Other Countries

Central & South America

Philco developed a distribution network in this part of the world to sell its radio receivers which were built in the USA. From mid-1938 on, Philco’s “Tropic” line of receivers were build specifically for this market, as they were built with specially treated coils and chassis to resist high humidity.

China

Following the end of the Second World War, Philco arranged for the Central Radio Corporation, under the ownership of the National Resources Commission of China, to assemble Philco Tropic radios and to distribute Philco products in northern and central China.

The company had two plants, one in Tientsin (now Tianjin) and another at Nanking (Nanjing).

It is not definitely known at this time whether or not this arrangement ended in 1949 with China’s Communist revolution, but it can be assumed that Philco’s activities in China most likely ceased at that time.

France

Philco radios were exported to France by Philco Radio & Television Corporation of Great Britain.

India

Philco not only exported radios to India, but also maintained a service organization there as well.

Mexico

As with Central and South America, Philco exported radios to Mexico. A new Philco plant in Mexico City opened in 1948 for the manufacture of Philco Tropic radios.

New Zealand

Philco exported radios from the USA to New Zealand from 1929 until 1937 when local restrictions on imports forced Philco to make changes. At first, Philco continued to export radio chassis to New Zealand, where the chassis were assembled into locally-produced cabinets by a New Zealand firm, Dominion Radio and Electrical Corporation, Ltd., also known as DRECO. Later, DRECO assumed production of both chassis and cabinets for the New Zealand market.

A Few Philco Sets from Other Parts of the Globe