Radiotechnique (Compelec)

Radiotechnique was a French electronics company established in 1919 as a subsidiary of the Compagnie générale de la télégraphie sans fil (CSF). Its original mission was to research and manufacture electronic transmission and reception tubes for the developing radio industry. Based initially in Lyon and later operating from Suresnes near Paris, the company expanded during the 1920s into radio transmitters, wireless receivers, amplifiers, and receiving tubes. It also manufactured consumer radio sets under the Radiola name, a trademark that had originated within the wider CSF organization. The company’s corporate direction changed substantially in the early 1930s. Philips of the Netherlands acquired half of Radiotechnique’s shares in 1931 but exercised effective control through the board and commercial relationship. CSF retained a significant position until after the Second World War, while Philips supplied technological, financial, and international-market support. Before the war Radiotechnique operated as both a consumer-radio producer and a specialist tube manufacturer. Its workforce and output were disrupted by the economic downturn and by the German occupation of France. The Suresnes plant was requisitioned in 1940, and production was redirected partly toward telephone equipment and inexpensive radio receivers. By 1944 the workforce had grown to approximately 2,300, with a substantial share of production destined for Germany. After 1945 Radiotechnique entered a major expansion phase. Philips acquired full control in 1947, allowing the French company to draw on Philips engineering, manufacturing, and commercial resources. Radiotechnique expanded from tubes and radio receivers into television, cathode-ray tubes, industrial electronics, semiconductors, printed circuits, capacitors, ferrite components, and related technologies. New facilities were developed in and around Suresnes, Évreux, Dreux, Caen, Chartres, Tours, and Joué-lès-Tours. The Dreux operation, opened in 1956, combined television assembly with component and picture-tube production. Recruiting difficulties and labor tensions there led the company to hire workers from Italy, Hungary, Spain, Morocco, and elsewhere. The company became an important participant in France’s post-war television industry. By 1968 it reportedly held about 30 percent of the French television-set market and half of the picture-tube market. It also began commercial semiconductor production during the 1950s. In 1965 component research, development, and manufacturing activities were consolidated into Radiotechnique-Coprim, while Radiotechnique remained the parent of associated research and component businesses. In 1967 Philips, Radiotechnique, and Compagnie Générale d’Électricité created RTC: Radiotechnique-Compelec, a joint venture covering several French industrial sites. RTC manufactured printed circuits, ferrite cores, ceramic capacitors, memory matrices, wirewound resistors, and integrated circuits, and became a significant French semiconductor supplier. Radiotechnique also participated in early photovoltaic manufacturing. Its research affiliate Laboratoires d’électronique et de physique appliquée worked on applied photovoltaics, while the component organization manufactured Philips solar-panel products, including the BPx47 range in the late 1970s. At its peak around 1979, the broader Radiotechnique group employed approximately 15,000 people in France and sold radio and television products under Radiola and Philips brands while supplying industrial electronics and components. From the 1980s onward, the organization was repeatedly reorganized within Philips. RTC, Hyperelec, and Cima were consolidated as RTC-Compelec in 1986; the company became RTC-Philips Composants in 1988 and Philips Composants in 1990. In 1992 Philips separated its component activities into Philips Composants and Philips Circuits Imprimés. Philips Composants was sold to Carbone Lorraine in 1998 and renamed Ferroxdure. Philips Circuits Imprimés, including the Évreux plant and approximately 550 employees, was sold later that year to Finland’s Aspocomp group. The Aspocomp operation subsequently suffered financial difficulties, culminating in judicial liquidation on 20 June 2002. These transactions ended the historical Radiotechnique corporate and brand lineage.

