Sharp Corporation

For other uses, see Sharp.

Sharp Corporation
シャープ株式会社

Company type	Public (TYO: 6753)
Industry	Consumer electronics
Founded	Tokyo, Japan (1912 (1912))
Founder	Tokuji Hayakawa
Headquarters	Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Katsuhiko Machida, (Chairman) Mikio Katayama, (President)
Products	Television Audiovisual Communication equipment Home appliances Information equipment ICs LCDs solar cells Mobile phones Smart phones
Revenue	$33.639 billion (2010)
Operating income	1,060,000,000 United States dollar (2014)
Net income	$53.67 million (2010)
Total assets	$34.620 billion (2010)
Number of employees	64,500 (September 30, 2010)
Website	Sharp-world.com

Sharp Corporation (シャープ株式会社, Shāpu Kabushiki-gaisha) ((TYO: 6753) is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 64,500 people worldwide as of September 30, 2010. The company was founded in September 1912. It takes its name from one of its founder's first inventions, the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, which was invented by Tokuji Hayakawa (早川 徳次) in 1915. Since then it has developed into one of the leading electronics companies in the world. As a semiconductor maker, Sharp is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders and among the Top 100 R&D Spenders in a list published by IEEE Spectrum magazine. It gained public awareness in the United Kingdom when it sponsored Manchester United F.C. from 1982 to 2000, which was a period of great success for the club.

Sharp took a controlling stake in Pioneer Corporation in 2007. On 25 June 2009, they agreed to form a joint venture with Pioneer on their optical business to be called "Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corporation".

Origins

In 1912, Tokuji Hayakawa (早川 徳次) founded a metal workshop in Tokyo. The first of his many inventions was a snap buckle named 'Tokubijo'. Another of his major inventions was the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil in 1915, from which the Sharp Corporation took its name. After the pencil business was destroyed by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, the company relocated to Osaka and began designing the first generation of Japanese radio sets. These went on sale in 1925. In 1953 Sharp started producing television sets.

In 1964 Sharp developed the world's first transistor calculator, which was priced at Yen 535,000 (US$1,400). It took Sharp several years to develop the product as they had no experience in making computing devices at the time. Two years later, in 1966 Sharp introduced its first IC calculator using 145 Mitsubishi-made bipolar ICs, priced at Yen 350,000 (about US$1000). Its first LSI calculator was introduced in 1969. This was the first pocketable calculator priced at less than Yen 100,000 (less than US$300), and turned out to be a bestseller.

Other notable achievements include the first LCD calculator in 1973. LCD technology continues to be a key part of Sharp's product range, in both the component and consumer-appliance sides of the business.

Core technologies

Further information: List of Sharp mobile phones

Core technologies and products include: LCD panels, solar panels, mobile phones, audio-visual entertainment equipment, video projectors, Multi-Function Printing Devices, microwave ovens, air conditioners, cash registers, CMOS and CCD sensors, and flash memory.

The first commercial camera phone was also made by Sharp for the Japanese market in November 2000. Recent products include the ViewCam, the Ultra-Lite notebook PC, the Zaurus personal digital assistant, Sidekick 3, and the AQUOS flat screen television.

Products

Sharp manufactures a variety of consumer electronic products. These include LCD televisions, sold under the Aquos brand, mobile phones, microwave ovens, Home Cinema and audio systems, air purification systems, fax machines and calculators.

For the business market, Sharp also produces ranges of projectors and monitors and a variety of photocopiers and Laser Printers, in addition to electronic cash registers and Point of sale technologies.

Sharp is a pioneer and innovator in the field of multi-functional devices (MFD) having won many awards from BLI and BERTL - the two major authorities providing competitive intelligence and test reviews in the print industry. SHARP's latest products - MX2600N and MX3100N have once again broken new ground with the launch of version 3 Open System Architecture (OSA3). This feature enhances productivity further still by letting third party developers directly integrate their business applications with the MFD.

Sharp shared a close working relationship with Nintendo during the 1980s, and was granted licensing rights for the manufacture and development of the C1 NES TV (1983, later released in North America as the Sharp Nintendo Television), the Twin Famicom (1986), the Sharp Famicom Titler (1989), and the SF-1 SNES TV (1990). All of these units are considered collectors items on the secondary market.

Sharp Solar has for a number of years been a leading supplier of silicon photovoltaic (PV) solar cells. Now, it offers solar TV.

Sharp's Mobile Communications Division created the world's first commercial camera phone, the J-SH04, in Japan in 1997, and continues to be a leading player in the Japanese mobile phone market, also maintaining a position as a niche supplier outside Japan. Currently (2008), Sharp is collaborating with Emblaze Mobile on the Monolith, "...an ambitious project to design the ultimate holistic mobile device".

Humanoid robot

In 2006 Sharp said it has developed a humanoid robot that clears dishes from the table and puts them into a dishwasher. The robot (measuring 95x50x45cm) opens the door of the dishwasher, takes hold of teacups, rice bowls and plates, places them in the unit and closes the door

Sales

Net sales for the year 2003/4 were $16.8 billion. The Corporation employs 46,600 staff, of which around half live outside Japan. It operates from 64 bases in 30 countries and its products are distributed in 164 countries worldwide. Many of its regional subsidiaries trade under the name "Sharp Electronics".

As a semiconductor maker, Sharp is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders and among the Top 100 R&D Spenders in a list published by the IEEE Spectrum magazine.

Manchester United

Sharp was the principal sponsor of Manchester United Football Club from 1983 until 2000, in one of the lengthiest and most lucrative sponsorship deals in English football. Sharp's logo was on the front of United's shirts during these 17 years, during which the team won seven Premier League titles, five FA Cups, one Football League Cup, one European Cup Winners' Cup and one European Cup.

Headquarters

Head Office in Osaka

• 22-22, Nagaike-cho, Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan
• 1 Sharp Plaza Mahwah, New Jersey 07430, USA

Associated companies

• LOEWE
• Pioneer Corporation

See also

• Sharp Aquos—Sharp's range of LCD televisions
• Sharp GX15—mobile phone
• Sharp X68000 and Sharp MZ—personal computer
• Sharp Solar
• List of Sharp mobile phones
• Category:Sharp products

References

• Sharp Officially Launches Mobile Phone Range in India in Dec 2010

External links

• International website