German electrical-equipment manufacturer.
The first Siemens company, Siemens & Halske, was founded in Berlin in 1847 to build telegraph installations. Under Werner Siemens (181692) and his three brothers (including William Siemens), it expanded to produce dynamos, cables, telephones, electric power, and electric lighting. In 1903 Siemens & Halske transferred its power-engineering activities to the new Siemens-Schuckertwerke GmbH, and in 1932 Siemens-Reiniger-Werke AG was established to produce medical equipment. The companies expanded greatly during the Third Reich; after World War II, Siemens officials were charged with using slave labour and participating in the construction and operation of the Auschwitz and Buchenwald camps. The Siemens companies flourished again in the 1950s, and by 1966, when the three separate companies merged to form Siemens AG, were among the world's largest electrical suppliers. Siemens products include electrical components, computer systems, microwave devices, and medical equipment.