Tungsram

Tungsram was a trademark were sold under the incandescent lamps, electron tubes, complete home electronics and entire production lines. Since 1984 Tungsram is also the company ( company name ) of the manufacturer's operating with several production sites in Hungary. This company was acquired in 1989 by General Electric ( GE ), but further bulbs and plant in the Hungarian manufacturing plants are produced under his company.

History

Prehistory

1862 Béla Egger in Vienna founded his company Mechanical Workshops and Telegraphenbauanstalt B. Egger, the telephone and telegraph produces mainly accessories. Shortly after Thomas Alva Edison had 1879 success with his carbon filament light bulb, can be Egger produce such bulbs and also opens a branch in Budapest. At the same time he also takes care of the development.

First lamp production facilities in Budapest

Egger opened in 1896 in Budapest two factories for the production of lamps, which also Lipót Aschner worked. A few years later invent here Franjo Hanaman and ( Sándor ) Alexander Just a filament in which the natural carbon filament is covered with a suspension of tungsten (English Tungsten ). After the tungsten is the shape of the yarn had adapted the carbon is removed by heating. On 13 December 1904 she received a patent on it. (This method will later be replaced by William D. Coolidge metallurgical process. ) 1909, the brand name Tungsram is entered (from the English and German Tungsten tungsten). The produced with this name new bulbs have a higher light output and longer life than the original carbon filament lamps. The incandescent factories in Austria - Hungary are now simply called Tungsram.

Tungsram opened an industrial research institute and extends the lamp production

After the First World War and the Great Depression Egger opened its own research institute that takes care of the continuous development of manufacturing technology of lighting fixtures in Budapest. It is the first industrial research institute in Europe at all. Later successful engineers and technicians are here or where they have functions in the line held, including Ignatius Pfeifer (which will establish the Department of Nuclear Physics at the Budapest University of Technology in the 1950s ), further Selényi Pál ( 1884-1954 ), " father "of xerography, Pál tury or Tivadar Millner. In 1923 Imre Bródy in the factory of the krypton lamp invented in 1930. This in turn is now clearly superior to the previous lamps in life and can be sold successfully. The Austrian part of the company receives in 1932 the National Award and is allowed to use in commercial transactions, the Federal coat of arms of Austria. At this time, Dr. Walter Levy (d. 1938 in Geneva ), formerly director of the German light bulb manufacturer Osram, owner of Tungsram.

The Hungarian parts of the Tungsramfabrik be structurally expanded in the 1930s to offer the popular lamps in larger numbers can.

Since 1938, the manufacturer's logo is a letter "T" in a circle. In these years, develop and produce the engineers of Tungsram also first electron tubes for use in radio equipment. Large parts of the first tube factories are bought before 1940 by the company Philips.

Tungsram belonged in the period 1924-1941 as other known producer to Phoebuskartell international light bulb manufacturer.

Tungsram products from 1945

During the period of Communist rule in Hungary, the private company is converted into a state-owned company. The lighting products in-house production of electron tubes is resumed and added from the 1960s and first own picture tubes for televisions and special light bulbs for the auto industry added. Continuously, the development and production of new products is carried out as special tubes for the medical, semiconductor products, household appliances, even complete production lines.

Diversification of Tungsram

On January 1, 1984, the brand name Tungsram is registered as an official company name to secure the external trade relations. The constant evolution and adaptation to the technique results in the 1980s to a diversification process, at the end the following major product lines:

• Incandescent lamps, fluorescent lamps, car headlights
• Semiconductor devices
• Electronic control system for industrial robots
• Auto Electronics
• Household appliances ( " brown goods " )
• CO2 lasers for industrial and medical applications
• Röntgendosimeter
• Computer accessories such as floppy
• Machine units.

The main customers of the products is the Soviet Union with around 70 percent. The rest is exported to the other socialist states and in developing countries. Tungsram in 1989 following locations in Hungary:

• Budapest
• Gyöngyös
• Nagykanizsa
• Vac.

Tungsram today

After the dissolution of the socialist camp, the market for the Tung Ramer certificates collapsed almost completely. For a realignment and modernization of both machines and equipment as well as the production assortment of fresh capital was urgently needed. The management took this on negotiations with the Hungarian credit ( Hitel ) Bank and the Austrian banking syndicate Girozentrale. However, the envisaged partnership did not materialize, instead, was an association of Tungsram with General Electric ( GE). On 15 November 1989, the deed was signed by GE simultaneously in Cleveland and Budapest, with the decreased 50 percent plus one share of GE Tungsram. The new main owner so that also gained a sales territory in the former Eastern Bloc countries, for Tungsram new markets opened up in Western Europe.

In the 1990s, GE invested in selected locations of previous Tungsram in Hungary around 600 million U.S. dollars for the renovation of production facilities, the introduction of new technologies and environmental protection. In former Tungsramfabriken, also in neighboring countries such as Bosnia - Herzegovina and Slovenia, following GE products ( labeling GE Lighting Tungsram ) made of the light division were approximately 11,000 employees since made ​​:

• Incandescent lamps
• Compact fluorescent lamps
• Energy saving light bulbs especially long-lived ( Genura ) with which, for example, the Parliament Building in Budapest is illuminated
• High pressure sodium vapor lamps ( Lucalox that a " Grand Prix" were already at the industrial fair Hannover)
• Compact fluorescent lamps with highly coiled tubes ( Heliax )
• Car lighting
• Halogen and LED lamps and glow lamps

On another former Tungsram locations Plastic Products, Medical equipment, transport systems and aircraft engines are produced.

The largest production of conventional light bulbs in Nagykanizsa must be shut down gradually from 2009 due to the EU ban the use of incandescent lamps.