Panasonic

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Not to be confused with Pensonic Group.

Panasonic Corporation

Logo since 1971

Headquarters in Osaka, Japan

Native name パナソニック株式会社

Romanized name Panasonikku kabushiki gaisha

Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works

Formerly
(1918–1935)
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
(1935–2008)

Type Public KK

Traded as TYO: 6752
NAG: 6752
OTC Pink: PCRFY
NYSE: MC (former)
Nikkei 225 component (TYO)
TOPIX Large70 component (TYO)
ISIN JP3866800000

Industry Conglomerate

Founded March 13, 1918; 104 years ago

Osaka, Japan

Founder Kōnosuke Matsushita

Headquarters Kadoma, Osaka, Japan

34.7438°N 135.5701°ECoordinates: 
34.7438°N 135.5701°E

Area served Worldwide

Key people Kazuhiro Tsuga (Chairman)

Yuki Kusumi (President and CEO)

Products Artificial intelligence

Automation
Construction
Electrical equipments
Electronics
Entertainment
Fans
Home appliances
Industrial equipments
IoT
Lighting
Personal computers
Real estate
Rechargeable batteries
Robotics
Software

 ¥7.49 trillion (2020)[* 1]
Revenue

Operating income  ¥293.75 billion (2020)[* 1]

Net income  ¥225.71 billion (2020)[* 1]

 ¥6.22 trillion (2020)[* 1]
Total assets
 ¥2.16 trillion (2020)[* 1]
Total equity

Number of employees 259,385 (2021)

Divisions Panasonic Corporation of North America

 (US)

Subsidiaries Anchor Electricals

Kawakita Denki Kigyosha
Panasonic Avionics Corporation
Panasonic Electric Works
Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.
Universal Lighting Technologies
Blue Yonder

Website panasonic.com

Footnotes / references

1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e "Annual Report 2020"  (PDF) (Press release).

Panasonic Corporation. September 11, 2020. Retrieved  June
11,  2021.

Panasonic Corporation,[a] formerly Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.[b] is a

major Japanese multinational conglomerate company, headquartered
in Kadoma, Osaka. It was founded by Kōnosuke Matsushita in 1918 as a lightbulb
socket manufacturer.[1] In addition to consumer electronics of which it was the world's
largest maker in the late 20th century, Panasonic offers a wide range of products and
services, including rechargeable batteries, automotive and avionic systems, industrial
systems, as well as home renovation and construction. [2][3][4][5][6]
Panasonic has a primary listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and is a constituent of
the Nikkei 225 and TOPIX indices. It has a secondary listing on the Nagoya Stock
Exchange.

Contents

 1Corporate name
 2Brand names
 3History
o 3.120th century
o 3.22000 to present
 4Current operations
o 4.1Appliances
o 4.2Life Solutions
 4.2.1Panasonic Homes
o 4.3Connected Solutions
 4.3.1Panasonic Avionics Corporation
 4.3.2Panasonic Mobile Communications
o 4.4Automotive
 4.4.1Automotive Systems division
  4.4.2Giga Nevada
 4.4.3Prime Planet Energy and Solutions
o 4.5Industrial Solutions
o 4.6Overseas operations
 4.6.1Panasonic Corporation of North America
 4.6.2Panasonic Europe
 4.6.3Panasonic India
 4.6.4PT Panasonic Gobel Indonesia
 5Former operations
o 5.1MCA Inc.
o 5.2Panasonic 3DO
o 5.3Panasonic Healthcare
o 5.4Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions
 6Products
 7Sponsorships
o 7.1Football
o 7.2Other
 8Environmental record
 9Slogans
 10See also
 11Notes
 12References
 13Further reading
 14External links

Corporate name[edit]
From 1935 to October 1, 2008, the company's corporate name was "Matsushita Electric
Industrial Co." (MEI).[7][8] On January 10, 2008, the company announced that it would
change its name to "Panasonic Corporation", in effect on October 1, 2008, to conform
with its global brand name "Panasonic".[9] The name change was approved at the
shareholders' meeting on June 26, 2008, after consultation with the Matsushita family. [10]
[11]

