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GEC is acquiring the Public Networks Division of Germany's Robert Bosch for £90m, in order to gain access to more markets in central Europe. 26-Nov-1999 GEC is to change its name to Marconi, and aims to focus on telecommunications and electronic systems. 11-Oct-1999 GEC has sold its NNC nuclear consulting division to a management buy-out for undisclosed terms, and British Nuclear Fuels is acquiring a small stake. 09-Sep-1999 GEC is to acquire RDC Communications, the Israeli supplier of wireless equipment, for £24m, as part of a strategy to focus on telecoms and IT networking. 02-Jul-1999 GEC is in discussions with NEC of Japan about the possibility of forming a commercial and technology alliance, which could involve NEC distributing GEC's communications products. 11-May-1999 GEC has expressed an interest in transferring work from its Marconi Marine shipyard in Barrow to the Kvaerner Govan yard in Glasgow, on the condition that the Govan yard is in secure hands. 30-Apr-1999 GEC is acquiring Fore Systems, the US manufacturer of internet switching equipment, for £2.6bn, as part of a strategy to transform itself from a defence business into a telecommunications group. 27-Apr-1999 GEC has acquired Reltec Corp, the US networking products company, for £1.3bn, and further acquisitions in the telecoms sector are expected to follow. 02-Mar-1999 British Aerospace is to acquire the Marconi defence division of GEC for £6.9bn, to create the third largest defence and aerospace group in the world. 20-Jan-1999 GEC has agreed a £1.8bn deal to merge its space satellite operations with those of Lagardere of France, Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace of Germany, Alenia Spazio of Italy and British Aerospace. 24-Dec-1998 GEC is looking at ways to separate its defence business from its civil industrial operations, and the move is seen as a step towards the creation of a European defence industry group. 23-Dec-1998 GEC is to cut 1,000 jobs at Marconi Communications in a voluntary redundancy programme, but has stressed that the business is not for sale. 04-Dec-1998 The £758m Millennium Dome has secured an additional £36m in sponsorship from four companies - Boots, British Aerospace, GEC and McDonald's. 27-Nov-1998 GEC is planning to close its Xpelair industrial fans factory in Birmingham with the loss of up to 300 jobs. 04-Nov-1998 GEC is acquiring the computed tomography subsidiary of Elscint of Israel for £167m, which will increase its share of the world market from 12% to 18%. 15-Sep-1998 GEC-Marconi Underwater Systems is to build a new two-storey office block at its site in Havant to cope with rising orders, and 90 new jobs will be created. 28-Aug-1998 GEC-Marconi has formed a 50-50 joint venture with Alenia Difesa of Italy which will combine their activities in radar, command and control systems, missiles, air traffic control, simulation and training. 11-Jul-1998 GEC has confirmed plans to spend up to £5bn on acquisitions in defence electronics, telecoms, and industrial electronics, and has also announced a £358m share buy-back. 03-Jul-1998 GEC is to buy Siemens' 40% stake in their GPT telecoms joint venture, in a £700m deal that will also see GEC transfer its 50% stake in their video-conference joint venture to Siemens. 25-Jun-1998 GEC is to acquire Tracor, the US defence electronics company, for £835m, and has also expressed an interest in Northrop Grumman, the aerospace group that could have its planned takeover by Lockheed Martin blocked by Washington. 22-Apr-1998 GEC and Alcatel-Alsthom have released further details of their plans for the June flotation of their GEC-Alsthom joint venture, which will involve them taking a special dividend of about £770m and naming the company Alsthom. 16-Apr-1998 GEC is being urged by some shareholders of Northrop Grumman to enter takeover talks with the US defence group, due to fears that Lockheed Martin's attempted $9bn takeover of Northrop may be blocked by the US government. 11-Apr-1998 GEC is to create a Dutch-based joint holding company with Finmeccanica of Italy to control the two companies' radar, missile systems, naval systems, and command and control activities, as the first step in a planned $3.4bn defence sector partnership. 02-Apr-1998 GEC is close to finalising negotiations with Alenia Difesa of Italy to set up a joint venture in missiles, radar and naval systems, while there could also be co-operation in avionics and armoured vehicles. 