The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and defence electronics, communications, and engineering.

The GEC was heavily impacted by the outbreak of the First World War, supplying various goods to the military, and thus becoming a major player in the electrical industry.

Throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, GEC's new managing director, Arnold Weinstock, sought to rationalise the British electrical industry and boost efficiency via a series of cut-backs and mergers that returned the company to profit.

[5] The following year, the company acquired its first factory in Salford, where electric bells, telephones, ceiling roses and switches were manufactured.

The resulting company, (to become Osram in 1909),[clarification needed] was to lead the way in lamp design, and the burgeoning demand for electric lighting was to make GEC's fortune.

The company expanded both at home and overseas, with the establishment of agencies in Europe, Japan, Australia, South Africa, and India.

[citation needed] The outbreak of the First World War transformed GEC into a major player in the electrical industry.

The company was heavily involved in the war effort, supplying products such as radios, signal lamps, and the arc-lamp carbons used in searchlights.

[5] During the Second World War, GEC was a major manufacturer of electrical and engineering products for the British armed forces.

[5] Significant contributions to the war effort included the development in 1940 of the cavity magnetron for radar,[5] by the scientists John Randall and Harry Boot at the University of Birmingham, as well as advances in communications technology and the ongoing mass production of valves, lamps and lighting equipment.

Despite the huge demand for electrical consumer goods, and large investments in heavy engineering and nuclear power, profits began to fall in the face of competition and internal disorganisation.

[5] Weinstock embarked on a programme to rationalise the entire British electrical industry, beginning with the internal rejuvenation of GEC.

The Birmingham Witton works remained one of the company's biggest sites, producing high-voltage switchgear and transformers, large generators, small motors, mercury arc rectifiers and traction components, until the plant was gradually sold off by Weinstock in 1969.

CE was a leader in military radios and infrared technology, space electronics, and other high-security products, doing business throughout the world.

[citation needed] In 1984, it became one of the first companies in the new FTSE 100 Index, ranking third in value behind British Petroleum and Shell Transport and Trading.

[5] In early 1989, GEC and French company Alsthom merged their power generation and transport businesses in a new joint venture, GEC-Alsthom.

VSE was willing to participate in a merger with a larger company to reduce its exposure to cycles in warship production, particularly in light of the post-Cold War "Options for Change" defence review.

[37] In December 1998, reports emerged that GEC was seeking a partner for MES, the value of which was greatly increased by the Tracor acquisition.

Prospective partners included Thomson-CSF (by 1998 on the path to privatisation) and various American defence contractors (e.g. Lockheed Martin and TRW).

This move was part of a major realignment of the firm to focus on the burgeoning telecoms sector, and it became a radio, telecommunications and internet equipment manufacturer.

[44] At the time, financial markets approved of the strategy; GEC's share value set new all-time highs during early 1999.

[50][51][52] While the company initially chose to deny any impact to sales, the delayed issue of a profit warning spooked investors.

Having accumulated a sizable debt pile that was continuing to mount due to heavy losses, Marconi was facing bankruptcy.

[53][30][19] In September 2011, Simpson was forced to resign from Marconi and a new management team was brought in under Mike Parton, the new chief executive.

[59][60][61] Before the announcement, the investment bank Dresdner Kleinwort had said, "[Marconi is] so advanced with its products and so entrenched with BT Group plc that its selection looks certain.

[63] Prior to the collapse of the Marconi group in 2005 and 2006, the company was a major supplier of Asynchronous Transfer Mode, Gigabit Ethernet, and Internet Protocol products.