The Sharp company is a story of Russian failure. Sharp refrigerators: manufacturer, models, reviews Sharp Company

Electronics manufacturer Sharp has started restructuring its European division. The company has formed strategic alliances with local firms and announced job cuts, all of which will cost the Japanese vendor tens of millions of dollars.

Sharp will transfer part of its audiovisual business to Slovak TV manufacturer Universal Media Corporation (UMC). He will be able to produce and sell televisions under the Sharp brand in Europe. At the same time, the Japanese company undertakes to help its partner in the design and development of products.

As part of the deal, which is scheduled to close before the end of this year, Sharp will sell a TV factory located in Poland to UMC. The Slovak company is going to increase the number of workers at this plant and return the once high production volumes there.

Founded in 2003, UMC has representative offices in China, Great Britain, Germany and Switzerland. The company, which employs more than 700 people, produces electrical products under the brands Blaupunkt, UMC, Eternity and E-motion, with Sharp soon to join them. In addition to televisions, UMC will sell audio equipment under the brand of the Japanese manufacturer.

It was previously reported that the right to produce and distribute Sharp TV products in Europe could be obtained by the Taiwanese company TPV Technology, which in 2011 took control of Philips' unprofitable television business. As Reuters notes, Sharp is the fifth largest TV manufacturer, behind Samsung, LG, Sony and Panasonic.

Europe brings only 5% of revenue to Sharp's budget, so the company, struggling with losses, decided to focus on more profitable regions such as Southeast Asia, Nikkei writes. Previously, Sharp curtailed the production of solar panels in Europe, and now it is abandoning consumer electronics.

Sharp also entered into an agreement with the Turkish electronics manufacturer Vestel Elektronik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS, which, according to the terms of the contract, will take over the partner's household appliances business. This will allow Vestel to produce and sell various household electrical products (microwave ovens, irons, etc.) using the Sharp brand.

While reorganizing its operations in Europe, Sharp will also cut about 300 jobs at its plants in the region. The transformation of the European business will cost Sharp 6.4 billion yen (about $58.7 million) - the company will deduct this amount from its quarterly profit. For the entire fiscal year, which will end at the end of March 2015, Sharp plans to write off approximately 10 billion yen ($91.7 million) at a loss due to the reform of its European operations.

Despite this, the company still forecasts annual net profit of 30 billion yen ($295 million). For the last fiscal quarter (April-June), the company recorded a net loss of 1.8 billion yen (about $17.4 million).

Sharp is one of the leaders in the production of household appliances. Not the last place in the line of manufactured equipment is occupied by refrigerators. They are characterized by original design and the highest quality. The Sharp company was founded by a young Japanese mechanic, Tokuji Hayakawa, from Tokyo on September 15, 1912. In 1989, the company released the world's first two-door refrigerator.

Sharp has truly achieved amazing success in the global electronics and home appliances market. The company's founding principles are creativity, sincerity and the application of advanced technology to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of life of people around the world. Sharp is actually constantly and quite successfully creating a new standard of living for the 21st century.

Sharp is one of the most popular, well-known and sought-after manufacturers of household appliances and electronics in the world. The list of products produced by this company can be listed endlessly. What is there: televisions, audio equipment, communication devices, and there are also refrigerators.

As for refrigerators, the model range from the Sharp company consists of many models with different dimensions and volumes, functional features and color schemes. Sharp refrigerators allow us to bring to life all our most daring design solutions.

Sharp was one of the first to use the No Frost system in its refrigerators. Sharp refrigerators comply with all international and Russian standards. They are of high quality and original design. The freezer compartment on all refrigerator models is located on top and has walls that do not require manual defrosting. There is a freshness zone, which occupies the largest volume in the refrigerator compartment. Thanks to the presence of this zone, products are kept fresh for a long time at zero degrees. Multi-compartment refrigerators can have up to four doors. Refrigerators and freezers come in a wide variety of colors. The Sharp company has existed on the Russian market since Soviet times, and during this period its products have gained enormous popularity among Russian buyers. Thanks to their high performance characteristics, Sharp refrigerators are highly reliable and very easy to use, which attracts Russian buyers.

All Sharp refrigerators use advanced technology. For example, there is a unique system for ionization and air purification, hybrid cooling systems, even chambers for heating food. The entire range of refrigerators is equipped with a No Frost system, air fresheners and freshness zones.

Gadget manufacturers

Sharp Corporation is a Japanese company that designs and manufactures electronic devices. By the spring of 2014, it already employed over fifty thousand people around the world. Its name was borrowed from the first invention of the company's founder - the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, created by Tokuji Hayakawa. Previously, Sharp Corporation was also the fifth largest television manufacturer in the world - after, and.

