 |
| Panasonic |
Panasonic Corporation is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing and it produces products under a variety of names including Panasonic and Technics.
Since its founding in 1918, it has grown to become the largest Japanese electronics producer. In addition to electronics, Panasonic offers non-electronic products and services such as home renovation services. Panasonic was ranked the 89th-largest company in the world in 2009 by the Forbes Global 2000 and is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders.
For 90 years since establishment, the name of the company was always topped with "松下" ("Matsushita"). The company's name before 1 October 2008 had been "Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.", used since 1935.
In 1927, the company founder adopted a brand name "National" for a new lamp product, knowing "national" meant "of or relating to a people, a nation." In 1955, the company labeled its export audio speakers and lamps "PanaSonic", which was the first time it used its "Panasonic" brand name. The company began to use a brand name "Technics" in 1965. The use of multiple brands lasted for some decades.
In May 2003, the company put "Panasonic" as its global brand, and set its global brand slogan, "Panasonic ideas for life." The company began to unify its brands to "Panasonic" and, by March 2004 replaced "National" for products and outdoor signboards, except for those in Japan.
On January 10, 2008, the company announced that it would change its name to "Panasonic Corporation" (effective on October 1, 2008) and phase out the brand "National" in Japan, replacing it with the global brand "Panasonic" (by March 2010). The name change was approved at a shareholders' meeting on June 26, 2008 after consultation with the Matsushita family.
Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita first selling duplex lamp sockets. In 1927, it produced a bicycle lamp, the first product it marketed under the brand name National. It operated factories in Japan and other parts of Asia through the end of World War II, producing electrical components and appliances such as light fixtures, motors, and electric irons.
After World War II, Panasonic regrouped and began to supply the post war boom in Japan with radios and appliances, as well as bicycles. Matsushita's brother-in-law, Toshio Iue founded Sanyo as a subcontractor for components after WWII. Sanyo grew to become a competitor to Panasonic.
The production of high-quality road and touring bicycles and bicycle components composed a little-known but substantial portion of the appliance division of the National/Panasonic corporation from 1945 through the end of the 1980s. As a child, Konosuke Matsushita, founder of National/Panasonic, had been adopted into a family who owned a small bicycle shop, and was passionate about bicycles and cycling.
National and Panasonic bicycles were sold both in Japan and overseas to various retailers, who sometimes rebadged the bikes with private labels. Despite competition from other Japanese manufacturers, Matsushita enacted a corporate policy forbidding low quality in Panasonic bicycles no matter what the profit margins. When Schwinn was forced by economics to outsource bicycles built overseas, they chose the Panasonic World series, a successful model in production from 1972. As the only vendor to meet Schwinn's rigid manufacturing and production standards, Panasonic built several models for Schwinn, such as the World Traveller and the World Voyager. During the 1970s and 1980s, Panasonic produced a full range of lugged steel frame bicycles, produced in modern factories complete with robotic welding/brazing and advanced paint application equipment. Panasonic's bicycle tires had higher thread counts and thicker treads than their competition, and established a reputation for uniformity and high quality.
From 1985 on, steady increases in the value of the Japanese yen and lower cost competition from Taiwan made Panasonic bicycles less competitive in the U.S. and other markets. Panasonic began to sell rebadged bikes made in Taiwan under their name. By 1989, Panasonic division managers were reporting that bicycles brought less revenue (and less profit) per square foot of warehouse than any other product in the corporate division. Following the death of Konosuke Matsushita, Panasonic abandoned the US bicycle market at the end of September, 1989. Panasonic currently produces hand built frames in Japan for keirin track racing under Nihon Jitensha Shinkokai (NJS) approved standards.
In 1961, Konosuke Matsushita traveled to the United States and met with American dealers. Panasonic began producing television sets for the U.S. market under the Panasonic brand name, and expanded the use of the brand to Europe in 1979.
The company used the National trademark outside of North America during the 1950s through the 1970s. (The trademark could not be used in the USA, probably because it was already in use by the National Radio Company who were operating in a closely related product area.) It sold televisions, hi-fidelity stereo receivers, multi-band shortwave radios, and marine radio direction finders, often exported to North America under various U.S. brand names. The company also developed a line of home appliances such as rice cookers for the Japanese and Asian markets. In India, Panasonic is among the top 100 Most Trusted brands listed by The Brand Trust Report . Rapid growth resulted in the company opening manufacturing plants around the world. National/Panasonic quickly developed a reputation for well-made, reliable products.
The company debuted a hi-fidelity audio speaker in Japan in 1965 with the brand Technics. This line of high quality stereo components became worldwide favorites. The most famous products being its turntables, such as the SL-1200 record player, known for its high performance, precision, and durability. Throughout the 1970s and early 1980s, Panasonic continued to produce high-quality specialized electronics for niche markets such as shortwave radios, as well as developing a successful line of stereo receivers, CD players, and other components.
Since 2004, Toyota has used Panasonic batteries for its Toyota Prius, an environmentally friendly car made in Japan.
On January 19, 2006 Panasonic announced that, starting in February, it will stop producing analog televisions (then 30% of its total TV business) to concentrate on digital TVs.
On November 3, 2008 Panasonic and Sanyo were in talks, resulting in the eventual acquisition of Sanyo. The merger was completed in December 2009, and resulted in a mega-corporation with revenues over ¥11.2 trillion (around $110 billion). As part of what will be Japan's biggest electronics company, the Sanyo brand and most of the employees will be retained as a subsidiary.
In November 1999, the Japan Times reported that Panasonic planned to develop a "next generation first aid kit" called the Electronic Health Checker. At the time, the target market was said to be elderly people, especially those living in rural areas where medical help might not be immediately available, so it was planned that the kit would include support for telemedicine. The kits were then in the testing stage, with plans for eventual overseas distribution, to include the United States.
In recent years the company has been involved with the development of high-density optical disc standards intended to eventually replace the DVD and the SD memory card.
On July 29, 2010 Panasonic reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares of Panasonic Electric Works and Sanyo shares for $9.4 billion.