3 ms·

Top refrigerator engineers are probably making lab freezers. I imagine a lot consumer hardware is JDM these days. Parent company mostly doing industrial design

by m-ee 4y ago

Top refrigerator engineers are probably making lab freezers. I imagine a lot consumer hardware is JDM these days. Parent company mostly doing industrial design (if that) and the rest is farmed out to China where they have a standard design they're working from.

hakfoo 4y ago
That reminds me of something I always wondered: during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge. It wasn't a "we can't make/ship big things with relatively low value density" factor (they made cars, after all) and I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?). Was there some tarriff situation keeping them out of this sector?
- midoridensha 4y ago
  >during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge. I have a Panasonic washer and fridge. They're great. >I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?) Whirlpool and other western brands have no presence in Japan for appliances. It's all Panasonic, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, plus Haier, and for the cheap brand, Iris Ohyama. Virtually all appliances are made in Japan, or some (usually cheap ones) in China by Japanese companies. They probably don't bother with the US because American consumers don't want to pay for quality, and they'd have to re-engineer everything for American sizes and preferences. American appliances look nothing like Japanese ones.

by m-ee 4y ago

hakfoo 4y ago

That reminds me of something I always wondered: during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge. It wasn't a "we can't make/ship big things with relatively low value density" factor (they made cars, after all) and I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?). Was there some tarriff situation keeping them out of this sector?

midoridensha 4y ago
>during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge. I have a Panasonic washer and fridge. They're great. >I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?) Whirlpool and other western brands have no presence in Japan for appliances. It's all Panasonic, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, plus Haier, and for the cheap brand, Iris Ohyama. Virtually all appliances are made in Japan, or some (usually cheap ones) in China by Japanese companies. They probably don't bother with the US because American consumers don't want to pay for quality, and they'd have to re-engineer everything for American sizes and preferences. American appliances look nothing like Japanese ones.