La Compagnie des Lampes
| Company type | Multiple companies |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electrical goods, lighting solutions |
| Founded | 1888 (initial company) |
| Headquarters | Ivry-sur-Seine (initial company) , France |
| Products | Light bulbs, vacuum tubes, electrical goods |
La Compagnie des Lampes ("The Lamp Company") denotes multiple French enterprises focused on electrical goods, especially lighting solutions.
La Compagnie des Lampes (1888)
The initial Compagnie des Lampes was founded in Ivry-sur-Seine in 1888 and was taken over by CGE (Compagnie Générale d'Électricité) a decade later, in 1898. Today, the factory holds the status of a historical landmark.
By 1915, it ranked as France's second producer of TM triodes ("Télégraphie Militaire'") under the Métal label, trailing only E.C.&A. Grammont from Lyon. Subsequently, it manufactured tubes designed for domestic AC transformer heating, such as the BW604 and BW1010 models, marketed under the Métal-Secteur brand.
La Compagnie des Lampes (1911)
This light bulb manufacturing company was initiated in 1911 by Paul Blavier in Saint-Pierre-Montlimart, close to Cholet. It underwent a name change in 1918 to Manufacture de lampes à incandescence, la Française and became linked with the Thomson group during the 1950s.
La Compagnie des Lampes (1921)
In 1921, Compagnie des Lampes was jointly created by CFTH (Compagnie Française Thomson-Houston) and CGE (Compagnie Générale d'Électricité), emerging as a significant entity in the French lighting industry, particularly recognized for its MAZDA brand.
Between 1924 and 1939, it took part in the Phoebus cartel, a cartel that monopolized the light bulb market through agreements enforcing planned obsolescence.
Besides manufacturing light bulbs, CdL also produced vacuum tubes under the Mazda trademark, with models including 6H8G (1947), 3T100A1 (1949), and E1 (1950). Starting in 1953, these tubes bore the LAMPE MAZDA branding, featuring types like 2G21 (1953), 927 (1954), EL183 (1959), and EF816 (1962).
Numerous tubes were additionally marketed by Compagnie Industrielle Française des Tubes Electroniques (CIFTE) using the Mazda-Belvu brand, which originated from Societé Radio Belvu, a distributor of Grammont's Fotos tubes.