Tungsram
Encyclopedia
Tungsram is a Hungarian
manufacturer of light bulbs and vacuum tube
s since 1896. General Electric, in 1990, acquired majority share in one of Hungary's largest, oldest, and internationally most prestigious firms, the light-source manufacturer Tungsram. Over the past six years GE has invested $600 million in the venture and thoroughly restructured every aspect of its operations. It is the largest U.S. manufacturing investment in Central and Eastern Europe to date. It is now a subsidiary of General Electric
and its name is used as a brand name only.
The company was awarded a patent
for electric bulbs with a tungsten
filament in 1903. Later in 1934, they also announced a patent for Imre Bródy
's electric bulb filled with krypton
. Both provided a longer lifetime for electric bulbs.
The name Tungsram is a portmanteau of "tungsten" (ˈtʌŋstən) and "wolfram" (ˈwʊlfrəm), as tungsten
, the metal used for making the filaments, is known in Hungarian, German and many other languages. British Tungsram Radio Works was subsidiary of the Hungarian Tungsram in pre-war days.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
manufacturer of light bulbs and vacuum tube
Vacuum tube
In electronics, a vacuum tube, electron tube , or thermionic valve , reduced to simply "tube" or "valve" in everyday parlance, is a device that relies on the flow of electric current through a vacuum...
s since 1896. General Electric, in 1990, acquired majority share in one of Hungary's largest, oldest, and internationally most prestigious firms, the light-source manufacturer Tungsram. Over the past six years GE has invested $600 million in the venture and thoroughly restructured every aspect of its operations. It is the largest U.S. manufacturing investment in Central and Eastern Europe to date. It is now a subsidiary of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
and its name is used as a brand name only.
The company was awarded a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for electric bulbs with a tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
filament in 1903. Later in 1934, they also announced a patent for Imre Bródy
Imre Bródy
Imre Bródy , a Hungarian physicist, who invented in 1930 the krypton-filled fluorescent lamps ,...
's electric bulb filled with krypton
Krypton
Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a member of Group 18 and Period 4 elements. A colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, krypton occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere, is isolated by fractionally distilling liquified air, and is often used with other...
. Both provided a longer lifetime for electric bulbs.
The name Tungsram is a portmanteau of "tungsten" (ˈtʌŋstən) and "wolfram" (ˈwʊlfrəm), as tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
, the metal used for making the filaments, is known in Hungarian, German and many other languages. British Tungsram Radio Works was subsidiary of the Hungarian Tungsram in pre-war days.