Brand names[edit]
National TV set from 1952

Panasonic Corporation sells virtually all of its products and services worldwide under
the Panasonic brand, having phased out the Sanyo brand in the first quarter of 2012.
[12]
 The company has sold products under a number of other brand names during its
history.
In 1927, Matsushita adopted the brand name "National"[c] for a new lamp product.[13] In
1955, the company began branding audio speakers and lamps for markets outside
Japan as "PanaSonic", which was the first time it used the "Panasonic" brand name.
[14]
 The company began to use the brand name "Technics"[d] in 1965 for audio
equipment.[14] The use of multiple brands lasted for some decades. [14] While 'National' had
been the premier brand on most Matsushita products, including audio and video,
'National' and 'Panasonic' were combined in 1988 as National Panasonic after the
worldwide success of the Panasonic name.
In May 2003, the company announced that "Panasonic" would become its global brand,
and launched the global tagline "Panasonic ideas for life." [15] 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. [15] In January 2008, the company
announced that it would phase out the brand "National" in Japan, replacing it with the
global brand "Panasonic" by March 2010.[9] In September 2013, the company
announced a revision of the decade-old tagline to better illustrate the company vision:
"A Better Life, A Better World."[16]
Rasonic is a brand name of Shun Hing Electric Works and Engineering Co. Ltd (信興電
工工程有限公司), a company that has imported Panasonic and National branded
product since Matsushita Electric Industrial era, and has also sold MEI/Panasonic
products under the original brand names. In June 1994, Panasonic Shun Hing Industrial
Devices Sales (Hong Kong) Co., Ltd. (松下信興機電(香港)有限公司) and Panasonic SH
Industrial Sales (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (松下電器機電(深圳)有限公司) were established
by joint venture between Matsushita Electric Industrial and Shun Hing Group
respectively,[17][18] making Rasonic a product brand for MEI and subsequent Panasonic
Corporation.
In September 2014, Panasonic announced they will revive the Technics brand. [19]

