Helios Electric Company
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics |
| Predecessor | Helios Electric Company (original name) |
| Founded | 1892 |
| Headquarters | Philadelphia , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Batteries, radios, televisions, air conditioning units, refrigerators, home freezers, electric stoves, washing machines, dryers, consumer electronics, aerospace electronics |
| Owner | Philips (North America), Electrolux (other markets) |
| Parent | Philips (since 1981) |
Philco, an abbreviation for the Philadelphia Battery Company, is a U.S.-based electronics manufacturer with its headquarters located in Philadelphia. As an early leader in the production of batteries, radios, and televisions, Philco was acquired by Ford Motor Company in 1961 and rebranded as "Philco-Ford" in 1966. Ford later divested the company to GTE in 1974, and in 1981 ownership transferred to Philips, turning Philco into a subsidiary of the Dutch multinational by 1987. Currently, the Philco name is managed by Philips in North America and by Electrolux across other global markets.
During the 1920s, Philco's product line included storage batteries, battery eliminators, and charging devices. The development of the rectifier tube made it possible for radios to operate using household electrical outlets, which led Philco to enter the radio industry in 1928. Competing against companies such as RCA and Zenith Electronics, Philco emerged as the top U.S. radio seller by 1930 and sustained this leadership for more than twenty years.
Among Philco’s notable products were the distinctive cathedral-style wooden "Baby Grand" radios from the 1930s and the forward-thinking Predicta television models introduced during the 1950s.
Significantly, Philo Farnsworth, credited with inventing the first fully electronic television system (US Patent 1773980), worked at Philco between 1931 and 1933, contributing to its forefront position in consumer electronics innovation.
Early history
Founded in 1892 under the name Helios Electric Company, Philco initially specialized in manufacturing carbon-arc lamps but faced financial difficulties toward the end of the 19th century. The company was renamed Philadelphia Storage Battery Company in 1906 and shifted its focus toward producing batteries for electric vehicles, later supplying home charging batteries tailored to the nascent radio market. The Philco brand officially emerged in 1919.
Radios
Before the late 1920s, radios depended on expensive vacuum tube batteries. In August 1925, Philco introduced its successful "Socket Power Battery Eliminator," a rectifier that enabled radios to operate using standard household light sockets. Over one million units were sold by 1927; however, this market quickly declined with the advent of battery-free radios powered by alternating current (AC) tubes. Philco promptly adapted by manufacturing radios designed to run on household electricity, producing 96,000 units in 1928 and securing the 26th position nationally.
Utilizing assembly line techniques inspired by automobile manufacturing, Philco reduced radio prices to appeal to mass consumers. By 1929, it ranked third in sales behind Atwater Kent and Majestic. In 1930 alone, Philco sold approximately 600,000 radios and recorded $34 million in revenue, establishing itself as America’s leading radio manufacturer. By 1934, it commanded a 30% share of the domestic market.
Philco’s radio lineup combined cost-effectiveness with reliability and quality, offering models ranging from five-tube sets to high-fidelity consoles featuring up to twenty tubes by 1938. The "Baby Grand" cathedral-style radios achieved remarkable success, selling over two million units between 1930 and 1938 and underscoring Philco’s strong market presence.
Innovations such as wireless remote control radios produced from 1939 to 1941 set Philco apart—features not seen again until decades later in the 1970s. During World War II, Philco ranked as the 57th largest U.S. corporation awarded military production contracts. Another distinctive product was the "Beam of Light" record player (1941–42), which incorporated a photoelectric system but encountered reliability challenges.
This period of rapid growth and technological advancement established the foundation for Philco’s enduring success and competitive edge within consumer electronics.
Expansion
In 1941, Philco created a dedicated training and installation unit to address the growing need for proficient electronics technicians. This initiative evolved into the TechRep division, which employed hundreds of "Field Engineers" across the globe and eventually formed the core of what became the Ford Aerospace organization.
