Back in October of last year we told you that both Sony and Panasonic were cutting back on production of flat panel TVs as demand for new unit’s falls away. Now today we can tell you that the remaining Hitachi TV plant is to close.
The company is set to stop production of TVs in Japan and is looking to convert the plant so it can produce semiconductor products and LCD projectors, which according to a report on What Hi-Fi will be more profitable. There has been months of speculation regarding such a move, and the company has said price competition was the reason behind the decision.
It was Hitachi’s last TV plant in Japan and based at Gifu, but the production there was relativity small compared to others, with only 250 staff making about 100,000 units per month. Hitachi has recently outsourced production of its TVs to other countries such as Taiwan, and purchasing products from other manufacturers and just adding the Hitachi brand name.
Hitachi has been trying to make the plant more profitable by bringing more components from other companies, but has now reached this decision and will cease TV production at the plant in September. Ahead of this it will move over its TV business away from the consumer electronics division, and place it into its consumer marketing operation.
This will basically mean the company will only be selling TVs instead of manufacturing them. This news comes with the ongoing issues surrounding TV production in the country that has been affecting many companies.
Have you ever purchased a Hitachi TV?
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