Osram


OsRam Licht AG is a German multinational lighting manufacturer headquartered in Munich, Germany.
The "Osram" name is derived from osmium and Wolfram, as both these elements were commonly used for lighting filaments at the time the company was founded.
OSRAM was founded in 1919 by the merger of the lighting businesses of Auergesellschaft, Siemens & Halske and Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft. On 5 July 2013, OSRAM was spun off from Siemens, and the listing of its stock began on 8 July 2013 on Frankfurt Stock Exchange. After a bidding war with Bain Capital, OSRAM was successfully acquired by AMS, in December, 2019.

History

In 1906 the Osram incandescent lamp was developed by Carl Auer von Welsbach. The brand name of OSRAM was "born" in 1906 and registered by the Deutsche Gasglühlicht-Anstalt.
The British General Electric Company imported Osram filaments for their own production of light bulbs. In 1919 Auergesellschaft, Siemens & Halske and Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft combined their electric-lamp production with the formation of the company Osram.
Following the Nazi seizure of power in 1933, co-founder William Meinhardt and the other Jewish members of the managing board were forced to step down. During the rule of his successor Hermann Schlüpmann organisations close to the Nazi Party such as DAF became increasingly influential among the company's workforce. In March 1933 Osram funded 40,000 Reichsmark for a secret campaign fund of German industrialist in support the Nazi Party.
During World War II Osram used forced laborers in its plants in Berlin. Due to the continuous bombing of Berlin during the war, the production was partially relocated to East German cities from 1942 onward. The production of molybdenum and tungsten products, which were classified as important for the war effort, was outsourced to the city of Plauen. Following arrangements between Osram officials and members of the SS, two subcamps of Flossenbürg concentration camp were installed next to the factory site to secure the company's supply with slave laborers. In a subcamp in Leitzmeritz, prisoners were used to build underground facilities as part of the secret project Richard II to secure the production of molybdenum and tungsten during air raids. At least 4,500 prisoners died in the camp, while Osram never moved into the space due to the course of war.
In 1998 Osram acquired the lamp business of ECE Industries India Ltd at a cost of $9.55 million. In 2009 Osram acquired TRAXON Technologies. In 2011 Osram acquired Siteco.
On 8 July 2013 Siemens spun Osram off, and it listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Operations

Osram is a multinational corporation with headquarters in Munich and it employs around 34,000 people throughout the world. Osram has operations in over 120 countries. In the 2014 financial year, revenue of about €5.1 billion was achieved. The company's North American operation is Osram Sylvania, headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts; products sold in Canada, Mexico, the United States and United States territories are sold under the Osram Sylvania brand name.

Osram Opto Semiconductors

is a wholly owned subsidiary of Osram which designs and manufactures opto-semiconductor products. One of the main products of this subsidiary is light-emitting diodes. As the world's second largest manufacturer of optoelectronic semiconductor for the illumination, sensing and visualization sectors, Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH combines extensive know-how in semiconductors, converter materials and packages under one roof. Besides its headquarters in Regensburg, Germany, it has further production sites in Penang and Kulim, Malaysia, and Wuxi, China and a global network of sales and marketing centre.

Osram Sylvania

Osram Sylvania Inc. manufactures and markets a wide range of lighting products for homes, business, and vehicles and holds the largest share of the North American lighting market. In fiscal year 2006, the company achieved sales of about 2 billion euros, which comprises 43% of total Osram sales. It employs about 11,200 people in North America and is headquartered in Wilmington, Massachusetts, north of Boston. Most of the company's products are marketed in North and South America under the SYLVANIA or OSRAM brand names.

Traxon Technologies

Traxon Technologies, together with its control brand, "e:cue lighting control", is a solid state lighting and control systems provider. In 2009, Traxon Technologies entered into a joint venture with OSRAM, a partnership which ultimately led to OSRAM's complete acquisition of Traxon in 2011.

In literature