Starting in the 1930s, Philco considerably broadened its range of products, entering diverse markets such as automobile radios (1930), air conditioning units (1938), refrigerators (1939), home freezers (1946), consumer television sets (1947), electric stoves (1949), and washing machines and dryers (1954). Its debut consumer television, the 1948 Model 48-1000, featured a 10-inch black-and-white screen and was priced at US$395.
By 1954, Philco had maintained its position as the top-selling radio manufacturer for 24 consecutive years, having sold in excess of 30 million radios. The company was also a pioneer in television broadcasting, initiating Philadelphia’s experimental station W3XE in 1932. This station evolved into WPTZ in 1941, the third U.S. television station to receive a commercial license. In 1953, it was sold to Westinghouse Broadcasting and rebranded as KYW-TV, becoming a CBS owned-and-operated outlet.
The Philco Predicta television, introduced in 1957, sought to revolutionize design with its swiveling picture tube housed on a pedestal base. Offered in various models featuring either 17-inch or 21-inch screens alongside different cabinet designs, it incorporated a high-deflection-angle tube allowing for a slim profile. Despite its innovative concept, reliability problems caused expensive repairs and harmed its market reputation. Although some buyers such as motels and bars appreciated the rotating design, production ceased by 1960. Today, the Predicta is prized by collectors for its distinctive aesthetic.
Transistor research and product development
In late 1953, engineers at Philco Corporation developed the surface-barrier transistor, recognized as the first high-frequency transistor capable of supporting rapid computing applications. Philco produced a promotional film titled Philco Transistors - The Tiny Giants Of The Future, highlighting its advancements in transistor manufacturing and technology.
By May 1954, Philco was working on an indium-coated silicon transistor, anticipating improvements in silicon purification processes for manufacturing.
In June 1955, Philco secured contracts from both the National Security Agency and the United States Navy to construct specialized scientific computers utilizing its surface-barrier transistor technology. The NSA project known as SOLO was commercialized as the Philco Transac S-1000 and delivered in November 1957. Simultaneously, Philco developed a larger CPXQ model for the Navy's David Taylor Basin Research Division that became the Philco Transac S-2000.
In 1955, Philco also created a compact transistorized computing unit for Navy jet fighters under the "Transac" brand (models C-1000 and C-1100), leveraging its high-frequency surface-barrier transistors.
A notable partnership between Chrysler and Philco led to the release of the world's first all-transistor car radio in 1955. Highlighted in the Wall Street Journal on April 28 that year, Chrysler offered this Mopar model 914HR as an optional $150 feature for its 1956 Chrysler and Imperial automobiles. These radios were manufactured at Philco’s facility in Sandusky, Ohio using surface-barrier transistors.
That same year marked Philco’s introduction of the first all-transistor phonographs—the TPA-1 and TPA-2 models—priced at $59.95. These portable devices played 45rpm records powered by batteries and incorporated three germanium PNP transistors. Due to high transistor costs, production ended after 1956.
The Philco Transac S-1000 scientific computer and S-2000 electronic data processing system launched in 1957 were among the earliest large-scale commercial computers to utilize exclusively transistor technology. They employed discrete surface-barrier transistors and featured a rapid adder developed by Bruce Gilchrist, James H. Pomerene, and Y.K. Wong from the Institute for Advanced Study to boost computational speed.
In 1959, Philco introduced the Safari—the first portable battery-operated transistor television set containing 21 transistors and employing its VHF micro-alloy diffused transistor (MADT) technology. Retailing at $250 with an additional $5.25 charge for a rechargeable battery pack, this product represented a major breakthrough in consumer electronics.
By 1962, Philco had incorporated advanced computing systems into its portfolio, including supplying Model 212 computers selected for use at North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Cheyenne Mountain Complex. Three units operated there until 1980 and were also utilized by research divisions at Westinghouse Electric and General Electric.
