Sanyo

Sanyo
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; 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.

The 2004 Chūetsu earthquake severely damaged 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 and key consumer electronics such as the Xacti camera, projectors and mobile phones.

Sanyo's 3-year restructuring project

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 Low self-discharge NiMH 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, stepped down in March 2007. The President, Toshimasa Iue, also stepped down in April of that year; Seiichiro Sano was appointed to head the company effective April 2007.

In December 2005 Sanyo had their new Super Sharp Technology patented.

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.

In October 2007, Sanyo cancelled a 110 billion yen ($942 million) sale of its semiconducter business, blaming the global credit crisis for the decision and stating that after exploring its other options, it had decided to keep the business and develop it as part of its portfolio

On April 1, 2008, they merged their cell phone division with Kyocera

On November 2, 2008, Sanyo and Panasonic announced that they have agreed on the main points of a proposed buyout that would make Sanyo a subsidiary of Panasonic and a formal announcement of the acquisition was made on Sanyo's web site on December 19, 2008.^[ They became a subsidiary of Panasonic on December 21, 2009.

On July 15, 2010 Sanyo agreed to sell its semiconductor operations to ON Semiconductor for $366 million to be completed before the end of 2010.

On July 29. 2010 Panasonic reached an agreement to acquire the remaining shares of panasonic electric works and Sanyo shares for $9.4 billion.

CES 2008:SANYO SCP-7050 MOBILE PHONE IS RUGGED ENOUGH TO BE COMPLIANT WITH MILITARY STANDARD 810F FOR DUST,SHOCK AND VIBRATION

SANYO’s ultra-rugged SCP-7050 is the first SANYO phone that adheres to Military Standard 810F for dust, shock and vibration. Ideal for business users with mobile field operations such as those in construction, maintenance and other tough environments, the SCP-7050 by Sanyo is also perfect for outdoor enthusiasts who will appreciate the phone for the textured anti-slip rubber grip that wraps around the back and sides of the phone, offering a sure hold and added surface protection. The SCP-7050 also supports advanced GPS-based Java applications and Bluetooth® wireless technology for enhanced workforce productivity.

The SCP-7050 by Sanyo is available through Sprint retail channels including http://www.Sprint.com. Suggested retail price is $99.99 with a two-year subscriber agreement.

“The ultra-rugged, military spec design of the SCP-7050 is a great feature, but its true strength comes from a combination of capabilities that include Java MVM support, autonomous GPS, and enhanced Bluetooth capabilities,” said Andy Kodera, senior vice president and general manager of SANYO Fisher Company’s Wireless Communications Division. “Many of our phones already support GPS navigation, but this is really the first rugged CDMA phone from Sprint that supports Sprint’s more advanced GPS business applications. The SCP-7050 finally makes these applications available to Sprint’s many CDMA business customers who need a durable phone for their field personnel.”

The advanced GPS capabilities of the phone allow it to keep up with demanding users such as those in construction, maintenance, transportation, and other field operation industries. The SCP-7050 offers autonomous GPS that allows location data to be captured even when the user has taken the phone off the wireless network. In addition, Java MVM allows the phone to run multiple JAVA applications simultaneously. The combination of Java MVM and location based GPS allows the phone to support advanced navigation, tracking and management applications. Applications such as Comet TrackerTM by
ActSoft, Gearworks etrace®, TeleNav TrackTM, and Xora GPS TimeTrack provide GPS tracking, job dispatching, location-intelligent timecards, configurable forms, geofencing, and more.

Another powerful business solution is integrated Bluetooth support. The Bluetooth capability supports headsets, auto hands-free kits, Bluetooth printing and wireless PC connection.

The phone has been designed so that it is easy to use and view even when using gloves or in bright outdoor conditions. The four external side buttons allow easy access to the speakerphone, call lists which are displayed on the outside LCD, Sprint Ready Link®,and volume control. The 1″ outside LCD is high-contrast to allow better visibility in outdoor environments, making it easy to check the time or Caller ID. Once open, the phone reveals an easy-to-use keypad with large raised blue-backlight keys and a 2″ color internal screen.

The large 24mm diameter SANYO speakerphone provides ample audio volume for hands-free conversations.

The rugged SCP-7050 by Sanyo includes additional innovative features for productive use:

Sprint Vision®, for messaging and wireless Web access, as well as downloadable games, ringers, screen savers and other applications.
Limit Use feature allows the user to pre-determine the allowed incoming and/or outgoing phone numbers. Can also be used to restrict Sprint Vision and/or Sprint Ready Link usage.
4.4 hours of digital talk time
Wireless Backup, an optional service from Sprint that automatically stores a backup of contacts. Each time the contacts are edited, changes are wirelessly saved to a secure Sprint server. If the phone is lost, stolen or replaced it is easy to restore all of the contacts.
Phone as Modem capable. With an optional USB cable, Sprint Vision Connection Manager software, and the appropriate Sprint service plan, the SCP-7050 can be used as a modem for a laptop PC

Sanyo M1 mobile communicator

Sprint and Sanyo today announced the full channel availability of the M1 by Sanyo, a Sprint Power Vision enabled wireless phone that offers an unprecedented combination of features and capabilities aimed at today’s mobile music and entertainment users. As Sprint’s first phone with 1GB of internal memory, the M1 By Sanyo features storage for up to 16 hours of music and other multimedia files including pictures, video clips and voice recording. The M1 by Sanyo’s advanced power management offers up to 18 hours of continuous music playing time to support extended use of the multimedia capabilities. Additional key features include stereo Bluetooth wireless technology, a 2.0 megapixel camera with auto focus, nine equalizer settings for fine tuning the listening experience, and background music mode for listening to music while checking e-mail, surfing the Web or sending text messages. The M1 by Sanyo also has external controls and large external LCD for optimal usability.