Sharp

Excerpt from Sharp Official Website:

“MAKE PRODUCTS THAT OTHERS WANT TO IMITATE.”

Sharp founder Tokuji Hayakawa coined this phrase to embody the management concept at Sharp. In 1912, he invented the snap belt buckle and three years later brought the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil to the market. Since then, Sharp has been on the cutting edge of technology, consistently innovating new appliances, industrial equipment and office solutions, and changing the lives of people around the world.

In 1962, Sharp expanded outside of Japan and established Sharp Electronics Corporation in the United States—the company’s first overseas sales base—and in 1979 it set up the Sharp Manufacturing Company of America to create a manufacturing base in the U.S.

Sharp didn’t limit itself to sales and manufacturing in the U.S. In 1995, Sharp opened Sharp Laboratories of America, its U.S.-based research and development laboratory designed to take advantage of American ingenuity and research.

As the array of products offered by Sharp grew, Sharp Electronics Corporation expanded to include a new sales office in Los Angeles, California, in 1996. In this same year, Sharp made its presence known on the Internet, with the creation of www.sharp.co.jp and www.sharp-world.com.

As a manufacturer, Sharp contributes to society by being the first to make unique products that meet the new needs of each decade. Successive generations of Sharp leaders have, in their own way, pursued this concept by making products that contribute to society, in the process creating a corporation known and trusted around the globe.

From the first solar-powered calculator to the largest commercially available LCD monitor, from copiers to solar cells, from air purifiers to steam ovens, and from microelectronics to microwave ovens, Sharp covers all of the needs of the contemporary lifestyle.

Sharp aims to realize its business philosophy throughout all its activities. Possessing a “gene of creativity” since its foundation, Sharp will continue to offer one-of-a-kind products and new lifestyles as a corporation trusted around the world.