First Overseas Manufacturing Base in an Industrialized Country
Producing Color TVs and Microwave Ovens in the US
In 1979, Sharp established Sharp Manufacturing Company of America (SMCA) in Memphis, Tennessee. Formed as the manufacturing division of SEC, Sharp's American sales subsidiary, this was the company's first overseas manufacturing facility in the industrialized world. Production of color TVs and microwave ovens got under way the same year.
Memphis Hospitality
Deepening international trade friction was forcing Japanese corporations to reexamine their overseas business practices. Sharp, however, received a warm welcome in the US, largely due to its policies of developing products tailored to the American market and contributing to the local community as any local company would. American officials, from Vice President Walter Mondale on down, were extremely encouraging.
In the same year, Sharp also established Sharp Electronics (Nordic) AB (SEN), a Swedish marketing affiliate.
Introducing New Growth Products for the Next Generation
Beginning VCR Production
In 1979, Sharp began to produce VCRs in Japan as part of an integrated audio-visual lineup of products. Based on many years of research and experience, this move was met with overwhelming success.
Sharp included an arsenal of innovative features in its new products, such as the proprietary APSS (automatic program search system) and front-loading configuration. Combined with the company's success in bringing a VCR to market in the 150,000 yen price range -- a Japanese first -- these new products were instant hits and captured a substantial share of the market overnight.
Other popular products launched the same year included a dual-cassette radio-cassette player equipped with multiplex recording and one-touch dubbing functions, and a microwave oven with an automatic heating feature.
Introducing a Japanese Word Processor
This was also the year Sharp introduced the "Shoin" WD-3000 Japanese word processor. This product followed the successful development in 1977 of Japan's first word processor prototype, which had received enthusiastic reviews after being exhibited at business shows that year. Other revolutionary Sharp products of the year included an electronic translator and a voice-activated calculator.