"Sincerity and Creativity"—The 90th Anniversary of Sharp's Founding
Sharp celebrated the 90th anniversary of its founding since Tokuji Hayakawa established his metalworking business on September 15, 1912, in the Honjo district of Tokyo to manufacture products including the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil. With sincerity and original technology, Sharp has contributed to society by developing numerous products that have been the first of their kind in Japan or the world. Sharp continues to pass down its creative DNA—creating uniquely featured products based on original technologies—to the next generation.
The legacy of Sharp's creative DNA is expressed in the words of its founder Tokuji Hayakawa, "Make products that our competitors will imitate," the second generation represented by President Akira Saeki, "Create new demand based on original technologies and uniquely featured products," the third generation of President Haruo Tsuji, "Make products by standing in the shoes of the consumer," and the current fourth generation, President (now Chairman) Katsuhiko Machida, "Develop unique one-of-a-kind products."
Construction Begins for the Kameyama Plant, an Integrated Production Facility for Large-Screen LCD TVs
Under a vision of switching all TVs sold in Japan to LCD models, Sharp launched construction in September of the Kameyama Plant (in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture) as a facility for the integrated production of LCD TVs—from the LCD panel to the final assembly of large-screen TVs.
By consolidating proprietary LCD technology and TV video technology in one location at the Kameyama Plant, Sharp enhanced the synergistic spiral effect of "devices" and "products," and pioneered new markets by developing and producing LCD TVs ideal for a "rich audio/video lifestyle."
Construction Announced for a New Mie Plant for Mass Production of System LCDs
Sharp announced the construction of a new plant to produce System LCDs on the grounds of its Mie Plant (in Taki-cho, Mie Prefecture).
System LCDs make it possible to display higher resolution images and build ICs such as LCD drivers onto a single glass panel. They contribute to more compact devices with thinner profiles and lower power consumption, enabling equipment such as handsets to be thinner than ever. Their use is anticipated in mobile devices and in portable televisions.
Operations Begin at the Mihara Plant to Handle Rapidly Growing Demand for Optical Disks
In May, operations began at the Mihara Plant (Mihara City, Hiroshima Prefecture), which manufactures compound semiconductors such as laser diodes.
Demand for laser diodes is expected to expand as the key devices in drives for optical disks like CDs and DVDs, essential media for high-volume data storage such as recording and playback of high-resolution video, the Internet, etc. This plant became operational ahead of schedule due to rising demand in response to the huge growth in demand for PC and audio/video equipment.