Radiotechnique was created in 1919 within the CSF group to develop electronic transmission and reception tubes. Its early operations were centered in Lyon and Suresnes, and by 1921 it was making radio sets as well as transmitters, receiving tubes, and amplifiers. The company introduced tube products under RT, Super-Micro, Radio-Watt, and later Dario branding. Radiola radio receivers, initially associated with SFR, were transferred to Radiotechnique during the 1920s. A 1929 patent dispute between CSF and Philips concerning mains-powered radio sets was resolved in CSF’s favor, but the parties reached a broader commercial agreement. Philips acquired half of Radiotechnique in 1931 and exercised effective control, while CSF retained a major shareholding and board representation. The company experienced weak sales in the late 1930s, and employment declined from about 1,200 workers in 1936–37 to approximately 700 in subsequent years. The Second World War brought military orders and a temporary increase in employment, but the German occupation transformed the company’s operations. The Suresnes plant was requisitioned in June 1940, some equipment was removed, and production was redirected toward telephone equipment and low-cost radio receivers. German-appointed directors were installed during the occupation, and a large proportion of output was sent to Germany. The workforce reached about 2,300 by 1944. After the war Radiotechnique grew rapidly under Philips ownership. Philips acquired complete control in 1947. During the 1950s the company expanded its Suresnes facilities and opened or developed plants at Évreux and Dreux, among other locations. It entered television assembly, picture-tube manufacturing, industrial electronics, and component production. The Dreux development illustrated both the scale of post-war industrialization and its social difficulties: the company faced shortages of suitably flexible labor, wage demands, union activity, and high turnover among recruited migrant workers. Radiotechnique began commercial semiconductor production around 1954. Component activities were consolidated in 1965 through Radiotechnique-Coprim, and Philips, Radiotechnique, and Compagnie Générale d’Électricité formed RTC: Radiotechnique-Compelec in 1967. The new organization combined production sites in Caen, Chartres, Dreux, Évreux, Suresnes, Tours, and Joué-lès-Tours. Its products included ferrite cores, printed circuits, ceramic capacitors, memory matrices, wirewound resistors, and integrated circuits. In the late 1960s it produced Sylvania SUHL-TTL integrated circuits for Bull and Philips computer activities. The business also became active in photovoltaics. Research was undertaken by the Laboratoires d’électronique et de physique appliquée, while RTC manufactured Philips solar panels, including the BPx47 series, by the late 1970s. At the same time, the Radiotechnique group marketed radios and televisions under Radiola and Philips brands. Its reported French workforce reached approximately 15,000 in 1979. Philips continued to consolidate and rename the component operations. In 1986 the relevant companies became RTC-Compelec, in 1988 RTC-Philips Composants, and in 1990 Philips Composants. A 1992 separation created Philips Composants and Philips Circuits Imprimés. In 1998 the ceramics business was sold to Carbone Lorraine and renamed Ferroxdure, while the printed-circuit business, including the Évreux plant, was sold to Aspocomp. The Aspocomp subsidiary later encountered financial problems and was liquidated by court order on 20 June 2002. The original Radiotechnique enterprise and its successive brand identities consequently disappeared.

• 2002

  Évreux operation is liquidated

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  The Aspocomp subsidiary operating the former Évreux printed-circuit facility enters judicial liquidation.

• 1998

  Successor businesses are sold

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Philips sells the ceramics component business to Carbone Lorraine and the printed-circuit operation to Aspocomp.

• 1979

  Peak French industrial scale

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  The Radiotechnique group employs approximately 15,000 people in France and manufactures electronics and solar panels.

• 1967

  RTC Radiotechnique-Compelec is formed

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Philips, Radiotechnique, and Compagnie Générale d’Électricité establish a joint component venture.

• 1965

  Component activities are consolidated

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Research, development, and production activities are grouped into Radiotechnique-Coprim.

• 1956

  Dreux facilities open

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Radiotechnique opens television assembly, component, and cathode-ray-tube facilities at Dreux.

• 1954

  Commercial semiconductor production begins

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Radiotechnique starts commercial semiconductor manufacturing.

• 1947

  Philips acquires full control

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Philips becomes the sole controlling owner of Radiotechnique.

• 1931

  Philips takes effective control

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Philips acquires half of the company’s shares and becomes its controlling partner.

• 1921

  Radio-set production begins

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  Radiotechnique begins producing radio receivers at its Suresnes factory.

