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FRIDAY APRIL 6, 2018 • THE EDGE FINANCIAL DAILY
SPECIAL REPORT
Signiˎcant milestones in Malaysia
Panasonic remains ˎrm-footed in Malaysia through the generations, thanks to its relentlessness in staying ahead in the electronics industry and its dexterity in adapting to the local market. A time-tested tenacity
1965 Matsushita Electric opened its first factory in Kuala Lumpur. 1976 Matsushita Sales and Services Sdn Bhd (MASCO) was established. 1979 Kedai Nasional was launched nationwide. 1979
PanasonicGroupof Companies inMalaysia (as of 2016)
FromMatsushita to National to Panasonic, these names havemade their presence in countless households and businesses inMalaysia, right from the flower power era to the threshold of the hybrid age. How is such durable relevance maintained for over half a century? “Wehavea total of six researchanddevelopment centres, including for air conditioners, audio visual, home appliances and office prod- ucts. On topof that, for theAsiaPacificmarket, PanasonicAppliances AsiaPacifichas set upadesigncentre in theMalaysianoffice to further understandand localise theproducts thatweoffer toconsumers,” says PanasonicMalaysiamanaging director Cheng Chee Chung. “This office has also established Asia Lifestyle Research Centre for the Asia Pacific market that conducts surveys on consumer lifestyle and product development to gather feedback and im- prove our products. Factors such as consumer behaviour and cultural lifestyle play an important role in influencing the de- velopment of the products,” he adds.
RM14.6 billion consolidated sales (contributing 1.32% of total Malaysia GDP)
23,025 total employees
Founder Konosuke Matsushita was conferred the Tan Sri title by then-Prime Minister Tun Hussein Onn. 1992 MASCO changed its name to National Panasonic Malaysia (NPM). 2001 NPM Distribution Centre was officially opened in Shah Alam. 2003 The global brand unification took place; thereon National became Panasonic, and the brand tagline “Ideas for Life” was created. Subsequently, NPM Sdn Bhd became Panasonic Malaysia Sdn Bhd. 2012 The new headquarters in Petaling Jaya was completed. 2017 Panasonic Malaysia officially launched its new HOME·2·COM Solution Center at The Vertical Podium, Bangsar South, KL. The first of its kind in the Asean region, it is a platform for reference and inspiration for its B2B (business-to-business) segment, displaying technologies that can be used in the home, town and commercial entities. 2018
The pioneering batch of leaders of the first Matsushita Electric factory in 1965.
Advertisements on wheels are not a latter-day technique, as proven here.
A roadshow in an open field displaying the latest wares.
Panashops (then known as National shops) have been great intertwining partners of Panasonic in serving their respective communities, spanning decades down to the second or third generations now.
Panasonic has expanded to 148 Panashops, 285 service centres and service networks, 10 manufacturing plants and 23 companies under its Panasonic Group, encompassing manufacturing, research and development, sales and marketing, and management.
If this National shop still existed now, it would have been just as Instagrammable as it was then.
Before flat screens, there were solid TV sets complete with antennae.
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