Space systems
In 1960, Philco's Western Development Labs (WDL) created the Courier 1B, recognized as the first satellite equipped with an active repeater. NASA contracted WDL to establish the worldwide tracking station network supporting Project Mercury and subsequent crewed space missions, a system that remained in use until the TDRS satellite network replaced it in the 1990s. Over time, WDL transformed into Space Systems/Loral, maintaining its role in spacecraft production. Additionally, Philco was involved in manufacturing automotive electronic controls and aerospace tracking technologies.
By 1963, Philco had taken responsibility for designing, producing, installing, and maintaining all consoles in NASA's Mission Operations Control Rooms at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. These control rooms provided vital support for programs such as Gemini, Apollo program, Skylab, and Space Shuttle missions up until 1998. Today, these consoles are preserved within the Apollo Mission Control Center, which is recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.
Water purification systems
Philco-Ford introduced reverse osmosis water purification technology in 1971, utilizing their proprietary tubular membranes. These systems were designed to filter and desalinate contaminated water, serving municipal water utilities and industrial manufacturing sectors.
Demise
On December 11, 1961, Ford Motor Company acquired Philco, broadening its business scope to include consumer electronics, computing systems, and defense-related projects. Having supplied Ford with car radios since the 1930s, Philco continued producing radios, black-and-white and color televisions, refrigerators, washers, dryers, air conditioners, stoves, portable transistor radios, phonographs, and upscale console audio equipment under the "Philco-Ford" brand beginning in 1966.
During the mid-1960s, Philco ranked among the world’s largest furniture manufacturers due to its premium stereo cabinetry. However, efforts to reduce costs led to replacing solid wood cabinetry with less expensive composite materials and relocating electronic assembly operations to Asia through Philco-Taiwan to maintain price competitiveness. Major appliances continued to be manufactured domestically for some time.
Ford withdrew from the computer sector a few years after acquiring Philco. In 1973, Philco launched an energy-saving refrigerator series called "Cold Guard," which consumed approximately one-third less electricity than competing models. Despite this advancement, by early 1974 Ford aimed to divest Philco’s home appliance division due to unsatisfactory financial results. Initial negotiations with White Consolidated Industries (WCI) did not succeed; however, later that year Ford sold most of its non-automotive units to GTE Sylvania while retaining the new refrigerator product line.
In 1977, GTE sold Philco International to WCI (which was later acquired by AB Electrolux in 1986). The brand and associated assets were purchased by Philips (NAP) in 1981 to secure trademark rights within the United States. Before this acquisition, Philips marketed products under the "Norelco" name due to trademark conflicts. NAP became a fully owned subsidiary of the Dutch electronics corporation Philips in 1987.
Subsequently, Philips licensed the Philco brand for consumer electronics and private-label products, including digital converter boxes sold in the U.S. by Funai. As of September 2019, the official U.S. Philco website was discontinued.
Non-U.S. branding
In Brazil, the Philco brand, then operating as Philco-Hitachi, was purchased by Itautec in 1989, resulting in the formation of Itautec-Philco. Later, Itautec transferred ownership of Philco to Gradiente in 2005, which subsequently sold the brand to investors in 2007. These investors licensed the name to the appliance manufacturer Britânia.
The Merloni Group secured the rights to use the Philco trademark in Italy in 2003. The Italian Philco line produces household appliances with connections to the former Bendix Corporation and Thorn EMI Moyor Electronics. By 2006, the brand had gained notable recognition primarily in Australia.
In Argentina, local investors acquired Philco in 2004. Established in the country since 1930, the brand holds a longstanding reputation for appliances, manufacturing refrigerators through Helametal Catamarca S.A. Additional electronic products such as LCD televisions and car audio systems are distributed by Newsan SA SANYO and DatandHome SA, who also manage washing machines, dishwashers, air conditioning units, and water heaters under the Philco name.
In Chile, ownership of Philco belongs to Fuji Corp S.A, which markets audio equipment, household appliances, and electrical goods under this brand.
During the 1980s in Italy, Imperial Electronics based in Milan was responsible for producing Philco televisions.