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Multinational Conglomerate

Honeywell

Honeywell – American Conglomerate Making Big in the World.

Honeywell, officially known as Honeywell International Inc. is a Charlotte, North Carolina-based conglomerate. The company is over a century old and operated independently as Honeywell Inc. until its merger into AlliedSignal in 1999. Since Honeywell was already a recognized name, the merger was then called Honeywell International Inc. Mark C. Honeywell founded the company in 1906 in Wabash, Indiana, and since then, it has seen steady growth economically as well as client wise.

About the Honeywell

Honeywell is a century-old company and has its headquarters based in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a publically traded technology company that mainly deals in aerospace, building technologies, performance materials, information technology, safety, and productivity solutions. Honeywell is a multinational conglomerate having 110,000 employees working for it, among which 44,000 people are working for the company in its US offices only. Honeywell is a renowned company having its name ranked 92nd among the Fortune 100 company in 2019.

Honeywell
Image source: prnewswire.com

The Back Story

Mark Honeywell founded Honeywell Inc. as Honeywell Heating Specialty Company in Wabash, Indiana, a company that manufactured and sold mercury seal generators. The product was invented by the founder itself. It was the time when everyone was trying to build and sell home heating systems. Since the competition was high, the company first acquired Jewell Manufacturing Company in 1922 and later merged with Minneapolis Heat Regulator Company in 1927, forming Minneapolis-Honeywell Regulator Company. Together both the companies started expanding to improve their control systems.

In 1934, Honeywell went international for the first time and entered the Japanese market after it partnered with a Japanese distributor Yamatake. The international expansion also led to the Canadian market, the market of the Netherlands as well as an office opening in Europe. Honeywell was also among the manufacturers who built and supplied products like superior tank periscope, camera stabilizers, C-1 autopilot, to the US military during World War II.

Working with the US army helped the company to grow other skills as well and make new products. After the world war ended, the company started to build parts for aircraft, like the automated control units. It also partnered with the USAF Wright-Air Development Center in 1953 for the same purpose. At the same time, the computer was an emerging industry, and the company also started a computer manufacturing division named Datamatic in partnership with Raytheon. The company launched DATAmatic 1000 as its first computer.

The 60s was the decade of growth and expansion, such that the company started to import the Pentax cameras and photographic equipment as well as acquired companies like Security Burglar Alarm Company.  

In the next decade, company had a joint venture with Groupe Bull and Control Data Corporation, named Magnetic Peripherals Inc. to enter the hard disk market. It also started to take interest in GE’s ongoing Multics operating system project. By the end of the 70s, the company was already a leader in the field of defense, aerospace, and computing.

In 1980, company acquired Incoterm Corporation to invest in the software market. The company was now selling airline reservations as well as bank teller software. By 2000, Honeywell was already valuing over $21 billion.

In the past twenty years, company has been acquiring big names in different industries. In 2015, it also stepped into the gas, electricity, and water meters business. The company has also started to work in the field of software, cyber-security, robotics, etc. As per the 2020 records, the company made revenues worth US$32.64 billion and owns assets worth US$64.586 billion.

Acquisitions

Honeywell’s acquisition policy has helped it grow rapidly. The major acquisitions of the company include Jewell Manufacturing Company (1922), Time-O-Stat Controls Company (1931), Brown Instrument Company (1934), Intervox Company (1950), Security Burglar Alarm Company (1969), GE’s process control business (1970), l’Informatique (1976), Xerox Data Systems (1975), Sperry Aerospace Group (1986), Duracraft (1996), AlliedSignal (1999), Pittway (2000), Ultrak (2002), GEM Microelectronics (2004), ActiveEye (2007), IAC (2008), Iris Systems (2011), Intermec (2013), Com Dev (2016) and Sparta Systems (2021), etc.

The Founder

Mark Charles Honeywell, a recognized electronics industrialist, founded Honeywell Inc. in 1906 and served the company as the first president and chairman for a period of 6 years. Honeywell was born and brought up in Wabash, Indiana. He went to Eastman Business College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated in 1891. He founded Honeywell Inc. as a water heating system manufacturing company, and today, after about a hundred years, the company is known as a leading conglomerate operating worldwide in different fields.

Deloitte

Deloitte – A 176-years Old Multinational Conglomerate Successfully Running A Professional Services Network.

William Welch Deloitte founded the company back in 1845 in London, England. The full name of the company is Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. It is a private company that operates a network of professional services in over 150 countries. It is the largest company in the world in the sector of professional services in terms of revenue generated and employees working for the company. Currently, there are more than 334,000 professionals offering services like consulting, financial advisory, legal, etc. in the company. Sharon Thorne is the present Chairperson of Deloitte Global and Punit Renjen is the CEO of the same.

About Deloitte

Deloitte, originally established in London, expanded to the United States in the late 1800s. In 1989, the company merged with Touche Ross and after a few years, the company rebranded to Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. But, the company’s name was again abbreviated to Deloitte later. the company provides a wide range of professional services like financial advisory, tax, legal, audit, risk advisory, and consulting. The company is not just the largest brand in the professional service sector it is also the third-largest privately owned company in the US.

Deloitte
Image source: www.consultancy.eu

The Early History of the Company

Hiring professionals to solve complex business problems is the root idea behind the establishment of Company. The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a company in England that generated revenue by selling equity to the public. In 1849, William Welch Deloitte was given the responsibility to audit the company. When the boom in joint-stock companies took place, eventually the demand for people with professional skills surged. So, George A. Touche established an accounting company in 1898 to meet this demand and started expanding the territory of Touche, Niven & Company.

The stock market crash of 1929 brought before all the fact that some bankruptcies were prevented due to proper accounting. When this matter was brought before the US Senate Committee on Banking and Currency, hiring independent audits was made compulsory for public corporations. So, the demand for accountants increased once again and many women accountants found jobs. On the other hand, William by then opened several offices after his journey started with GWR. In 1972, the company merged with Haskins & Sells, and the new company became Deloitte Haskins & Sells. In 1989, the company again merged with Touche Ross but many important people disagreed with the merger and the lead kept changing constantly.

Company in the Modern Era

A lot of discrepancies took place regarding the name of Deloitte and Touche. So, in 1993, the company was given the name Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. In 1995, Deloitte Consulting was formed, and eventually, the company started expanding, acquiring, and opening new services. At the beginning of the 2000s, the company acquired Eclipse, Beijing Pan-China CPA, and the North American Public Service of BearingPoint. the company opened a new branch called Deloitte Intelligence and started hiring ex-employees of the Central Intelligence Agency created a very strong team of professionals. The companies acquired by them were very diverse ranging from the real estate sector to mobile advertising agencies. This helped company expand its services and also generate more revenue.

One of the most successful units of the company is Deloitte Digital which acquired 11 digital marketing agencies in the span of 5 years. In 2016, Deloitte and Apple went into a joint partnership to increase the sales of Apple’s mobile phones and engagement of Deloitte consultants for Apple’s products and services. The services offered by the company as well as its geographical market keep on expanding. As of last year, the company generated annual revenue of more than $45 billion.

About William Welch Deloitte

William Welch Deloitte, born in 1818, started his professional career very early. Only at the age of 15, he started working as an assistant for the Official Assignee at the Bankruptcy Court in London. While working as an assistant, he learned about business and eventually became an accountant. When he was 25 he opened his own office but his life took a huge turn when he became the first even independent auditor appointed. Eventually, he started establishing multiple offices of Deloitte and when he retired from the company, it existed as Deloitte, Plender, Griffiths & Co.

Mitsubishi Group

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

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.