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SK Hynix

SK Hynix: The Second-largest Memory Chipmaker in the World

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South Korea is known for its innovative and advanced technologies. There are several companies from South Korea making big in the technology industry. SK Hynix of South Korea is the third-largest semiconductor company and the second-largest chipmaker in the world. The company, with its innovation, has given the world multiple discoveries in the field of semiconductor and memory chips.

A Brief Introduction

SK Hynix is the world’s largest provider of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) and flashes memory chips. The company headquarters in Icheon, South Korea, and its worldwide customer list includes Apple, HP Inc., Dell, etc. Hynix’s memory products are used in DVD players, mobile phones, set-top boxes, networking equipment, hard disk drives, etc. The company has its manufacturing units in various countries, including the US, Taiwan, and China. As of 2016, 22,254 are working at Hynix, and the total recorded revenue of the company as of 2018 was US$35.27 billion.

History and Formation of SK Hynix

Though the company was founded on 1 October 1949, it became famous only after it was rebranded in 1983. The company started its journey as Gukdo in 1949 and got a new name, i.e., Hyundai Electronics Industries Co. Ltd. in 1983. There was mass production of 256K DRAM in the company, and it also started to produce the Multifunctional Phone LX-2 in 1985. The company partnered with IBM to establish a PC sales agency and entered the US with the establishment of the US corporation (HEA).

In 1986, other than its B2B clients, Hyundai started to focus on B2C clients through its Hyundai Blue Chip PC. The company was manufacturing the car radios, developed CMOS type 256K EPROM, and also started the production of a key phone-based private switchboard, PABXHX50. The company developed the 4th generation switchboard HX-400 in 1987 and partnered with MOS Electronic Co. to develop the 256K SRAM. It also launched a satellite broadcasting receiver during the same time. In 1988, Hyundai came with the automatic answering machine and established its European corporation, HEE. At that time, it was at the top in the export of PCs in South Korea.

SK Hynix
Image Source: pulsenews.co.kr

Hyundai became the first company to export PCs to Japan in 1989. It also developed the 256K Fast SRAM in the same year. It was the 20th largest company in the semiconductor market in the world. In 1990, the company was mass-producing cameras and started to export them to the US. Along with that, it established the HEA Semiconductor and Computer R&D Center and also started to develop bps Pagers and 1M DRAM, becoming the first company in Korea to do that.

Hyundai developed the smallest and the lightest mobile phone in South Korea in 1991. The company also entered the Singapore market in the same year by establishing the Singapore corporation (HES) which was into 486 PC production. The next year, the company came with G4 FAX, a private switchboard HNT-832, built-in car audio systems, and completed the construction of FAB 2 B-Line. By the mid-90s, Hyundai had become the major supplier of semiconductor devices, car-audio, telecom products manufacturer, and provider of monitor & terminal category products. The company acquired Maxtor (US HDD manufacturer) and also developed the CD autochanger in 1993.

Hyundai is credited for the development of the world’s first MPEG-2 SAVI decoder chip and the world’s first 256M SRAM. In 1996, Hyundai had its first IPO on the Korea Stock Exchange. It also developed the world’s first Synclink DRAM test product and 1G synchronous DRAM using SOI technology. Hyundai acquired a large stockholder’s share of LG Semiconductor and merged into LG’s LG Electronics division in 1999.

In 2000, there was a spin-off in the company, forming Hyundai Image Quest, Hyundai Autonet, and Hyundai Calibration & Certification Technologies. Hyundai Electronics was rebranded as Hynix Semiconductor Inc. in 2001, after another spin-off from the Hyundai Group. In 2006, Hynix recorded its highest revenues since the formation of the Hyundai Group.

In 2010, Hynix partnered with HP for the development of Next Generation Memory Products, ReRAM. SK Group of South Korea acquired a 21.05% stake in Hynix in 2012, and the company started to operate as SK Hynix. The acquisition has been great for the growth of SK Hynix. 

