Eindhoven in 1891 by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik.Philips had revenues of €25.42 billion in 2010, making it one of the largest electronics companies in the world. It employs around 114,500 people across more than 60 countries.Philips is organized into three main divisions: Philips Consumer Lifestyle (formerly Philips Consumer Electronics and Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care), Philips Healthcare (formerly Philips Medical Systems) and Philips Lighting. As of 2012 Philips is the largest manufacturer of lighting in the world.Philips has a primary listing on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange and is a constituent of the AEX index. It has a secondary listing on the New York Stock Exchange.The Philips Company was founded in 1891 by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik as a family business. Frederik Philips, being a banker in Zaltbommel, financed the purchase and setup of a modest, empty factory building in Eindhoven, where Philips started the production of carbon-filament lamps and other electro-technical products in 1892. This first factory has been adapted and is used as a Museum devoted to light sculptureIn 1895, after the first difficult years and near bankruptcy, the Philipses brought in Anton, Gerard's younger brother by sixteen years. Though he had earned a degree in engineering, Anton started work as a sales representative; soon, however, he began to contribute many important business ideas. After Anton's arrival, the family business began to expand rapidly, resulting in the foundation in 1907 of the N.V. Philips’ Metaalgloeilampfabriek (the Philips Lightwire-bulb Factory Inc) in Eindhoven, followed in 1912 by the foundation of the N.V. Philips' Gloeilampenfabrieken. (the Philips Light-bulbs Factories Inc). After Gerard and Anton Philips changed their family business by founding the Philips Incorporation, they laid the base of the later electronics multinational.In the 1920s, the company started to manufacture other products, such as vacuum tubes. In 1939 they introduced their electric razor, the Philishave(marketed in the USA using the Norelco brand name). The "Chapel" is a radio with built-in loudspeaker, which was designed during the early 1930s.Philips was also instrumental in the revival of the Stirling engine.
Net income € 1.446 billion (2011)
Total assets € 32.27 billion (2011)