Sylvania Electric Products, Inc.
1924-present
The origins of the company comes from two main sources in Massachusetts and in Pennsylvania. First, from Frank Poor, who first bought a small company in Middleton, MA, in 1901 and moved it to Danvers. His brother soon joined him and they renamed the company Bay State Lamp Company. In 1909 they founded the Hygrade Incandescent Lamp Company in Pennsylvania, and they moved it to Salem, MA in 1916.
In Pennsylvania, the Nilco Lamp Works formed in 1924 a subsidiary company which was called Sylvania Products Company. In 1931, a merger between Hygrade, Nilco and Sylvania resulted in the founding of the Hygrade Sylvania Corporation. The company's name changed several more times: to Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., in 1942; to General Telephone & Electrics, or GTE, after a 1959 merger with General Telephone; and to OSRAM SYLVANIA in 1993, after Sylvania/GTE was acquired by OSRAM GmbH.
In Pennsylvania, the Nilco Lamp Works formed in 1924 a subsidiary company which was called Sylvania Products Company. In 1931, a merger between Hygrade, Nilco and Sylvania resulted in the founding of the Hygrade Sylvania Corporation. The company's name changed several more times: to Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., in 1942; to General Telephone & Electrics, or GTE, after a 1959 merger with General Telephone; and to OSRAM SYLVANIA in 1993, after Sylvania/GTE was acquired by OSRAM GmbH.
For a short history, see "A Century of Illumination," Osram Sylvania, http://www.sylvania.com/en-us/about/Pages/history.aspx (accessed 07/21/2015)