The Marconi Company opened the world’s first radio factory in Chelmsford in 1898 and was responsible for some of the most important advances in radio and television. In 1946, English Electric acquired The Marconi Company which complemented its other business interests.
In 1968, English Electric became a takeover target for the Plessey Company, but instead, it agreed to accept a rival bid from The General Electric Company (GEC).
Between 1945 and the de-merger of GEC’s defence businesses in 1999, the company had become one of the world’s most important defence contractors. A number of major defence related acquisitions were made, including: Associated Electrical Industries in 1967, English Electric in 1968, parts of Ferranti’s defence business in 1990 and the Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering Limited in 1995. In June 1998, GEC acquired the North American defence contractor, Tracor.
Following the acquisition of Marconi through its parent company English Electric in 1968, GEC used the Marconi name to represent all of its defence companies. Eventually the companies were grouped under the name, Marconi Electronic Systems (MES).
In December 1998, GEC began looking for a suitable partner for the Marconi Electronic Systems business and began discussions with British Aerospace. By mid-January 1999, both companies announced that they were holding talks, and by November of the same year, the deal had been completed. Marconi Electronic Systems and British Aerospace were merged on 30th November 1999, to form the new company, BAE Systems.