07-Mar-1998 GEC has arranged a £4bn credit line to prepare for an aggressive acquisition programme, and some analysts believe it may try to buy out Siemens, its partner in the GPT telecoms joint venture. 21-Feb-1998 GEC has sold GEC Plessey Semiconductors to Mitel of Canada for £140m, thereby completing its withdrawal from unwanted industrial businesses. 14-Feb-1998 GEC has sold Marconi Instruments, the measuring instruments business, to IFR Systems of the US for £65m, as part of a strategy to focus on defence, electronics and telecoms. 07-Feb-1998 Siemens has indicated that it wants to review the future of its GPT telecoms joint venture with GEC, either by selling its 40% stake or by buying GEC's 60% stake. 29-Jan-1998 GEC has announced the sale of a number of non-core subsidiaries for a total of over £100m, including the Luton-based air charter firm Magec Aviation to Lynton Group, the Australasian distribution operations to Rexel, and the Irish distribution business to Olive Holdings. 09-Jan-1998 North Western Trains has ordered 27 diesel passenger trains from GEC Alsthom at a cost of £64m, with an option for an additional 50. 31-Jul-1997 GEC is setting up three defence joint ventures with Finmeccanica of Italy, covering missiles, naval systems, armoured vehicles, radar, avionics, and guns. 11-Jul-1997 GEC is planning a major restructuring in order to focus on three core businesses - defence and aerospace, telecommunications and industrial electronics - and it is also proposing a £4bn stockmarket flotation for GEC Alsthom. 09-Jul-1997 GEC Alsthom, the joint venture between GEC and Alcatel Alsthom, is decentralising its management away from its Paris head office, and appointing 40 country managers. 23-Jun-1997 GPT, the telecoms equipment joint venture between GEC and Siemens, is looking to recruit 400 staff, including analysts, software developers and field engineers, in response to rising demand for advanced transmission systems at its sites in Coventry, Poole, Liverpool and Nottingham. 03-Jun-1997 GEC Alsthom has won a £100m contract to provide and maintain eight trains for the Gatwick Express service. 15-Apr-1997 GEC's planned approach for Thomson-CSF, the French defence electronics company, has been rejected by the French government due to "national security concerns". 05-Apr-1997 GEC is planning to join the bidding for Thomson CSF, the French defence electronics company that is being privatised, and will be in competition with Alcatel and Lagardere Group. 03-Apr-1997 TT Group has acquired Wire & Cables Group from GEC for £16m. 20-Mar-1997 GEC and Alcatel Alsthom of France are reviewing the future of GEC Alsthom, their power engineering joint venture, and may even consider breaking up the business. 19-Mar-1997 GEC and British Aerospace have failed to reach agreement over a possible merger following disagreements over business prospects and the valuation of assets. 24-Feb-1997 Siemens has set up a joint venture with GEC which will represent the second largest supplier of private telecommunications systems in the UK. 20-Feb-1997 General Electric Company is being restructured into five divisions, comprising: the main US operations, an industrial group, GEC Marconi, GEC Alsthom and GPT. 23-Jan-1997 General Electric Company is being reorganised into five divisions - power engineering, defence, telecoms, US operations and general industrial - and is planning a major sell-off of non-core operations. 07-Dec-1996 GEC is in discussions with Alcatel Alsthom of France about the possible merger of their GEC Alsthom power engineering joint venture with Framatome, the French nuclear plant builder. 31-Aug-1996 The Light Rail Group, a consortium that includes John Mowlem, GEC-Alsthom, Mitsui and London Electricity, is thought to be the preferred bidder to build the 2.5 mile Lewisham extension of the Docklands Light Railway. 23-May-1996 The government has awarded contracts to two consortia, led by GEC-Marconi and Bosch, for trials of an electronic tolling system for motorways. 16-May-1996 British Aerospace and GEC have linked up with a number of European companies - Saab, Daimler-Benz, Matra and Alenia, to form a consortium to bid for the £850m UK contract to supply the main missile system for the Eurofighter combat aircraft. 07-May-1996 GEC Alsthom is discussing the possible acquisition of AEG's power engineering business, which makes high and medium electrical equipment in Germany. 24-Oct-1995
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