History[edit]
20th century[edit]
Panasonic, then Matsushita Electric, was founded in 1918 by Kōnosuke Matsushita as a
vendor of duplex lamp sockets.[20] In the 1920s Matsushita began regularly launching
products. In 1927, he produced a line of bicycle lamps that were the first to be marketed
with the National brand name.[21] During World War II the company operated factories in
Japan and other parts of Asia which produced electrical components and appliances
such as light fixtures, motors, electric irons, wireless equipment and its first vacuum
tubes.[22]
After the war, the Matsushita group, largely having been split into MEI and MEW by the
dissolution imposed by the occupation force, imperfectly regrouped as a Keiretsu 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 World War II. Sanyo grew to become a competitor to Matsushita,
but was later acquired by Panasonic in December 2009. [23]
In 1961, Matsushita traveled to the United States and met American dealers. The
company 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. [24]
The company used the National brand outside North America from the 1950s to the
1970s (the trademark could not be used in the United States because it was already in
use).[25] The inability to use the National brand name led to the creation of the Panasonic
brand in the United States.[25] Over the next several decades Matsushita released
additional products, including black and white TVs (1952), electrical blenders, fridges
(1953), rice cookers (1959), color TVs and microwave ovens (1966).[25]
The company debuted a high-fidelity audio speaker in Japan in 1965 with the
brand Technics. This line of high quality stereo components became a worldwide
favorite, 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, Matsushita continued to produce high-quality specialized electronics
for niche markets, such as shortwave radios, and developed its successful line of stereo
receivers, CD players and other components.[citation needed]
In 1968, Matsushita began to make rotary compressors for air conditioners, and, in
1971, it began to make absorption chillers, also for air-conditioning applications.
In 1972, Matsushita established its first overseas factory, in Malaysia.
In 1973, Matsushita established "Anam National", joint venture with Anam Group in
South Korea.
In 1983, Matsushita launched the Panasonic Senior Partner, the first fully IBM PC
compatible Japanese-made computer, and it also released inverter air conditioners. [26][27]
In 1984, Matsushita established the Panasoft software label, which published software
for MSX computers from 1984 to 1989. The company also manufactured MSX
computers of their own, such as Panasonic FS-A1.[28]
In November 1990, Matsushita agreed to acquire an American media company MCA
Inc., the predecessor of both Universal Music Group and Universal Pictures, for
US$6.59 billion. The acquisition was preceded by the takeover of Columbia
Pictures by Sony, the arch rival of Matsushita.[29][30] At the time, Matsushita had dominated
the home video market with the company's leading position in the electronics market. It
had gotten strengthened by VHS, the de facto standard of consumer videotape that
Matsushita and JVC co-introduced. Inspired by Sony's bold quest for Hollywood,
Matsushita believed it could become a leader in the film industry as well. However,
Matsushita subsequently sold 80% of MCA to Seagram Company for US$7 billion in
April 1995, demoralized by the high volatility of the film industry. [31][32]
In 1992, Matsushita made Panasonic FS-A1GT, the last model of the MSX turbo
R computer.[33]
In 1998, Matsushita sold Anam National to Anam Electronics.
2000 to present[edit]
On May 2, 2002, Panasonic Canada marked its 35th anniversary in that country by
giving $5 million to help build a "music city" on Toronto's waterfront. [34]
In 2005, Matsushita Toshiba Picture Display Co. Ltd. (a joint venture between
Matsushita and Toshiba created in 2002[35]) stopped production of CRTs at its factory in
Horseheads, New York.[36] A year later, in 2006, it stopped production at its Malaysian
factory, following heavy losses.[37][38][39] In 2007, it bought the venture from Toshiba,
eventually ending all production.[40]
On January 19, 2006, Matsushita announced that it would stop producing analog
televisions (then 30% of its total TV business) from the next month, to concentrate on
digital televisions.[41]
In 2008, all models of electric shavers from the Panasonic factory were called
Panasonic shavers, and they dropped Matsushita and National from their name,
regardless of worldwide or Japanese markets.
In late 2006 Matsushita began talks with Kenwood Corporation to sell and spin off JVC.
[42]
 As of October 1, 2008, JVC and Kenwood merged to create the JVCKenwood
Corporation.[43]
On November 3, 2008, Panasonic and Sanyo announced that they were holding merger
talks, which eventually resulted in the acquisition of Sanyo by Panasonic. [44][45] The
merger was completed in December 2009, and resulted in a corporation with revenues
of over ¥11.2 trillion (around $110 billion).[46]
With the announcement that Pioneer would exit the production of its Kuro plasma HDTV
displays, Panasonic purchased many of the patents and incorporated these
technologies into its own plasma displays.
In April 2011, it was announced that Panasonic would cut its work force by 40,000 by
the end of fiscal 2012 in a bid to streamline overlapping operations. The curtailment is
about 10 percent of its group work force.[47]
In October 2011, Panasonic announced that it was going to trim its money-losing TV
business by ceasing production of plasma TVs at its plant in Amagasaki, Hyogo
Prefecture by March 2012, cutting 1,000 jobs in the process.[48] Also, it sold some of
Sanyo's home appliances business to Haier.[49]
In January 2012, Panasonic announced that it had struck a deal with Myspace on its
new venture, Myspace TV.[50] Myspace TV will allow users to watch live television while
chatting with other users on a laptop, tablet or the television itself. With the partnership,
Myspace TV will be integrated into Panasonic Viera televisions. [51]
On May 11, 2012, Panasonic announced plans to acquire a 76.2% stake in FirePro
Systems, an India-based company in infrastructure protection and security solutions
such as fire alarm, fire suppression, video surveillance and building management. [52]
In April 2012, Panasonic spun off Sanyo DI Solutions, a digital camera OEM.[53]
In line with company prediction of a net loss of 765 billion yen, on November 5, 2012,
the shares fell to the lowest level since February 1975 to 388 yen. In 2012, the shares
plunged 41 percent.[54] On November 14, 2012, Panasonic said it will cut 10,000 jobs and
make further divestments.[55]
On May 18, 2013, Panasonic announced that it would invest $40 million in building a
factory in Binh Duong, Vietnam, which was completed in 2014.[56]
In July 2013, Panasonic agreed to acquire a 13% stake in the Slovenian household
appliance manufacturer Gorenje for around €10 million.[57]
In July 2013, Panasonic signed an agreement with Sony Corporation to
develop Archival Disc, described as an optical disc format for long-term
data archival purposes.[58]
In a press release following its announcement at IFA 2013, Panasonic announced that it
had acquired the "Cameramanager video surveillance service" with the intention of
expanding its reach to cloud-based solutions.[59]
In 2014, Panasonic Healthcare was bought by outside investors. Panasonic Healthcare
was later renamed as PHCHD, which stands for Panasonic HealthCare HD. [60][61]
In July 2014, it was announced that Panasonic has reached a basic agreement
with Tesla Motors to participate in the Gigafactory, the huge battery plant that the
American electric vehicle manufacturer plans to build in the U.S. [62] In August 2014,
Tesla said the plant would be built in the Southwest or Western United States by 2020.
The $5 billion plant would employ 6,500 people, and reduce Tesla's battery costs by 30
percent. The company said it was looking at potential sites
in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico and California.[63]
In October 2014, Panasonic announced its initial investment in Tesla Motors’ battery
factory would amount to "tens of billions" of yen, according to the firm's CEO. [64]
In November 2014, Panasonic announced its partnership with Photon Interactive to
create customized and personalized digital signs in stores. [65]
In January 2015, Panasonic announced it has stopped making TVs in China and plans
to liquidate its joint venture in Shandong.[66]
In March 2015, Panasonic announced plans to buy Houston-based satellite
communication service provider ITC Global.[67]
In April 2015, Panasonic announced its new range of products and relaunched its brand
in South Africa. The company intends to use South Africa as a springboard into Africa,
with Nigeria and Egypt as its initial targets. [68]
In June 2015, Panasonic struck agreements with three Australian energy utilities (Red
Energy, Ergon Energy and ActewAGL) to trial its home-based battery storage options. [69]
In November 2015, Panasonic announced that it set up a new plant in Suzhou, China,
through its subsidiary, Panasonic Ecology Systems Co., Ltd, to produce a new type of
catalyst-coated diesel particulate filter (DPF) that decomposes matter contained in
diesel engine exhaust gas.[70]
In November 2015, Panasonic starts to retail locally harvested produce from its indoor
agriculture facility salads via Veggie Life branding in Singapore, from the very first
licensed indoor vegetable farm in the country using Panasonic's own technology. [71]
In February 2016, Panasonic and the City of Denver formed a formal partnership to
make Denver the "smartest" city in America. Joseph M. Taylor, Chairman and CEO of
Panasonic Corp. of America, laid out the plans for the partnership in four key areas:
smart housing and small offices, energy and utilities, transportation and city services
and smart buildings.[72]
Due to increased competition from China, Panasonic's Li-ion automotive market share
decreased from 47% in 2014 to 34% in 2015.[73] In June 2016, Tesla announced that
Panasonic would be the exclusive supplier of batteries for its mass market vehicle
Model 3. Batteries for the higher-end Model S sedan and Model X SUV will also be
supplied by Panasonic.[74] In early 2016 Panasonic president Kazuhiro Tsuga confirmed
a planned total investment of about $1.6 billion by the company to construct Gigafactory
to full capacity.[75] However, after the number of Model 3 reservations became known in
April,[76] Panasonic moved production plans forward and announced a bond sale for
$3.86 billion, most of it to be invested in Gigafactory.[77]
In 2016, Panasonic debuted a transparent TV. [78]
In July 2016, Panasonic unveiled its interest in making acquisitions in the artificial
intelligence (AI) and machine learning space. According to a source, the company has
put aside $10 million for use in either an acquisition or joint venture. [79]
In August 2018, the company announced, to avoid potential tax issues Panasonic will
move its European headquarters from the UK to Amsterdam in October as Brexit
approaches.[80][81]
Panasonic Lumix S1R with prime lens 50 mm f/1.4 at Photokina in September 2018

