Sharp Consumer Electronics Europe

About Sharp

Sharp Consumer is the European business division of the Japanese electronics group Sharp, founded in 1912 by Tokuji Hayakawa in Tokyo. The portfolio includes televisions with LED, QLED and MiniLED technology as well as Smart TV platforms based on Android TV, Google TV and TiVo OS, complemented by soundbars, speakers, HiFi systems, radios and turntables. Further product lines are e-scooters and e-bikes, smart home devices such as smart plugs, and household appliances for air treatment, cleaning and cooking. For business customers, an Operator TV offering is provided. LCD TV production for Europe takes place in Toruń, Poland, whose factory was acquired by UMC in 2014 and regained in 2017 through Sharp's majority stake in UMC; since 2020 UMC has belonged entirely to Sharp. Responsibility for the Central and Eastern European region has been based at the Vienna headquarters since 1994.

Site

Toruń

Processes

Operator TV for business, Smart TV platforms (Android TV, Google TV, TiVo OS), TiVo+ streaming service, AQUOS Wireless Surround, Support

Materials

LED Technology, QLED Quantum Dot, MiniLED with Precise Local Dimming, Smart TV Platforms

Certificates

Red Dot Design Award 2016

Founded

1912

Industries

Consumer Electronics, TV/Audio, Home Appliances, Smart Home, E-Mobility, E-Mobility (E-Scooter, E-Bike)

1. 01

   Product development (Design Center Poland)

2. 02

   Electronics manufacturing LCD TV (Toruń)

3. 03

   Brand and sales management (Vienna)

4. 04

   Distribution in 11 European countries

5. 05

   Support & Service

Technologies & Platforms

Sites

Products

Inside the production

Quality & Awards

The product line originating from the Toruń plant received the Red Dot Design Award in the Consumer Electronics category in 2016. No certifications are documented.

History

1. 1912

   Foundation of a metalworking workshop (Hayakawa Metals) by Tokuji Hayakawa in Tokyo

2. 1915

   Development of the mechanical pencil 'Hayakawa Mechanical Pencil' (origin of the name 'Sharp')

3. 1925

   First Japanese crystal radio

4. 1942

   Company renamed Hayakawa Electric

5. 1953

   First series production of televisions in Japan under the name Sharp

6. 1963

   Start of mass production of solar cells

7. 1964

   One of the first transistor-based desktop calculators, the 'Compet'

8. 1968

   Entry into the European market, founding of Sharp Electronics Europe GmbH in Hamburg

9. 1986

   Branch office in Austria

10. 1994

    Vienna headquarters takes over responsibility for Eastern Europe

11. 2001

    Presentation of the first AQUOS LCD television, the LC-C1

12. 2014

    Sale of the European distribution business to Universal Media Corporation (UMC); UMC acquires the LCD TV factory in Poland (Toruń) with 650 employees

13. 2015

    Hisense takes over the Sharp TV business in North and South America

14. 2016

    Foxconn acquires 66% of Sharp

15. 2017

    Sharp acquires 56.7% of UMC and regains brand rights and TV manufacturing in Europe

16. 2020

    Complete acquisition of UMC; 66% stake in NEC monitor manufacturing

17. 2016

    Red Dot Design Award for the new product line from the Toruń plant