The CEO: Lee Seok-Hee

SK Hynix CEO
Image Source: kedglobal.com

Lee Seok-Hee is serving as the President and CEO, SK Hynix Inc since 2018. He became a member of the board of the company in 2017. Lee did his graduation and post-graduation from Seoul National University and went for further studies at Stanford University to complete a Ph.D.

Telefonica

Telefonica: The Leader of the Telecom Industry of Spain

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There are several names in the telecom industry that have a great history and have been contributing agents to the industry itself. An about century-old Telefonica is an example of such an organization. Telefonica has its headquarter located in Madrid Spain, and it has been in the business of fixed-line telephony, mobile telephony, broadband internet as well as digital television.

Telefonica is counted as one of the largest telecom company, and in this long period of Telefonica’s existence, it has expanded its operations overseas and has established as one of the dominant telecom company in 24 countries, including Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, France, Germany, the UK, etc. 

According to the 2017 list of Forbes, Telefónica was the 110th largest company in the world. As of 2018, the recorded annual revenue of Telefonica was €48.7 billion, and around 120,138 employees were working at the company’s various offices around the world.

The Foundational Story of Telefonica

Telefonica is a almost a century old as was founded in 1924 as Compañía Telefónica Nacional de España (CTNE) in Madrid. ITT was the major shareholder in the company at that time, and by 1945, the state had taken over about 80% of the company shares. Since the state was a major stakeholder in Telefonica, till the year 1997, it had a monopoly over the telecommunication industry of Spain.

Telefonica laid down the first long-distance telephone line in Madrid in 1925, and the next year, it established an underground telephone network at Puente de Toledo, Madrid. The company stayed the only company providing telephone service in Spain till 1960. In 1967, Telefonica entered into satellite communications and commissioned the first Special Data Transmission Network in Europe in 1971.

In the next seven years, Telefonica had installed about 10 million phones and also got listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1987. In 1989, Telefonica also played a crucial role in the composition of Hispasat.

Telefonica
Image Source: eleconomista.es

Only in three years of entering Chile, the company controlled around 98% of the population for its analog mobile telephone in the country in 1993. In 1994, the company launched its digital mobile service in Peru with the name Movistar. The next year, with the emergence of the internet, Telefonica also launched its internet service named Infovía, and in the same year, the company turned into a partial private company. This privatization completed in 1999 and Telefonica also launched the ADSL broadband fixed access service in the same year.

The company also sold its subsidiary companies and its stakes in other companies in the following years, including Atento (2012), 40% assets in Central America (2013), Telefónica Ireland (2014), its stake in Telecom Italia (2014), Antares (2018), etc.

In 2011 The company created the T. Digital and TGR and had its Germany IPO in 2012. In 2014, Telefonica announced to become a new fully customer-oriented organization. The company created Telxius in 2017 and Aura in 2018. Aura was Telefonica’s way to Artificial Intelligence.

Acquisitions

In 2004, Telefonica acquired BellSouth assets in Latin America, and the next year it acquired Cesky Telecom. The company also bought a 5% share in China Netcom in 2005. The company acquired the operations of O2 in the UK, Germany, and Ireland in 2006 and also acquired 51% shares in Colombia Telecom in the same year. The next year, the company partnered with Telecom Italia, followed by the acquisition of Vivo Brazil in 2008. In 2009, it also partnered with China Unicom.

In 2010, Telefonica bought the operations of a company named Hansenet in Germany, Jajah in Israel, and Tuenti in Spain, and took over the operations of Vivo in Brasilcel. In the year 2014, Telefonica acquired  E-Plus in Germany, DTS (Canal +) in Spain, and GVT in Brazil.

The CEO

José María Álvarez-Pallete López was born on 12 December 1963, in Madrid and is a famous Spanish economist. Pallete López was appointed the CEO of Telfonica on 8 April 2016.

José María Álvarez-Pallete López CEO of Telefonica
Image Source: telefonica.com

Pallete López started his career at Arthur Young Auditors in 1987. But in 1988, he switched his job and joined Benito & Monjardín/Kidder, Peabody & Co., followed by taking a position in Compañía Valenciana de Cementos Portland (CEMEX) as head of the Investor Relations and Analysis Department in 1995. He handled various positions in the company like CFO, Chief Administration, and Finance Officer of the CEMEX Group’s international offices till 1998.

