Sanyo 1947 - 2008

Major electronics company, founded by Toshio Iue (1902-1969), brother-in-law of Konosuke Matsushita (founder of Matsushita/Panasonic) and also a former Matsushita employee; lent an unused Matsushita plant in 1947 and used it to make bicycle generator lamps; Sanyo incorporated in 1950, producing domestic electronic goods; produced industry's first plastic radio in 1952; produced first monochrome television in 1953; has become a world leader in battery manufacture, pioneering lithium battery production in mid 1970s; founded Sanyo Energy in 2004 to develop soalr technologies; Panasonic Corporation bought Sanyo as subsidiary in 2008.