Sharp was founded in the fall of 1912 when Tokuji Hayakawa opened a metalworking workshop in Tokyo. At that time, the future corporation was still called Hayakawa Kinzoku Kougyou. In 1912, Tokuji invented and patented a belt with a "Tokubijo" buckle, which could be attached without the need for additional holes on it. The success of this product prompted him to take up metal recycling. In 1915, he invented the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil.

Tokuji Hayakawa was born in Tokyo. Due to his difficult home situation, he was adopted into another family named Ideno. True, Tokuji himself did not know that he was an adopted child until he grew up. After second grade, he left primary school due to family poverty and became an assistant to a metal jewelry maker. Tokuji worked hard to earn the trust of his master, and at the same time improved his own skills and learned the basics of trade.

Although buckles have been used since ancient times for accessories such as shoes and armor, they only began to be used on men's belts in the 15th century, and on women's clothing only in the 19th century. Tokuji thought about the use of buckles from two points of view - practical and decorative.

When Hayakawa invented two types of buckles by 1912, demand in Japan for them also increased due to the fashion of the Wild West. True, Hayakawa and other artisans had never worn such clothes before. Tokuji was watching a silent movie when he noticed that one of the film's actors' belts had come undone.

It's funny, but this is what inspired him to invent a new type of belt that can be adjusted at your own discretion. As a result, a belt with a buckle was invented that could be fastened to any length without piercing it. The master for whom Tokuji worked admired his ingenuity and recommended that he apply for a patent. He also suggested the name “Tokubijo”, adding one letter to Hayakawa’s name (“b” from the word “belt”, that is, belt, belt). The first order for these belts with buckles was huge: 4,752 units.

In the fall of 1912, due to the pressure being exerted, Tokuji decided to open his own store. He hired workers and continuously fulfilled orders. Along the way, Tokuji worked to improve the production process and expand the business so that he could eventually open a large plant. Already in 1913, Hayakawa acquired a patent for an innovative water tap, and in 1915 he developed a prototype of a mechanical pencil, which he subsequently successfully sold for many years.

After this, he proved himself to be a brilliant manager when he expanded his electronics production and began producing radios, cassette recorders and televisions. Tokuji was also active in social welfare programs. He lived a long life and died at the age of 86. Hayakawa is also known as the recipient of a number of medals and awards.

As already mentioned, the Sharp company got its name due to the invention of the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil in 1915. Unfortunately, in 1923 this business was destroyed by the Great Kanto Earthquake, which almost completely destroyed Tokyo, forcing the company to move to Osaka and begin work on the first generation of Japanese radios, which went on sale in 1925. Television production began in 1953.

In 1963, the first transistor calculator was developed, which was valued at $1.4 thousand. Its development lasted several years, since at that time the company had absolutely no experience in creating computing devices. Two years later, in 1966, Sharp introduced their first IC calculator, which cost about $1 thousand. In '69, the LSI calculator was introduced. It was the company's first pocket calculator and was priced at less than $300, making it extremely popular.

In 1973, Sharp released the first calculator with a liquid crystal display. In the 80s, the company collaborated with Nintendo, as a result of which it received licensing rights to the Sharp Nintendo TV in North America, as well as a number of other products. All of these devices are considered collector's items on the secondary market. One of the main inventors of LCD calculators was Tadashi Sasaki.

In 1997, the company's mobile communications division, Mobile Communications Division, created the world's first commercial one, J-SH04, which was released in Japan. Since 2000, Sharp has invested heavily in LCD panel factories. One of these factories, Sakai, is still one of the leading factories in the world. However, the financial crisis of 2008 led to a decrease in demand for LCD panels. In addition, in mid-2012, Japan experienced an almost complete transition to digital TV broadcasting. The Japanese government has also issued vouchers for digital TVs.

In 2007, the company acquired a controlling stake in Pioneer Corporation. In the summer of 2009, the two companies agreed to create a joint venture.

In the spring of 2012, the well-known Taiwanese electronics company Foxconn agreed to acquire a 10% stake in Sharp and half of the LCD displays produced at the Sakai plant. 2012 also marked the company's 100th anniversary, although it was Sharp's worst financial year. In the fall, the company announced job cuts. In 2014, Sharp was able to stem losses and managed to post a net profit during the first quarter.

The brand's main products include liquid crystal panels, solar panels, mobile phones, entertainment equipment, video projectors, multi-function printers, microwave ovens, air conditioners, cash registers, flash memory and so on. The first camera phone entered the Japanese market in the fall of 2000. The latest products also include an ultra-light laptop, personal digital assistant and AQUOS flat-screen TV.