In 1999, Pallete López got an offer from Telefonica as the Managing Director of the Corporate & Finance in Telefónica S.A. After being posted to many positions like Executive Chairman of Telefonica International S.A., Managing Director of Latin America Telefonica, and President of Latin America Telefonica, he was appointed the CEO on 8 April 2016.

Mitsubishi Group

The Japanese Multinational Conglomerate Mitsubishi Group completes more than 150 years of its journey.

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Mitsubishi group is one of the biggest multinational conglomerates based in Tokyo, Japan. The Mitsubishi Group has subsidiaries in various industries from oil and gas to automotive companies. The company was founded by Yataro Iwasaki back in the 1870s. Though the company has a lot of members spreading wings in different industries, the three main core members also known as the “Three Great Houses” comprise MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.

The origin of the Mitsubishi Group dates back to 1870 when Iwasaki started the company with others. family members. But, a lot changes in the post-world war situation. So, let’s have a better look at the history of the company which is carrying its legacy for the past 150 years.

The Beginning of the Mitsubishi Group

Iwasaki initially worked for the Tosa Clan which was one of the most dominant merchants in Japan during the 1800s. While the clan business was thriving in Japan, the Meiji government created a new policy banning the clan-led businesses which led two powerful members of the Tosa Clan to establish a new company called Tsukumo Shokai in 1870. In 1873, Yataro was completely in charge of the company who then founded Mitsubishi Shokai. The company’s headquarters eventually moved to Tokyo and the business was renamed Mitsubishi Jokisen Kaisha.

Mitsubishi Group
Image Source: fortune.com

The company started working very closely with the government as the Mitsubishi ships were used to transfer troops to Taiwan and Satsuma in 1877. Mitsubishi’s financial base became very strong after this operation and the company started flourishing under Iwasaki’s leadership. In the next few years, Iwasaki invested in new mining technology thus helping his brother’s business, and later acquired a few mines in Japan. In 1884, Mitsubishi purchased the Nagasaki shipyard from the Japanese government.

In 1885, Yanosuke Iwasaki took the place of Yataro Iwasaki as he passed away. Yanosuke was the younger brother of Yataro and the second president of the Mitsubishi Group. The new president played a major role in expanding and diversifying the company into new fields. But soon as promised to his elder brother, the reins of power were transferred to the next generation and Hisaya Iwasaki at 28 became the new president.

Entering into a new era

The young Iwasaki went to Wharton school and his leadership brought some new perspective in both business and management. The entire Mitsubishi group was then divided into various sectors like mining, banking, shipbuilding, etc and the cost and responsibility were divided accordingly. In the 1910s the company was going through great economic growth and Hisaya stepped down, passing the reins to Koyata Iwasaki. Koyata was in charge of the company during the economic depression in the early 20th century. Even in these difficult times, Koyata was committed to quality and fair business. His main idea was to shape a profitable and sustainable business which became the most important principles of the company.

While the company became one of the most powerful conglomerates in Japan, post world war II, the Mitsubishi group was forced to re-launch as independent companies. But in 1954 the companies again merged and became a single entity. In the second half of the 1900s, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation was booming. In 1969, Mitsubishi Foundation was formed which supports social welfare and research programs.

One of the most important reasons behind the success of Mitsubishi Group is its leadership. Every president that served the company embedded some strong principles in the work ethic and evolved by bringing western ideas of business and architecture into the game. The company stood strong even during the economic turmoil and during and after the world wars. Currently, the company is embarking on a new journey exploring beyond our planet.

About the Founder: Yataro Iwasaki

Born in 1835, Yataro Iwasaki understood and valued the importance of education highly. Yataro received the kind of education only a few fortunate people could afford during the time. He was born and brought up in a small village of Japan called Tosa and eventually started working for the Tosa Clan which marked the onset of his remarkable journey. While he was the president of the Mitsubishi group he introduced many new modern technologies which eventually led to uncovering some valuable mines for the company. He was the one who expanded Mitsubishi into other fields like warehousing and finance.

