Toshiba

Toshiba Corporation is a multinational company that offers a wide range of products and services such as power systems, electronic components and materials, office equipment, household appliances, industrial and social infrastructure systems, information technology and communications equipment and systems, medical equipment, logistics, office equipment, lighting, and consumer electronics.

History

Toshiba was established in 1938 as Tokyo Shibaura Denki (Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co., Ltd.) when Shibaura Engineering Works, a manufacturer of heavy electrical machinery, and Tokyo Electric Company, a manufacturer of small electrical equipment, merged. During the war, the company became a major government supplier of radios, generators, vacuum tubes, and other military supplies. During the postwar years, the company returned to manufacturing heavy electrical machinery along with smaller electrical equipment. It was also during this time that Toshiba opened new sales subsidiaries and started exporting to SouthEast Asia. The company continued growing over the next several years, enabling it to establish sales and manufacturing subsidiaries overseas to help develop its international business. During the economic downturn in the 1970s and early 1980s, the company invested heavily in R&D that later on led to several new technologies that were either the first in Japan or in the world. By 1984, the company name was changed to Toshiba. During the 1990s, the company adopted a "concentration and selection" approach towards facilitating growth in order to overcome the current economic stagnation in Japan. Toshiba focused its resources in sectors that had the potential for growth and new business such as semiconductors and PCs. Those sectors that were "mature" or declining underwent reform and restructuring. In 1999, Toshiba created the in-house company system. This new system created eight in-house companies within Toshiba and gave each of them authority on decision-making in order to promote efficiency and growth. Since 2000, the company has been creating World's First and World's No. 1 products and services such as the first 3D LCD TV that does not require dedicated glasses.

Headquarters & Locations

Toshiba Corporation has its headquarters, along with 18 production facilities, located in Japan. The company also has several laboratories located in the same country. In addition, Toshiba also has many offices scattered across the globe - Australia, Vietnam, Philippines, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Guatemala, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Canada, El Salvador, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Ecuador, Caribe, Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Venezuela, and Taiwan.

Photos Courtesy of Toshiba