Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1979. július-december (33. évfolyam, 27-49. szám)

1979-09-20 / 35. szám

Thursday, Sept. 20. 1979. AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZÓ 7 On the occasion of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur the editors of Heritage convey their best wishes to our Jewish readers. “SMUTS ON EAST H” John Steinbeck’s tribute to a renowned Hunga­rian traveller in the United States. Hungary lights up America Tungsram must be among the longest established and best known of all Hungarian companies. It gained further fame recently when the joint production company, Action Tungsram Inc. was set up in East Brunswick, New Jersey. We reprint Jim F. Fuller’s interview with Action Tungsram president Mr. Allan L. Merken, .Hungarian technology and American marketing skills have teamed up to seek a foothold in the high­ly competitive American light bulb industry. The result is Action Tungsram, Inc., which several months ago began manufacturing and importing light bulbs, and other lighting products at its plant in East Brunswick, N.J. The unique company, formed in December 1977 after a year of negotiations, is jointly owned by Action Industries of Cheswick, Pa. and the United Incandescent Lamp and Electrical Comp. Ltd. of Budapest, better known as Tungsram. Action’s share of the venture is 51 %, with the rest belong­ing to the Hungarian firm. Capital investment totals 7 million dollars. “We believe this is the first such east-west com­pany, formed in the U.S.A. and the first major di­rect investment by an East European company in US industry”, Mr. Merken, president of the com­pany said. He noted that Tungsram was founded in Hungary 80 years ago and ranks among the world’s top ten manufacturers of light bulbs and light bulb-making equipment. It invented the tungsten coil in 1903 and produced the first incandescent light bulbs in which tungsten instead of carbon was used as a fi-' lament. Action Industries, which markets a wide range of hardware and household products, has been sel­ling Tungsram light bulbs in the USA for a number of years, and has been the sole importer of Tungs­ram bulbs for the American market. Tungsram‘sold about 4 million dollars worth of light bulbs in the USA last year. Mr. Merken said construction of the light bulb­manufacturing facility for Action Tungsram, Inc. was completed in New Jersey two years ago,‘with the plant’s manufacturing equipment being supp­lied by Tungsram. “Although the light bulb making machinery is imported from Hungary, all the raw materials and components for our light bulbs are being purchased in the United States.” The Action Tungsram factory in East Brunswick, New Jersey Action Tungsram employs appr. 30 workers at present, but the workforce is expected to grow gra­dually to over 100. Mr. Merken said Action Tungsram will later be expanding its products to include professional tech­nical lighting products. “We will extend our market to cover a wide range of lighting products inclu­ding quartz, halogen, mercury, xenon, and fluores­cent.” But he is well aware that his fledgling company is competing in a fery difficult market. The light bulb industry is one of the most highly concentra­ted in the USA, with over 90 % of the market do­minated by four giant manufacturers - General Elec­tric, Sylvania, Westinghouse and North American Phillips. “However, utilizing Action Industries’ mar­keting skills, and Tungsram’s production capabili­ties, we feel we have the potential for significant future growth in the lighting products industry. We are talking about a 1.5 billion dollar market, so you wouldn’t need a considerable share to do reasonable business.” “Action Tungsram is a unique business entity which demonstrates the sound economic co-opera­tion possible in the private sector between US and East European business entities,* Mr. Merken con­cluded,- and I feel very strongly about such joint ventures, because I believe that people who do bu­siness together have a far better understanding of each other.” HUNGARIAN BAZAAR IN NEW YORK Come, select a beautiful piece of the world-fa­mous Herend porcelain, Hungarian blouse, all at reasonable prices. Bargainhunt among scores of Hungarian folk- art products at our Christmas, Bazaar on Nov. 18th Sunday at St. George Parish House, 207 E 16 St. near Third Ave. Delicious Hungarian food at reasonable prices. Open trom 11 AM to 4 PM. János Xantu8 ( 1825-1894), a small town lawyer, joined the Hungarian army as a gunnery officer in the 1848 Revolution. *n February 1849 the Austri­ans captured him in a reconnaissance action. After the suppression of the revolution he was forcibly inducted, for 8 years, into the imperial army as a common soldier. First his mother managed to in­tercede for him and he was exempted. However, be­cause of secret trips and suspicious affairs he was called up again, this time for an unlimited period and without any chance of promotion. He escaped to London via Hamburg and from there he travelled to New York at the expense of the English govern­ment. István Sándor frequently refers in his book to the “oral family tradition’’ according to which “he /Xantus/ has been newsboy, sailor, shop assistant, bookseller, pharmacist, card designer, piano-teacher, draughtsman at a railway office, engineer and, when given the opportunity, he taught German, Latin, and Spanish.” New York-St.Louis-New Orleans-St. Louis-New Buda /today: Davis City, Iowa/ - these were stations of his itinerary between 1852 and 1855. In New Buda he applied for 320 acres of land from which a compatriot ousted him with the help of a complicated but successful method. When on November 24, 1855 in St.Louis he joined the US Army under an alias, he did this, as he wrote in a later letter, only “in a moment of utmost despair.” Still it was the army which, within a very short time, gave him self-confidence and the so- much-desired success. With the encouragement of his superior, amy surgeon Dr. Hammond, Xantus took part in the zoological and botanical collecting work. Within a couple of years he achieved amazing results. From Fort Riley in Kansas State alone he sent thousands of mounted and dissected animal and plant specimens to the Smithsonian Institute and the Hungarian National Museum. When on his way to Fort Tejon, his new station in California, he passed through Washington, Presi­dent Buchanan received him and asked about his zoological and botanical work and his links with Lajos Kossuth. Writing about the region of Lower California, an area explored by Xantus, John Steinbeck pays the following tribute to the Hungarian explorer. ”How different it had been when Janos Xantus was stationed in this very place, Cape San Lucas, in the sixties..The first fine cófíecuons of Gulf forms came from Xantus. And we do not feel that we are injuring his reputation, but rather broadening it, by repeating a story about him. Speaking to the manager of the cannery at the Cape, we remarked on what a great man Xantus had been... The mana­ger said, “Oh, he was even better thant that.’ Poin­ting to three little Indian children, he said, ‘these are Xantus’s great-grandchildren’, and he continued, ‘In the town there is a large family of Xantuses, and a few miles back in the hills you’ll find a whole tribe of them.’ There were giants on Earth in those days...We honor this man for all his activities. He at least was one who did proliferate in all direc­tions.” A REVIEW OF ART, LITERATURE AND HISTORY - A SUPPLEMENT OF THE MAGYAR SZO

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