Societe Alsthom
1928 Formed from combining part of Compagnie Francaise Thomson-Houston with locomotive builder SACM of Alsace; the name was derived from ALSacienne-THOMson
1977 Alsthom bought the C.E.M. (Compagnie Électro-Mécanique) plant at le Bourget from Brown-Boveri.[1]
1978 Presumably Compagnie Générale d'Electricité (CGE) joined with Societe Alsthom; the UK subsidiary became CGE Alsthom UK (and presumably similar in France and elsewhere).
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 view, 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).
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 as Alstom