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Sanyo
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(, ) is a major Japanese electronics company and member of the Fortune 500 whose headquarters is located in Moriguchi, Osaka prefecture, Japan. Sanyo targets the middle of the market and has over 324 offices and plants worldwide, together employing more than 11,000 employees.
Corporate cultureSanyo utilizes an extensive socialization process for new employees, so that they will be acclimatized to Sanyo's corporate culture. New employees take a five-month course during which they eat together and share company-provided sleeping accommodation. They learn everything from basic job requirements to company expectations for personal grooming and the appropriate way in which to address their coworkers and superiors.
History
Sanyo was founded when Toshio Iue (?? ?? Iue Toshio, 1902-1969), the brother-in-law of Konosuke Matsushita and also a former Matsushita employee, was lent an unused Matsushita plant in 1947 and used it to make bicycle generator lamps. Sanyo was incorporated in 1950 and in 1952 it made Japan's first plastic radio and in 1954 Japan's first pulsator-type washing machine. The company's name means three oceans in Japanese, referring to the founder's ambition to sell their products worldwide, across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans.
Technologically Sanyo has had good ties with Sony, supporting the Betamax video format from invention until the mid 1980s (the best selling video recorder in the UK in 1983 was the Sanyo VTC5000), and later being an early adopter of the highly successful Video8 camcorder format. More recently, though, Sanyo decided against supporting Sony's format, the Blu-ray Disc, and instead gave its backing to Toshiba's HD DVD. This was ultimately unsuccessful, however, as Sony's Blu-ray triumphed.
In North America, Sanyo manufactures CDMA cellular phones exclusively for Sprint-Nextel corporation's Sprint PCS brand in the United States, and for Bell Mobility in Canada. For three consecutive years, Sanyo received the J.D. Power and Associates award for having the highest overall satisfaction out of the eight most popular mobile phone manufacturers. However in 2005 Sanyo tied with LG for this position.
The 2004 Chuetsu earthquake severely struck Sanyo's semiconductor plant and as a result Sanyo recorded a huge financial loss for that year. The 2005 fiscal year financial results saw a 205 billion yen net income loss. The same year the company announced a restructuring plan called the Sanyo Evolution Project, launching a new corporate vision to make the corporation into an environmental company, plowing investment into strong products like rechargeable batteries, solar photovoltaics, air conditioning, hybrid car batteries in a joint venture with Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (two firms would develop a nickel hydrogen battery) and key consumer electronics such as the Xacti camera, projectors and mobile phones.
Sanyo posted signs of recovery after the announcement of positive operating income of 2.6 billion yen. Sanyo remains the world number one producer of rechargeable batteries. Recent product innovations in this area include the Eneloop battery, a "hybrid" rechargeable NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery which, unlike typical NiMH cells, can be used from-the-package without an initial recharge cycle and retain a charge significantly longer than batteries using standard NiMH battery design. The Eneloop line competes against similar products such as Rayovac's "Hybrid Rechargeable" line.
Tomoyo Nonaka, a former NHK anchorwoman,who was appointed Chairman of the company has stepped down. The President, Toshimasa Iue has also stepped down in April this year and Seiichiro Sano has been appointed to head the company effective from April 2007.
In January 2006 Sanyo received a massive capital injection from Goldman Sachs, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation and Daiwa Securities which resulted in five members of the banks represented joining the nine-person Board of Directors.
On 24 November 2006, Sanyo announced heavy losses and job cuts.
Fisher Electronics which was purchased by Sanyo from Fisher Radio Corporation in 1975, is a Sanyo US subsidiary.
In October 2007, Sanyo canceled what may have been a possible 110 billion yen ($942 million) semiconductor sale, stating that after exploring its other options, it had decided to keep the business and develop it as part of its portfolio.
Rumors have Matsushita buying into Sanyo to assist in its turnaround. If this occurs, this will bring the Sanyo story full-circle, back to its origins with Toshio Iue and Konosuke Matsushita.
EnergySolar module assembly plantSanyo Electric opened its solar module assembly plant in Hungary in 2004, and in 2006 it produced solar modules worth $213 million. In 2007, Sanyo completed a new unit at its solar module plant in Hungary that is to triple its annual capacity to 720,000 units in 2008.
Plans to expand production were based on rising demands for Sanyo Hungary products, whose leading markets are Germany, Italy, Spain and the Scandinavian countries. The plant at Dorog, outside Budapest, will be Sanyo Electric's largest facility that produces solar modules in the entire world.
Electric vehicle batteries Toshiba Group's nickel metal hydride battery business, Toshiba Battery Co., Ltd. (with manufacture base was in Takasaki), was transferred to Sanyo. Toshiba Battery Co., Ltd. manufacture base was in Takasaki, newly inaugurated as Sanyo Energy Takasaki Co., Ltd.
Sanyo Electric Co Ltd. subsidiary, supplies nickel metal hydride batteries to Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and Ford Motor Co.
Sanyo Electric plans to raise monthly production of NiMH batteries for hybrid vehicles from the current 1 million units to up to 2.5 million by the end of fiscal 2005.
Audi is planning an alliance with the Japanese electronic giant Sanyo to develop a pilot hybrid project for the Volkswagen Group. The alliance could result in Sanyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future models of the Volkswagen group.
SponsorshipSanyo is the major sponsor of the Penrith Panthers Rugby League team in the National Rugby League. However, the team has recently been involved in controversy, as three Panthers players were being investigated by police after separate violent incidents, including violence against women. The Rugby players in question continue to make public appearances on Australian television wearing the Sanyo logo on their clothing (See: List of Rugby league incidents).
Sanyo is also one of the sponsors for the John Force racing team, which includes John Force and his daughter Ashley Force.
See alsohttp://us.sanyo.com/appliances/
External links- (Australia / New Zealand)
- Private german project
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