On September 25, 2018, Panasonic became one of the founding members of the L-
Mount Alliance, and announced two full-frame mirrorless cameras and a range of L-
Mount lenses to be launched in 2019.[82] The 47-megapixel Panasonic Lumix S1R and
the 24-megapixel Panasonic Lumix S1 will be the first full-frame mirrorless cameras
produced by Panasonic and will offer the Lumix Pro support service for professional
photographers. These cameras will also be equipped with Dual Image Stabilization
technology to help photographers when shooting in low-light. [83]
In 2019, Panasonic sold its semiconductors and security systems (security camera)
businesses.[84][85][86] The company also decided to completely exit from the liquid-crystal
display panel business by 2021, marking the end of its display production, to focus its
resources on the automotive and industrial businesses. Panasonic's LCD plant
in Himeji, Hyogo will be overhauled to manufacture automotive batteries. [87]
In 2020, Panasonic exited the vending machine business, as it failed to achieve
profitability, lagging behind rivals Fuji Electric, Sanden and Glory.[88][89][90]
Meanwhile, Panasonic has made an investment to take a 20% stake in Blue Yonder,
the supply-chain management software company previously known as JDA Software,
deepening the integration of the former's industrial connected technology and the
latter's products that has been under way since a year ago. [91]
On November 19, 2020, Panasonic announced a restructuring set to be completed by
2022 in which the company spins off the domain companies as wholly owned
subsidiaries while transforming itself into the holding company named Panasonic
Holdings Corporation.[92] Panasonic's plans are similar to that its competitor, Sony, did on
April 1, 2021, when Sony Corporation became Sony Group Corporation.
In January 2021, the company announced that it would put an end to its solar
panel production.[93]
In March 2021, it was reported that Panasonic will buy Blue Yonder for $6.45 billion
after buying a 20% stake in Blue Yonder for 86 billion yen in 2020. This deal is
considered one of the biggest since 2011.[94]
In June 2021, it was reported that Panasonic sold its entire stake in Tesla for
$3.6 billion.[95]

