3 ms·

Sharp started out making mechanical pencils. Panasonic started out making lightbulb sockets. Mitsubishi started as a shipping company.

• blululu 4y ago
  Though I believe all these companies still make these products. They have simply expanded into other sectors.
  • timr 4y ago
    Sharp doesn't make mechanical pencils, so far as I know. I'd also be sort of surprised if Panasonic made lightbulb sockets. To your broader point, though, it's true that most of the major Japanese conglomerates have amusing/modest origins and have accrued side-businesses over time until they became goliaths. It's still interesting that a company like Panasonic began with something so mundane. Other than a few cases like IBM (which began as separate companies making time clocks and card punchers), it's not that common a story in the western market.