Infineon Technologies AG

Infineon Technologies AG: A Spin-Off Company Making Big in the Semiconductor Industry

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The founding of semiconductors provided opportunities to many creative minds, and as a result, we have some big names in the industry who are the major contributors to the growth of the IT industry. Infineon Technologies AG is one of the largest semiconductor producers and suppliers in the world and is known to serve three main divisions: Automotive, Industrial Electronics, and Chip Card and Security Applications. The company has a history as old as the birth of the telegraph, but it officially started its operations as an independent company on 1 April 1999.

History and Formation of Infineon

Infineon Technologies AG is the result of the spin-off of its parent company Siemens Semiconductor. Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske founded Semiconductor as Siemens & Halske on 1 October 1847 in Germany, and the company was a mere workshop in the beginning. Siemens & Halske was a telegraph manufacturing company and built the first long-distance telegraph line in Europe in 1848. By 1850, the company also started to provide its services in Russia, and in 1867, Siemens built the monumental Indo-European telegraph line stretching from London to Calcutta, over 11,000 km. Siemens is also credited for 1881’s first electric street lighting in the town of Godalming using AC Alternator driven by a watermill.

The company was experimenting in almost every field, from the light bulb to electric train, and at the same time, it was expanding overseas. During the beginning of 1900, it had become the seventh-largest company in the German empire. In the 1920s, Siemens & Halske started to manufacture radios, television sets, and electron microscopes.

Infineon Technologies AG
Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

It was the 1950s when the arrival of computers and the discovery of semiconductors encouraged Siemens & Halske to try their hands in the production of computers and semiconductor devices. Along with that, the company also invested in washing machines and pacemakers production. It also launched its first digital exchange in 1980.

In 1977, the company partnered with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to enter the American market and also established the Advanced Micro Computers (AMC), in Silicon Valley and in Germany to start the development of microcomputers. In the 90s, the company acquired several companies with different expertise and had a spun off in 1999, which resulted in the formation of Infineon Technologies, a legally independent company, dedicated to semiconductor manufacturing.

With the formation of Infineon Technologies AG, there was an erosion in the prices of DRAMs (Dynamic Random Access Memory), and now, the company was free to engage new customers other than Siemens. The very first year of its inception, the company produced and supplied the chips for chip cards. Though it was the first year of its operations, Infineon Technologies AG performed exceptionally well, with a recorded profit of US$70 million in its first fiscal year.

In the year 2000, Infineon started to focus on mobile communications, Internet access, electronic banking, electronic and mobile commerce along with innovative security and authentication systems. During the same time, it also introduced its first Bluetooth chipset.

Acquisitions

In 2007, Infineon partnered with Golden Gate Capital Wireline Communications for €250 million. This partnership led to the formation of Lantiq. The company sold its business segment of wireless solutions to Intel in 2011 for a sum of US$1.4 billion. In January 2011, it went on to acquire International Rectifier Corporation (IR) paying around $3 billion. Infineon bought the MEMS and LiDAR systems producers Innoluce in 2016. It also acquired Cypress Semiconductors in 2020.

The CEO                                       

Reinhard Ploss is currently serving as the CEO of Infineon AG and was appointed to the post on 1 October 2012. He has done a doctorate in process engineering from the Technical University of Munich. He has been working with Siemens since 1986 and started as a process engineer for ion implantation at the company. In 1993, he was appointed to take over the technical management in the Villach (Austria) of the company. With the spun-off of Simens, he became the head of the Infineon Industrial Power division. At the same time, he also served as the managing director of the Infineon subsidiary. In 2007, he became a member of Infineon Management Board for Manufacturing, and finally, in 2012, he was promoted to the post of CEO of Infineon Technologies AG.

BT Group

The BT Group: The UK’s Largest Telecom Company.

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When talking about telecom, BT is a company that has an as old history as the telecom industry. The company is the major telecommunication provider in the UK, and it has come from the era of the telegraph to providing all digital services from fixed-line telephone and mobile service to broadband and Wi-Fi services.