Current operations[edit]
As of March 31, 2012, Panasonic employed about 330,000 staff (reduced to around
260,000 by March 2020) and had around 580 subsidiaries. [96] Panasonic had total
revenues of ¥7,846,216 million in 2012, of which 53 percent were generated in Japan,
25 percent in Asia (excluding Japan), 12 percent in the Americas and 10 percent in
Europe.[96] The company invested a total of ¥520,216 million in research and
development in 2012, equivalent to 6.6 percent of its revenues in that year. [96]
In 2012, Panasonic held a total of 140,146 patents worldwide. [96] Panasonic was the
world's top patent applicant for three decades, from the 1980s to the 2000s. [97] According
to a research conducted by the European Patent Office in 2020, the number of battery-
related patents having been filed by Panasonic from 2000 to 2018 was the second-
highest in the world.[98] In 2021, the WIPO’s annual review of the World Intellectual
Property Indicators report ranked Panasonic's number of patent applications published
under the PCT System as 10th in the world, with 1,611 patent applications being
published during 2020.[99] This position is up from their previous ranking as 12th in 2019
with 1,567 applications.[100]

The Panasonic Center in Tokyo, Japan

The Panasonic IMP Building in Osaka, Japan

 
 

The Panasonic R&D facility at Yokosuka Research Park, Japan

Panasonic Philippines Manufacturing Corporation Taytay Rizal.

As of July 2020, Panasonic's operations are organised into seven "domain companies":
Appliances, Life Solutions, Connected Solutions, Automotive, Industrial Solutions, and
two overseas branches overseeing the businesses in the United States and Asia. Each
of these companies may comprise multiple subsidiaries conducting actual operations. [101]