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Panasonic cranks out its 300 millionth TV
We've wondered why Matsushita Electric took such a long time to make the name switch to Panasonic, but this little factoid might explain some of the timing -- Panasonic just capped off its 300 millionth TV. Even though the company has always badged TVs with the "Panasonic" name plate in the US, 105 million units were cranked out under the "National" brand before "Panasonic" was used across all markets for the subsequent 195 million units. According to the press release, the company isn't slowing down, either -- it may have taken its sweet time (since 1961) to hit the 300 million mark, but the 400 million figure might come up in the next "few years." We figure that after the first 300 million, the company can pretty much produce TVs in its sleep.
Matsushita Electric becomes Panasonic, like, for real
We've been hearing that Matsushita was jonesing to become Panasonic for months now, but at long last, the company (companies?) has finally pulled the trigger. As of October 2008, Matsushita Electric Industrial Company has become Panasonic Corporation, and its stock ticker symbol on the NYSE has been changed from MC to PC. Additionally, Panny is working on "brand changeover from National to Panasonic within Japan," which probably won't be completed until March of 2010. So yeah, Matsushita's logo actually isn't going anywhere just yet, but we appreciate the effort, guys.
