Philips Electronics NV, in full Royal Philips Electronics NV Dutch Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV, Major Dutch manufacturer of consumer electronics, household appliances, lightbulbs, and imaging equipment. It was founded by Dutch engineer Gerard Philips in 1891 to make incandescent lamps and incorporated in 1912 under the name NV Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken (Dutch: Philips Incandescent Light Works). Its strong research efforts were consolidated in 1914 in a separate organization that became the Philips Research Laboratories. It began manufacturing radios in the 1920s, and after World War II it marketed stereo equipment, televisions, and other products under such brand names as Philips, Magnavox, and Norelco. Philips helped create the compact disc, the cassette tape, and the videocassette recorder, and it is a leading supplier of diagnostic medical equipment. Renamed Philips Electronics NV in 1991, the firm has manufacturing and marketing subsidiaries throughout the world.
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