Philips: How a Light-Bulb Maker Became a Health-Technology Company

Philips & Co. was founded in Eindhoven in 1891 by Gerard Philips and his father Frederik to manufacture reliable, affordable incandescent lamps.

Light bulbs created the manufacturing base, after which Philips expanded into radio, medical X-ray, consumer electronics, semiconductors and many other technologies.

From consumer electronics to health technology

The biggest modern change was strategic contraction. Over the past decade Philips sold or separated many consumer-electronics businesses and repositioned the core company as a focused health-technology group.

That means current Royal Philips should not be described as the same broad consumer-electronics conglomerate remembered from the late 20th century. Its core engineering now centres on medical imaging, patient monitoring, personal health and clinical informatics.

Philips today

Philips in 2026 describes itself as a focused health-technology company, while the Philips name also appears on products made by brand licensees outside the core company.

The company’s history is one of repeated reinvention: lighting financed electronics, electronics produced global consumer brands, and healthcare ultimately became the strategic centre as other businesses were divested or licensed.