A Brief Introduction

BT Group operates with the trading name BT or British Telecom and is one of the largest telecommunication companies in the UK. BT is the largest consumer fixed-line voice and broadband services provider, largest mobile network operator, and one of the leading Sports Pay-TV broadcasters in the UK. The company is also into selling and supplying wholesale products and services to worldwide communications providers. BT also provides security, cloud, and networking services to its clients and has a global reach with its operating offices in 180 countries across the world.

BT Group
Image Source: dezeen.com

The Founding Story of BT Group

Before becoming BT Group, it was a government-owned telephone department. During the time Telegraph was introduced for the very first time, five major companies were operating as the telegraph service provider in the UK. But later, in 1868 with the Telegraph Act 1868, GPO (General Post Office) got control over the telegraph service department and launched the Postal Telegraphs Department for the same. In 1876, the telephone came into being, and GPO started to run the telephone service at some of its telegraph exchanges.

With the growth of the telegraph and telephone industry, GPO in 1969 became a separate nationalized government department with the name Post office and Post Office Telecommunications (telegraph and telephone service) became a distinct division of the same.

In 1981, the British Telecommunications Act 1981 was passed, and Post Office Telecommunications was rebranded as British Telecom. British Telecom was a government entity but was no longer a division of the Post Office. The very next year, the government announced that it will be selling its shares to the public, and in 1984, the company became a public limited company, listing in London, New York, and Toronto. By 1991, the government sold all its shares in the company, and it started to trade as BT.

BT partnered with the Electricity Supply Board of Ireland to form a joint venture named Ocean and enter the Irish telecommunications market in 1990. In 1999, BT acquired all the shares in Ocean. In June 1994, BT collaborated with MCI Communications for another joint venture, called Concert plc., worth $1 billion, to provide services to multinational corporations. But in 1998, BT sold its shares in MCI to Worldcom and acquired all the shares of Concert plc in reverse.

In 2004, BT got a contract from English National Health Service (NHS) to manage a broadband network named N3 for NHS National Programme for IT. BT also launched BT Home Hub and introduced its new Internet Protocol (IP) based 21st-century network (21CN) in 2006. On 1 April 2009, BT launched the BT Engage IT.

The company, in March 2013, paid a sum of £201.5m to purchase its first 4G spectrum. It also launched a TV channel with the name BT sport, through a package of broadcast rights for the Premier League, in the same year. The company introduced the central business services (CBS) in 2014 for providing better customer service to its consumers, and in 2015, it came up with BT Mobile’s 4G services.

BT is one of the largest telecom companies operating in the UK. As of 2020, 105,300 are working for the company, and the recorded revenue earned by the company for the same year was £22.905 billion.

Acquisitions

To enter the North American telecom market, BT partnered with the leading telecom company in America AT&T, in 1998. In 2000, the company made some big acquisitions in Ireland, including Ireland On Line and Esat Telecom Group plc. Later, Esat Telecom was merged into Ocean and become part of BT Ignite. It was then renamed BT Ireland in April 2005.

In the years 2005 and 2006, the company went on to acquire other telecom and internet companies, including Infonet, an Italian company Albacom, Radianz, and online electrical retailer Dabs.com.

In 2007 and 2008, BT made some more acquisitions, like it acquired the PlusNet plc., International Network Services Inc., Wire One Communications, and Ufindus, Ribbit. BT also acquired ESPN Inc.’s UK and Ireland TV in 2013, which helped the company to grow in the field of broadcasting. In January 2015, the company completed its deal to acquire EE.

The CEO

Philip Jansen BT Group CEO
Image Source: news.sky.com

Philip Jansen is a British businessman who is serving as the CEO, BT Group. He started his tenure as the CEO from 1 February 2019 and succeeded Gavin Patterson. Before BT, he was the CEO of Brakes Group.

Bell Canada

Bell Canada: The Largest Telecommunications Company of Canada.

