Toshiba Corp. has launched an aggressive strategy aimed at turning around its troubled, money-losing television manufacturing business. We wrote last week about their decision to close a manufacturing plant in China in a bid to restructure their production base – one part of a larger TV turnaround strategy. Now word comes of additional aggressive moves by the company attempting to return their once vaunted TV business to profitability.
Asian Connection
Japanese Broadcasters to Test New Truly Interactive TV System
Japan takes its television business very seriously. A while back, we told you that a consortium of manufacturers and broadcasters were testing a new broadcast system based on 8K…no, not 4K…8K resolution that they called Ultra HDTV. I guess they’ll have to come up with a new name for that, now that it’s been used for current 4K systems here in the U.S.
Now word comes out of Japan of another new broadcasting test to start sometime next year – an all-new interactive TV system that goes well beyond what we know as “smart” TVs.
Learn more about this new system Japanese broadcasters and TV manufacturers are testing… [Read more…] about Japanese Broadcasters to Test New Truly Interactive TV System
Toshiba Stops Manufacturing TVs in China
In an announcement earlier this month that could be characterized as counter-intuitive, Toshiba Corp. said it will stop manufacturing LCD televisions at its plant in Dalian, China by the end of December. The company says the move is aimed at helping improve profitability – even though most companies opened plants in China to take advantage of the lower labor costs to help their profitability.
See how Toshiba plans to improve its TV division profits by closing a China factory… [Read more…] about Toshiba Stops Manufacturing TVs in China
Panasonic, Cutting Costs, Halves Digital Camera Assortment
The Nikkei reported this week that Panasonic Corp. will only introduce about five new digital camera models next year – half its normal number – in a bid to take all steps necessary to return to profitability. While once a bright spot for the company which saw success for some of its higher end Lumix models – the report says that the category has come under intense pressure as smartphone cameras continue to improve.
See more on Panasonic’s decision to cut back on the number of cameras it will offer in 2014… [Read more…] about Panasonic, Cutting Costs, Halves Digital Camera Assortment
In Wake of Poor Results, JVC Kenwood Announces Major Cuts to Staff & Compensation
Just days after the JVC Kenwood Corp. announced their dismal fiscal first-half results and revealed dramatic revisions to their full-year forecast – including the surprising news that they would lose money this year – the company released a statement saying they would attack their performance shortcomings aggressively. A series of actions were outlined designed to mitigate the company’s projected loss…but they couldn’t say for sure at this time if these actions will have a material effect on the remaining fiscal period’s performance.
See the steps JVC Kenwood’s board of directors outlined to minimize their losses… [Read more…] about In Wake of Poor Results, JVC Kenwood Announces Major Cuts to Staff & Compensation
JVC Kenwood Dramatically Revises Fiscal Forecast – Now Says It Will Lose Money This Year
In documents released today but dated November 6th, JVC Kenwood Corp. announced both their results for the first half of the current fiscal year (the period of April 1, 2013 to September 30, 2013) and a radically revised forecast for their entire fiscal year (ending March 2014). Both these documents combine to reveal a company undergoing a surprising change of fortunes with sales and profits declining dramatically as compared to the same period last year…and a downward revision to their annual forecast.
JVC Kenwood now says – in contravention to their last forecast in May – that they will lose money this year.
What has caused such a turnaround in JVC Kenwood’s fortunes? See more below…
Google Sends Street View Cars Into Devastated Fukushima District in Japan
Jiji Press in Japan is reporting that Google has sent its Street View vehicles into at least eight municipalities in the devastated Fukushima District in Northern Japan. The area was devastated in March 2011 as the result of an earthquake and tsunami that fatally damaged The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant’s reactor causing the greatest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in Russia.
See video below of the remaining devastation in Fukushima District even two years later… [Read more…] about Google Sends Street View Cars Into Devastated Fukushima District in Japan
Wow! Technology Breakthrough Could Help Smartphones Run 10 Times Longer Before Recharge
A chemical company in Japan announced today it may have had a breakthrough discovery in the design and construction of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that could increase their capacity by as much as a factor of 10 times. Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. says there is still much more testing to be done, but could potentially begin selling the new technology batteries within the next three to four years.
See more on this surprising announcement out of Japan… [Read more…] about Wow! Technology Breakthrough Could Help Smartphones Run 10 Times Longer Before Recharge
Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Sharp Corp. announced today that it will release a new updated model of its Cocorobo home cleaning robot with a very important added feature: smarts. Sharp has added the ability for this new model to adjust the amount of suction on an as-needed basis – dramatically improving battery performance for longer operation on a single charge.
See more about this smarter robot – a category that some think is “the next big thing” in electronics… [Read more…] about Sharp Adds Smarts to Its Robot Vacuum Cleaner
Unusual Japan Story: 4 Panasonic Directors Given ¥1.9 Billion to Leave
In a move common in the U.S., but unusual in Japan, the Japan Times reported today that Panasonic Corp. paid ¥1.855 ($18.7 million) to four directors to leave the company in Fiscal 2012. The company broke the news of what is known in the U.S. as a golden parachute in materials circulated along with invitations sent to the shareholders meeting coming up later in the month.
