Luxor AB

Last updated
Interior of Luxor Radio Factory in Motala, Sweden, 1934 Luxor-factory-1934.jpg
Interior of Luxor Radio Factory in Motala, Sweden, 1934

Luxor was a Swedish home electronics and computer manufacturer located in Motala, established in 1923 and acquired by Nokia in 1985. The brand name is now owned by Turkish company Vestel and is used for televisions sold in the Swedish market.

Contents

Originally a manufacturer of tape recorders, radios, television sets, stereo systems, and other home electronics, it launched its first home computer, the ABC 80 in 1978. The succeeding ABC 800 series was introduced in 1981 with new releases in 1983 being produced until the ABC line was terminated in 1986.

History

The company was established in 1923 by Axel Holstensson (full name Axel Harald Holstensson; 1889–1979). [1] He was the son of an ore loader and had no training other than a few years of elementary school. He worked as an electrician and eventually as a travel fitter and foreman at ASEA for years, from 1907 to 1918. In his spare time, he studied electrical engineering. In 1918, he moved to Motala and started an electronics store and installation company Motala Electric Agency (Swedish : Motala Elektriska Byrå). The post-war depression, however, almost led to bankruptcy, the situation was critical and the resort was to start building radios. Components were procured from Germany and it was shown to be possible to sell a number of devices at a profit, so Axel Holstensson registered the Luxor Radio Factory Company (Swedish : Firma Radiofabriken Luxor) in 1923. The name Luxor was apposite and then very topical as the Tomb of Tutankhamun had just been discovered near the city of Luxor in Egypt. [2]

Finnish company Nokia became a principal owner in the company in 1984. [3] Computer production was discontinued in 1986, [4] followed by television production in Motala in 1992, when the production moved to Finland. Instead, it produced receivers for cable and satellite television. But Nokia wanted to streamline its business to mobile telephony and therefore sold the satellite receiver business in 1998 to American company Space Craft Inc. The company continued to manufacture satellite receivers in Motala until 2002, when it was transferred to low-cost countries.

In October 1997, Nokia sold its car speaker and audio amplifier business to Harman International Industries. A collaboration with the then Electrolux-owned Autoliv AB led to the company first becoming a partner for Luxor Electronics since 1998, then buying the entire business. In Motala, there still remains manufacturing of various types of electronic products for the automotive industry but not under the Luxor brand.

The brand name was later sold to the Norwegian retailer Elkjøp ASA, as when British company Dixons Retail bought Elkjøp in November 1999, they also acquired the Luxor brand. In 2006 Turkish company Vestel acquired the Luxor brand.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorola</span> American telecommunications company (1928–2011)

Motorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois. It was founded in 1928 as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation by brothers Paul and Joseph Galvin. The company changed its name to Motorola in 1947. After having lost $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009, Motorola was split into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions, on January 4, 2011. The reorganization was structured with Motorola Solutions legally succeeding Motorola, Inc., and Motorola Mobility being spun off.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nokia</span> Finnish multinational corporation

Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics corporation, originally established as a pulp mill in 1865. Nokia's main headquarters are in Espoo, Finland, in the Helsinki metropolitan area, but the company's actual roots are in the Tampere region of Pirkanmaa. In 2020, Nokia employed approximately 92,000 people across over 100 countries, did business in more than 130 countries, and reported annual revenues of around €23 billion. Nokia is a public limited company listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki and New York Stock Exchange. It was the world's 415th-largest company measured by 2016 revenues, according to the Fortune Global 500, having peaked at 85th place in 2009. It is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCA</span> American electronics company (1897–1988)

The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Company. In 1932, RCA became an independent company after the partners were required to divest their ownership as part of the settlement of a government antitrust suit.

Magnavox was an American electronics company. It was purchased by North American Philips in 1974, which was absorbed into Dutch electronics company Philips in 1991. The predecessor to Magnavox was founded in 1911 by Edwin Pridham and Peter L. Jensen, co-inventors of the moving-coil loudspeaker at their lab in Napa, California, under United States Patent number 1,105,924 for telephone receivers. Six decades later, Magnavox produced the Odyssey, the world's first home video game console.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ITT Inc.</span> American worldwide manufacturing company owner De RosaCesare

ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses include Industrial Process, Motion Technologies, and Connect and Control Technologies.

The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. In 1989, it was taken over by a consortium formed by GEC and Siemens which split the assets of the Plessey group.

Zenith Electronics, LLC, is an American research and development company that develops ATSC and digital rights management technologies. It is owned by the South Korean company LG Electronics. Zenith was previously an American brand of consumer electronics, a manufacturer of radio and television receivers and other consumer electronics, and was headquartered in Glenview, Illinois. After a series of layoffs, the consolidated headquarters moved to Lincolnshire, Illinois. For many years, their famous slogan was "The quality goes in before the name goes on". LG Electronics acquired a controlling share of Zenith in 1995; Zenith became a wholly owned subsidiary in 1999. Zenith was the inventor of subscription television and the modern remote control, and was the first to develop high-definition television (HDTV) in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motala</span> Place in Östergötland, Sweden

Motala is a locality and the seat of Motala Municipality, Östergötland County, Sweden with 43,717 inhabitants in 2024. It is the third largest city of Östergötland, following Linköping and Norrköping. Motala is situated on the eastern shore of Lake Vättern and is regarded as the main centre of both the Göta Canal and the surrounding lake region.