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Bell Canada started as a division of the Bell Telephone Company, the founder of the telephone. But for the last 140 years, it has been working as an independent company, keeping the name of its founder, Bell, along with it. With time, the company opted for all new technologies, and today, it sits at the top of its rivals in the Canadian telecommunication industry.

About The Company

Bell Canada is a renowned Canadian telecommunication company. The company serves as ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the Ontario and Quebec region and as a CLEC (competitive local exchange carrier) for its enterprise customers in the western part of the country. The Company has over 13 million active phone lines serving its customers. The company was founded in 1880 and headquarters at Verdun, Quebec, Canada.

Bell Canada
Image Source: play.google.com

The Company specializes in services like fixed-line and mobile telephony, internet services, digital television, radio broadcasting, etc. The subsidiary companies of Bell Canada include Bell Mobility, Bell Aliant, Bell MTS, Virgin Mobile Canada, Bell Internet, Bell Satellite TV, Bell Fibe TV, and Lucky Mobile.

The Back Story of Bell Canada

The History of Bell Canada goes back to the 1870s, almost 140 years back, when Alexander Graham Bell founded the Bell Telephone Company in Boston, Massachusetts. Bell Telephone was successfully providing its services to its American customers, but it lagged in its services in Canada. For few years, the company was offering its services on lease on customers’ private telephones as well as over the subscription of the third-party telecommunications service providers.

The National Bell Telephone Company from Boston acquired the Bell Telephone Company’s Canadian division on 29 April 1980 and renamed it the Bell Telephone Company of Canada Ltd. Charles Fleetford Sise, a U.S. executive was appointed to head the company as its general manager, who later became the key person in the growth of the company.

For about 80 years from its inception, Bell Telephone Company of Canada Ltd. was known as the “The Bell” or “Bell Telephone”, but on 7 March 1968, it was renamed Bell Canada by the Canadian federal legislation. During this time, the company had also started to serve overseas.

In 1974, the company introduced the first 9-1-1 emergency calling system for police, fire, and ambulance services in Ontario and London. The next year, the company installed the world’s largest “Centrex” system for the Alberta Government. The same year, Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission also became a government regulatory body and was used to broadcast bigger events as hockey matches live. On 16 December 1977, the company carried out the first trial for the fiber optic technology in Montreal.

In 1980, the company introduced the first digital switching units, and in 1982, the company launched the first cellular telephone system in Alberta. Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. acquired the rights of Bell Canada and became the parent company of the latter. By 1990, Canada was having the world’s largest contiguous cellular network. In 1992, CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) opened doors for long-distance competition, and in 1998, the company entered the public phone service sector. Till 1997, the company was having a monopoly in the telecommunication sector in Canada, but the deregulation by the federal government ended the monopoly of Bell Canada by 80%.

Bell Canada entered into a competition with many other telecommunication companies, Rogers Communications, Telus, and Shaw Communications being its major rivals. Still, it continues to be at the top of the telecommunication industry of Canada. As of 2019, the total recorded revenue of the company was C$23.96 billion, and 52,100 people are employed in the company.

The Innovative Mind Behind the Company

Charles Fleetwood Sise Sr. was one of the first presidents of Bell Canada, who is greatly credited for the growth of the company. Sise was born on 27 September 1834 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. His father was a merchant and had shares in ships. So after getting a basic education till the age of 16, Sise also went on to work on a ship. While working on the ship, he was promoted to become the captain of his ship and sailed across the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

Charles Fleetwood Sise Sr. Founder of Bell Canada
Image Source: bce.ca

In 1860, Sise came back to run a ship-brokering business in New Orleans. But just 6-7 years after he started his business, he switched his career to enter the insurance industry. This new career path made him reach the future president of the Bell Telephone Company of Canada, William H. Forbes. Forbes offered him a job as the corporate agent of National Bell Telephone and later sent Sise to Canada to head the Canadian division of National Bell Telephone (Bell Canada).

According to Biographer Robert E. Babe, Sise was one of the most passionate persons when it came to working. He was responsible for the growth of the company, as he was the influential part of most of the big decisions of the company and led many acquisitions of several telephone and telegraph companies in Canada.