Thomson SA

From ArticleWorld


Thomson SA, also known as the Thomson Group, is a major French state-owned holding company involved in electronics manufacturing and providing media services. With headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt in France, the company has nearly 60,000 employees in 30 countries and earns revenues of almost € 8.5 billion ($10 billion).

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History

The company is named after electrical engineer Elihu Thomson, originally of Manchester, England, but who grew up in Philadelphia in the United States. He formed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company in 1879 with Edwin Houston. This company merged with Edison’s General Electric (GE) in 1892. The following year, a sister concern to GE was formed in Paris, France. The new firm was named Compagnie Francaise Thomson Houston (CFTH) and was the forerunner to the modern company that exists today by the name Thomson SA.

Some of the most significant developments that have taken place in the last century are listed below:

  1. The CFTH merged with a company called Hotchkiss-Brandt to form the Thomson-Brandt.
  2. The electronics division of the newly-formed company merged with CSF in 1968 to form Thomson-CSF. Thomson-Brandt continued to maintain a significant shareholding in this organization.
  3. Thomson-Brandt and Thomson-CSF were nationalized by the then French President Fancois Mitterand. A merger was effected between Thomson-Brandt and Thomson-CSF, giving rise to Thomson-SA (Société Anonyme).
  4. As has been seen on the ever-changing corporate scene, the government-run Thomson bought Radio Corporation of America (RCA) and GE Consumer Electronics in 1987, resulting in new and revolutionary businesses being brought about. The very next year saw the formation of the Thomson Consumer Electronics company, which was renamed Thomson Multimedia in 1995.
  5. In 2005, Videocon India said it would acquire the colour picture tube manufacturing concern of the company for an estimated $290 million.


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Products of Thomson SA

  • Consumer electronics: A large range of modern TV systems are manufactured. Personal media players and home theatre systems are some of the major products.
  • Broadcast equipment: Video disc recorders, cameras and news production equipment are among the most important goods manufactured under this class.
  • Digital cinema and special effects: Thomson, apart from other electronics greats play an important role in bringing technology to the film industry, thereby making the experience of watching films more exciting and satisfying.
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