Havells Sylvania

Havells Sylvania is an international designer and manufacturer of lighting products. It has plants throughout Europe, Asia, North Africa and Central and South America, and is one of the few lighting companies that produces both lamps and lighting fixtures. It is owned by Havells.

Founded in the early 1900s as a business that renewed burned-out light bulbs, Sylvania and its predecessor companies ultimately began producing new lamps and then vacuum tubes for the fledgling radio industry. By the time Sylvania Electric Products merged with General Telephone in 1959, Sylvania had become a manufacturer of electronics, lighting, television, radio and chemistry and metallurgy. The merged corporation was renamed GT&E Corporation. Sylvania operated as a separate entity and produced cameras, photo flash bulbs, general lighting and TVs and anti missile defense systems. GTE sold its consumer electronics business to North American Philips in 1981.

During the early 1990s it was clear that GTE must make substantial investments into the emerging mobile telecommunications field, which was beginning to compete against its core business in traditional telephone systems. The decision was made to sell off Sylvania to finance these new investments. At this time the global lamps market was dominated by only four players - Sylvania, GE, Philips and Osram, each of whom had roughly a quarter of the market. International monopoly regulations prohibited an outright takeover of the entire of Sylvania by one of these three competitors. Eventually a deal was struck in which the company was split into two parts. Osram GmbH, obtained the North America, Mexico and Puerto Rican operations and rights to the Sylvania brand in those territories. The remainder of the company in Europe, Asia and Latin America, together with the Sylvania brand in those countries, was the subject of a management buyout which led to the formation of SLI Holdings International LLC. Eventually, Australia and New Zealand became independent entities.

In April 2007, SLI was acquired by Havells India Ltd. at a transaction price of €227.5 million, forming Havells Sylvania. This newly formed entity has 91 branches and representative offices and 8,000 staff in more than 50 countries.

In January 2016 Havells Sylvania was acquired by Shanghai Feilo Acoustics Co. Ltd. and formed Feilo Sylvania, of which the latter owns 80%.

Invented together with Bausch & Lomb, this was the world's first light source to feature a cool-beam reflector coating which directs light forwards while allowing heat to escape out of the rear of the lamp.

Following Sylvania's invention of the red-emitting phosphor for colour television screens, a spinoff application created the modern deluxe colour mercury lamp.

Invention of the sodium-scandium lamp chemistry which continues to set the standard for metal halide lighting all over the world.

...
Wikipedia