Pioneer Corporation

From ArticleWorld

Pioneer Corporation is a leading maker of consumer and commercial electronics with its headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Now an international leader in manufacturing digital entertainment gadgets, the giant had humble beginnings in 1938 as a radio repair outlet. Over 40% of the company's sales come from car electronics like stereo systems, speakers of various kinds and navigation systems. Pioneer's products are very popular among not just automobile manufacturers but also ordinary consumers; their video equipment like projection TVs, DVD players and recorders have a major presence in the global market. Apart from this, the company has business customers who purchase plasma displays and automation systems.

Pioneer is known for coming up with innovations such as interactive cable television, the laser disc player. Other significant creations brought out by the company include the first compact disc player ever made for a car, the OEL or organic electroluminescent display, DVD recording and playing and plasma displays. The company has got ultra-modern software products and manufacturing setups to boost their already-flourishing electronics business.

Pioneer Corporation - A brief history

What started as a radio repair shop in 1938 has today grown into a huge corporation. It was in 1937 that Pioneer's founder Nozomu Matsumoto successfully developed the A-8 dynamic speaker. The company which was founded the following year was named the Fukuin Shokai Denki. It retained its name till 1961 when it was renamed the Pioneer Electronic Corporation. The world's first separate stereo system was introduced in the year 1962. Sales companies in Europe and the United States were established in 1966. To add to the list of firsts were the component car stereo, the two-way addressable CATV system, various LD systems for both home and business use, the LD combination player compatible with both LDs and CDs, the home-based Dolby Surround sound system and the GPS car navigation systems.

Pioneer Corporation has nearly 40,000 employees headed by the president Kaneo Ito. It garnered a revenue of over 733 billion Yen (close to 6 billion USD) by the end of the fiscal year in 2005.