Discover many one of a kind car and auto parts at bargain prices. Lots to choose from: decals, GPS, body parts and much more!

Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Royal Philips Electronics N.V.), usually known as Philips, (Euronext: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) is one of the largest electronics companies in the world. In 2004, its sales were € 30.3 billion (US$38. more...

Home

Automobilia

Car Accessories

Car Manuals & Literature

Car Parts

Car Tuning & Styling

Car Wheels, Tyres & Trims

Cars

In-Car Entertainment & GPS

Amplifiers

Cassette Players

CD Changers & Combos

CD Headunits & MP3 Players

Alpine

Blaupunkt

Clarion

Ford

Goodmans

JVC

Kenwood

Other CD & MP3 Players

Panasonic

Peugeot

Philips

Pioneer

Renault

Rover

Sony

Vauxhall

Volkswagen

DVD Players & Monitors

Fascia Plates

Minidisc Players

Navigation & GPS

Other In-Car Ents & GPS

Speakers

Terminals & Cabling

Motorcycle Clothing &...

Motorcycle Parts &...

Motorcycles & Scooters

7 billion) and it employed 159,709 people in more than 60 countries. Philips is organized in a number of divisions: Philips Consumer Electronics, Philips Lighting, Philips Medical Systems and Philips Domestic Appliances and Personal Care.

History

The company was founded in 1891 by Gerard Philips in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Its first products were light bulbs 'and other electrotechnical equipment'. Its first factory remains as a museum. In the 1920s, the company started to manufacture other products, and in 1939 its first electric razor, the Philishave, was introduced. Philips markets its shavers in the USA using the Norelco name. Philips introduced the compact audio cassette tape, which was wildly successful, though its attempt to set a standard for video cassette recorders, the V2000, was unsuccessful in the face of competition from the Betamax and especially VHS standards.

World War II

On May 9, 1940, the Philips directors were informed about the German invasion of the Netherlands to take place on May 10. They decided to leave the country and flee to the United States, taking a large amount of the company capital with them. Operating from the US as the North American Philips Company, they managed to run the company throughout the war. At the same time, the company itself was moved to the Netherlands Antilles (on paper) to keep it out of German hands. After the war it was moved back to the Netherlands, with their headquarters in Eindhoven. Many secret research facilities were locked and successfully hidden from the invaders, which allowed the company to get up to speed again quickly after the war.

It is also believed that Philips - both before and during the war - supplied enormous amounts of electric equipment to the German occupation forces, which has led some people to think that the company collaborated with the Nazis , like many other firms in their day. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Philips itself or its management ever sympathized with the Nazis or their ideologies. The only Philips family member who did not leave the country, Frits Philips, saved the lives of 382 Jews by indicating to the Nazis that they were indispensable for the production process at Philips. In 1996, he was awarded the Yad Vashem reward by the Israeli ambassador for his actions. Clearly, there is little Philips could have done to prevent the Germans from abusing their production facilities and forcing their employees to perform slave labor during the occupation. The production facility in Eindhoven was the only Dutch industrial target that was deliberately bombed by the allied forces during the war.