The company produces consumer electronics products sold under the Aquos brand, mobile devices, microwave ovens, home theater and audio systems, fax machines, air purification systems and calculators. For the business market, Sharp also produces projectors and monitors for a variety of copiers and laser printers, in addition to electronic cash registers.

Sharp Solar is a supplier of silicon photovoltaic solar cells. In the first quarter of 2010, the company generated strong revenues from its solar photovoltaic systems business.

One of Sharp's most famous mobile devices is the 500SH. It refers to the company's third generation phones. The device is equipped with a 1.3 megapixel main camera and a front camera for video calls. It was a mid-class phone, capable of working 370 hours in standby mode and up to 4 hours in talk mode. It weighed 98 grams, had 20 megabytes of built-in memory, support for Email, Bluetooth and WAP.

The Sharp 703 model also belonged to the middle segment. It turned out to be a phone for 3G networks, equipped with all modern communication tools at that time. It also had a 1.3 megapixel main camera and a front camera for video calls. It had 8 megabytes of internal memory, as well as a slot for a micro-SD memory card. Support for WAP, Bluetooth and GPRS was provided. This device was followed by the 705SH and 770SH models.

The 880SH phone was made in a slider form factor. This thin device could already work in HSDPA networks. It was equipped with a 2 megapixel main camera and a front camera, as well as a slot for a memory card. The phone had a built-in FM receiver, video player and MP3 player. It was a fashion device with a thin black body and a sufficient amount of built-in memory. It had support for WAP, GPRS and Bluetooth. Like previous phones, it could synchronize with a personal computer.

The TM200 mobile device was the first GSM camera phone with a 2 megapixel camera and 8x digital zoom. It was a folding phone with various communication capabilities and 40-voice polyphony. There was also a built-in MP3 player.

The GX29 received very good reviews, although it was not too different from other Sharp mobile devices of the time. The phone appeared in 2006 and became a device for Vodafone. It was a thin clamshell with a 1.9-inch display diagonal and GSM support. The manufacturer also provided an external monochrome display.

In the fall of 2014, the company announced that the Slovak electronics company UMC was going to acquire its exclusive brand license, as well as its audio business and Polish factory. In turn, Sharp will support the development and development of UMC's television business under the Sharp brand. At the same time, Sharp announced an agreement with Vestel in Europe that Vestel would sell household appliances under the Sharp brand (refrigerators and microwave ovens made in China and Thailand). Sharp's remaining business in Europe will focus on the business sector, as well as multifunction printers and energy solutions.

Unfortunately, not everything in the history of Sharp's development went so smoothly - in particular, it was repeatedly caught in violations of antitrust laws. In the fall of 2008, the Department of Justice announced that Sharp had agreed to pay a criminal fine of $120 million. According to the indictment, the company participated in a conspiracy to fix the price of TFT LCD panels for computer monitors and laptops (2001-2005), Motorola Razr phones (2005-2006) and iPod from the company (2005-2006). That winter, the Japan Trade Commission forced Sharp to pay a $3 million criminal fine for conspiring to keep the price of Nintendo's LCD panels down.

In winter 2011, Sharp was ranked 11th in Greenpeace's Best Electronics Guide, which ranks 15 electronics manufacturers based on their practices and policies to reduce their climate impact and produce eco-friendly products.

The corporation's environmental record was summarized by Greenpeace as follows: "Sharp supports Japan's new renewable energy law, but has a poor record of sustainability in its operations." According to the Product Criteria, the company received a 3/10, where it was recognized for the energy efficiency of its products with the latest Energy Star standard.

In addition, it was said that CO2 emissions would be reduced by 2% per unit of production compared to the previous year, although a clear target was still not set. Public support for clean energy was expressed after the Japanese government promoted increased use of renewable energy. Sharp scored the lowest on some criteria, particularly for failing to address chemicals and commit to phasing out harmful substances.

It was also noted that the company has not taken the initiative to address the issue of conflict minerals and paper received from suppliers, thereby indirectly participating in illegal deforestation.

Sharp was the main sponsor of Manchester United football club from 1983 to 2000, and it was one of the most lucrative and longest-running sponsorship contracts in the history of English football. For seventeen years the Sharp logo was on United's clothing and during that time the team won seven Premier Leagues, five FA Cups, one League Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup and one European Cup. In the summer of 2012, the company also became a sponsor of the UCI World Tour cycling team, which became known as Garmin-Sharp.