General Signal Corporation (formerly NYSE: GSX) was a publicly traded control equipment and systems company based in Stamford, Connecticut, and was listed in Standard & Poor's S&P 500 Composite Index of 500 of the largest public companies in the United States. It was a leading manufacturer of control systems technology primarily serving the transportation and telecommunication industries. In late 1998 it was bought for US$2 billion by a much smaller company, SPX Corporation.

General Signal Technology Corp. was a technology manufacturing company making control equipment and systems. It traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GSX.

In 1978, General Signal acquired Leeds & Northrup (L&N) through a merger.

In 1986, General Signal acquired Drytek, Inc., a plasma dry-etch company founded in August 1980 by Arthur W. Zafiropoulo. From that time he served as Drytek's President and CEO under General Signal as well.

In July 1987 Zafiropoulo also became President of Kayex, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer unit of General Signal.

In 1988, the company acquired Mirtone.

In February 1989, Zafiropoulo was promoted to become President of General Signal's subsidiary Semiconductor Equipment Group International, yet another semiconductor equipment company. He held the dual position of President of both that company and of Kayex at that time.

In September 1990, Zafiropoulo was promoted to President of General Signal's Ultratech Stepper Division.