• 1919

  Radiotechnique is established

  [1]Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org

  CSF creates Radiotechnique to research and manufacture electronic transmission and reception tubes.

A vertically integrated French electronics manufacturer serving both consumer-electronics and industrial-component markets, with a strong historical association with Philips. Its identity moved from radio tubes and receivers toward television, semiconductors, printed circuits, and photovoltaic technology.

• Vacuum tubes · 1924

  RT, Super-Micro, and Radio-Watt tubes

  These were among Radiotechnique’s early branded receiving-tube products for radio receivers and related electronic equipment. The company’s tube business formed the technical foundation of its later expansion into television, semiconductors, and industrial components.

• Vacuum tubes · 1927

  Dario tubes

  Dario was adopted as a Radiotechnique tube trademark during the 1920s. Some products carried both RT and Dario markings, reflecting the company’s use of multiple commercial identities in the radio-component market.

• Consumer electronics · 1929

  Radiola radio receivers

  Radiotechnique manufactured radio receivers sold under the Radiola name after the trademark was transferred from the wider CSF/SFR organization. Radiola later became a Philips-associated consumer-electronics sub-brand and remained linked to radios and televisions.

• Consumer electronics

  Television sets and cathode-ray tubes

  After the Second World War, Radiotechnique developed television assembly and picture-tube production. Its facilities at Suresnes and Dreux supported Philips and Radiola television products and helped make the company a major participant in the French television market.

• Semiconductors · 1954

  RTC semiconductors and integrated circuits

  RTC produced semiconductors and, during the late 1960s, manufactured Sylvania SUHL-TTL integrated circuits for French computer customers including Bull and for Philips’s computer activities. RTC became one of the larger semiconductor suppliers in France during that period.

• Electronic components · 1967

  RTC electronic components

  The RTC organization manufactured ferrite cores, printed circuits, ceramic dielectric capacitors, memory matrices, and wirewound resistors across several French sites. These products supplied industrial, telecommunications, computing, and consumer-electronics applications.

• Photovoltaics · 1979

  Philips BPx47 solar panels

  Radiotechnique’s component organization manufactured the Philips BPx47 photovoltaic-panel range by the late 1970s, while the associated research laboratories worked on terrestrial applications of solar energy.

• 1998

  Divestment of Philips component operationsM&A

  Background

  Philips separated and sold non-core component operations during a wider restructuring of the historical Radiotechnique businesses.

  Action taken

  The ceramics business was sold to Carbone Lorraine, while Philips Circuits Imprimés was sold to Aspocomp.

  Aftermath

  The assets continued under new owners, but the Radiotechnique corporate lineage effectively ended; the Aspocomp Évreux operation later entered liquidation.

  Source

• 1986

  Consolidation as RTC-CompelecStrategy

  Background

  Philips reorganized several related French component businesses to simplify management and align them with its international component operations.

  Action taken

  RTC-La Radiotechnique-Compelec, Hyperelec, and Cima were combined under the RTC-Compelec name.

  Aftermath

  The business was subsequently renamed RTC-Philips Composants and then Philips Composants, reducing the visibility of the Radiotechnique identity.

  Source

• 1967

  Formation of RTC Radiotechnique-CompelecStrategy

  Background

  Radiotechnique and Philips needed a larger, more coordinated component organization as electronics manufacturing moved toward semiconductors and integrated circuits.

  Action taken

  Philips, Radiotechnique, and Compagnie Générale d’Électricité formed RTC and transferred multiple French industrial establishments into the venture.

  Aftermath

  RTC became a major French manufacturer of electronic components and held a substantial share of the domestic semiconductor market.

  Source

• 1931

  Philips acquires effective control of RadiotechniqueM&A

  Background

  CSF sought to strengthen its professional-radio position while Philips wanted a stronger position in the French consumer-radio and tube market.

  Action taken

  Philips purchased half of Radiotechnique’s shares and exercised practical control through the board and commercial arrangements.

  Aftermath

  Radiotechnique became closely integrated with Philips while CSF retained a substantial minority interest until after the war.

  Source

1. 1Radiotechniqueen.wikipedia.org