Grace's Guide
British Industrial History
Grace's Guide is the leading source of historical information on industry and manufacturing in Britain. This web publication contains 146,692 pages of information and 232,163 images on early companies, their products and the people who designed and built them.
GEC Alsthom
From Graces Guide
Constructor of electrical plant, railway trains and ships.
1989 GEC Alsthom was formed as a 50/50 joint venture by the merger of the power and transport divisions of Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (CGE) and GEC. From CGE's point of views, France’s market was not sufficient by itself so the merger would enable GEC Alsthom to address the whole of Europe. From GEC's point of view it provided GEC's power division with access to large gas turbine technology (which it had previously been licensing from GE of the U.S.A. and which was increasingly demanded by the privatised electricity companies in the UK and elsewhere).
1989 GEC Alsthom acquired the railway business of Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon Co
1989 GEC Rugby was split into GEC Alsthom and Cegelec Projects
1989 Hawker Siddeley acquired GEC Alsthom Electromotors with works at Bradford, Birmingham and Newcastle under Lyme[1]
1989 GEC Distribution Switchgear Ltd became GEC Alsthom Distribution Switchgear Ltd
1989 GEC Switchgear Ltd became GEC Alsthom Switchgear Ltd
1989 GEC Transmission and Distribution Projects Ltd became GEC Alsthom Transmission and Distribution Projects Ltd
1989 GEC Alsthom Traction had its UK headquarters at Trafford Park in Manchester.
1993 GEC Alsthom Distribution Switchgear became GEC Alsthom T & D Distribution Switchgear
1995 GEC Alsthom acquired the outstanding shares in MAN Energie (steam turbines).
1997 GEC Alsthom Large Machines Ltd of Rugby became GEC Alsthom Electrical Machines Ltd
1998 GEC Alsthom acquired Cegelec (electrical contracting), and was then listed on the Paris Stock Exchange with a change of name to ALSTOM. GEC and Alcatel sold part of their stakes in the capital (23.6% each) [2]. GEC Alsthom and Cegelec Projects were reunited in the new company.
1998 GEC Alsthom T & D Distribution Switchgear became Alstom T & D Distribution Switchgear Ltd
1998 GEC Alsthom Electrical Machines became Alstom Electrical Machines
See Also
Sources of Information
- Companies House filings]