Overview
Panasonic Corporation, originally founded as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., is one of Japan’s largest and most influential electronics manufacturers. The company became globally known for consumer electronics, communications equipment, appliances, industrial systems, and OEM manufacturing operations.
Founded by Konosuke Matsushita in 1918, the company expanded from a small electrical parts workshop into a worldwide electronics conglomerate. Panasonic products have included radios, televisions, tape recorders, stereo systems, batteries, computers, communications equipment, and industrial electronics.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Panasonic and its National brand were heavily involved in manufacturing communications equipment, including Citizens Band radios and OEM private-label radios for foreign distributors such as Shakespeare Electronic Products Group.
Company Background
Konosuke Matsushita founded the company in Osaka, Japan with the goal of producing affordable and reliable electrical products for ordinary consumers. Early products included lamp sockets and bicycle lamps.
The company grew rapidly during the prewar and postwar periods and became one of the driving forces behind Japan’s emergence as a global electronics manufacturing center.
Panasonic used several major brand names over the years:
- National
- Panasonic
- Technics
- Quasar (United States)
- Ramsa
The Panasonic name eventually became the company’s primary international brand.
Communications and Radio Manufacturing
Panasonic and National produced a wide variety of communications equipment including:
- AM/FM radios
- Shortwave receivers
- Marine radios
- Citizens Band radios
- Amateur radio equipment
- Public safety communications equipment
- OEM private-label communications products
During the 1960s and 1970s, Matsushita manufactured tube and solid-state CB radios for both its own brands and for American distributors importing Japanese-built electronics.
Historical Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1918 | Konosuke Matsushita founded Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in Osaka, Japan |
| 1923 | Company introduced battery-powered bicycle lamp |
| 1935 | Company reorganized as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. |
| 1940s | Company expanded manufacturing during wartime production |
| 1950s | International exports increased significantly |
| 1952 | Partnership established with Philips Electronics |
| 1950s | National brand expanded worldwide |
| Late 1950s | Panasonic brand introduced for export markets |
| 1960s | Major expansion into televisions, radios, and communications equipment |
| 1960s | OEM manufacturing for American electronics distributors expanded |
| 1965 | Technics audio brand introduced |
| 1970s | Panasonic became one of the world’s largest consumer electronics manufacturers |
| 1970s | Major supplier of CB radios and communications electronics |
| 1974 | Panasonic acquired Motorola’s Quasar television manufacturing business in the United States |
| 1980s | Panasonic branding increasingly replaced National internationally |
| 1990s | Expansion into computers, industrial systems, and digital electronics |
| 2008 | Company officially renamed Panasonic Corporation |
| 2022 | Panasonic Holdings Corporation established |
Historical Addresses
| Year | Address |
|---|---|
| 1918 | Osaka, Japan |
| 1935–Present | Kadoma, Osaka, Japan |
| U.S. Operations | Secaucus, New Jersey (later Newark, NJ and other facilities) |
Legacy
Panasonic became one of the most recognized electronics brands in the world and played a major role in the worldwide expansion of Japanese consumer electronics during the postwar period.
The company’s OEM manufacturing operations supplied electronics products to numerous foreign brands and distributors, including communications products sold under American brand names during the CB radio boom.
Today Panasonic continues operating globally in consumer electronics, industrial systems, batteries, automotive systems, and communications technologies.