Dick Smith Electronics Holdings Limited was an Australian chain of retail stores that sold consumer electronics goods, hobbyist electronic components, and electronic project kits. The chain expanded successfully into New Zealand and unsuccessfully into several other countries. The company was founded in Sydney in 1968 by Dick Smith and owned by him and his wife until they sold 60% to Woolworths in 1980, and the remaining 40% two years later.

Finlux is a Finnish brand of consumer electronics, established in Lohja, Finland in 1971, originally part of the Oy Lohja AB industrial group. Finlux televisions are second most sold tv brand in Finland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fujitsu Siemens Computers</span> 1999–2009 Japanese-German computer technology company

Fujitsu Siemens Computers GmbH was a Japanese and German vendor of information technology. The company was founded in 1999 as a 50/50 joint venture between Fujitsu of Japan and Siemens AG of Germany. On April 1, 2009, the company became Fujitsu Technology Solutions as a result of Fujitsu buying out Siemens' share of the company.

General Instrument (GI) was an American electronics manufacturer based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, specializing in semiconductors and cable television equipment. They formed in New York City in 1923 as an electronics manufacturer. During the 1950s, the company began a series of acquisitions under the direction of Moses Shapiro. Among the more notable purchases was General Transistor in 1960, which led to GI becoming a major producer of transistors, and later, integrated circuits (ICs). By the late 1960s, the company was mostly depending on sales into the television industry, which was further bolstered by the 1967 purchase of Jerrold Electronics.

Philco is an American electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchased by Ford and, from 1966, renamed "Philco-Ford". Ford sold the company to GTE in 1974, and it was purchased by Philips in 1981. In North America, the Philco brand is owned by Philips. In other markets, the Philco International brand is owned by Electrolux.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AWA Technology Services</span> Australian telecommunications manufacturer

AWA Technology Services, formerly named Amalgamated Wireless (Australasia) Ltd, is an Australian communications technology company. Throughout most of the twentieth century, AWA was Australia's largest and most prominent electronics organisation, undertaking development, manufacture and distribution of radio, telecommunications, television and audio equipment as well as broadcasting services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bush (brand)</span> British consumer electronics brand

Bush is a British consumer electronics brand owned by J Sainsbury plc (Sainsbury's), the parent company of the retailer Argos. The former Bush company is one of the most famous manufacturers of early British radios. The company is now defunct, but the Bush brand name survives as a private label brand for budget electronics. Today, all Bush are sold exclusively at Argos and Sainsbury's, with Argos having a wider selection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RCA (trademark)</span> American multinational trademark brand

RCA is an American multinational trademark brand owned by Talisman Brands, Inc. which is used on products made by that company as well as Sony Music Entertainment, Voxx International and ON Corporation. RCA is an abbreviation for the Radio Corporation of America, founded in 1919. The company became known as the RCA Corporation in 1969. In late 1986, RCA was purchased by General Electric and over the next few years, GE sold or liquidated most of the corporation's various divisions and assets.

Vestel is a Turkish home and professional appliances manufacturing company consisting of 18 companies specialised in electronics, major appliances and information technology. Vestel's headquarters and production plant are located in Manisa, while the company's parent conglomerate is the Istanbul based Zorlu Holding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sharp Corporation</span> Japanese electronics company

Sharp Corporation is a Japanese electronics company. It is headquartered in Sakai, Osaka and was founded by Tokuji Hayakawa in 1912 in Honjo, Tokyo and established as the Hayakawa Metal Works Institute in Abeno, Osaka in 1924. Since 2016, it is majority owned by Taiwan-based manufacturer Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., better known as Foxconn.

Salora Oy was a Finnish electronics manufacturer based in Salo. It was established in 1928 and acquired by Nokia in 1989. Its main products were radios, televisions and other home electronics. The brand name is now owned by the Dutch company Salora International BV.

References

  1. Elteknik (in Swedish). Ingenjörsförlaget. 1980. p. 7. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  2. "Our Legacy". smw.se. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. Hinterhuber, Hans-H.; Pieper, Rüdiger (8 March 2013). Fallstudien zum Strategischen Management (in German). Springer-Verlag. p. 194. ISBN   978-3-322-82541-4 . Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  4. McKelvey, Maureen; Lassen, Astrid Heidemann (1 January 2013). How Entrepreneurs Do What They Do: Case Studies in Knowledge Intensive Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 51. ISBN   978-1-78100-550-7 . Retrieved 1 June 2024. During 1986 Nokia decided to terminate the development work on Luxor computers.