Colombia

Introduction

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is one of the world’s biggest electronics companies and Europe’s largest, with sales of EUR 29 billion in 2003. It is a global leader in color television sets, lighting, electric shavers, medical diagnostic imaging and patient monitoring, and one-chip TV products. Its 165,300 employees in more than 60 countries are active in the areas of lighting, consumer electronics, domestic appliances, semiconductors, and medical systems.

Parts of the whole

Parts of the whole

Check out Philips’ major businesses, top-level competencies, key alliances, and participations in other companies – all the parts that make up the whole.

Management

Management

Read about the people on Philips’ senior management bodies – the Board of Management, whose policies are put into effect by the Group Management Committee and which is advised by the Supervisory Board.

Mission and vision / values and strategy

What’s our central belief? What kind of company do we want to become? What are the central values that govern our behaviour? And how do we want to achieve our objectives?

Corporate governance

Philips pursues a consistent policy to enhance and improve its corporate governance in line with US, Dutch and international codes of best practices.

Business excellence

Philips’ business excellence program - targeted at achieving higher and higher quality levels in all products and services - affects all employees and all processes, in every country, division or department, encompassing everyone from Board of Management-level to the shop floor.

Sustainability

Improving the quality of people's lives has been our mission ever since we were founded; therefore, we do not see there being any difference between business and sustainable business. Sustainability is in our DNA.

History

History

The foundations for what was to become one of the world's biggest electronics companies were laid in 1891 when Gerard Philips established a company in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, to 'manufacture incandescent lamps and other electrical products'.

Key Inventions

Key Inventions

Philips’ substantial investment in R&D has generated many breakthrough inventions, such as the Compact Cassette system and the laser based optical disc systems CD-Audio, CD-ROM, CD-R/RW, SACD and various DVD-formats.