Over 100 years of our success story
Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Konosuke Matsushita as Matsushita Electric Housewares and Manufacturing Works, a producer of lightbulb sockets. Since 1920 Matsushita has been launching new innovative products on a regular basis. The ideas may have appeared small, but the products provided a new dimension of comfort and opportunities in daily lives. Since Panasonic’s launch over 100 years ago, the company has evolved to become one of the largest Japanese corporations worldwide.
Timeline
1927 A line of bicycle lamps was produced and the first to be marketed with the national brand name.
1929 Founder Konosuke Matsushita established the basic management objectives that have been shaping the company until today.
1932 Konosuke Matsushita announced the corporate mission and presented the Seven Core Principles of Panasonic.
These principles comprise the management philosophy of the company founder. With his powerful and humanistic ideals, Matsushita emphasized the importance of life-long learning, experience and faith that one can learn from both success and failure in order to achieve success. “In a changing environment, life-long learning maybe more related to great success or unusual achievements than IQ, parental socio-economic status, charisma, and formal education… Life-long learning is closely associated with humility, an open mind, a willingness to take risks, a capacity to listen, and honest self-reflection,” Matsushita said. This company philosophy of Konosuke Matsushita is still firmly grounded in the company today.
1935 Foundation of Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Works Ltd.
1937 Launch of Automotive storage battery
1947 Foundation of Sanyo Electric Works
1962 Matsushita Electronic Hamburg established
Cooperation with SDS Relays
Konosuke Matsushitas story was covered globally by Time magazine
1963 Launch of world’s longest lasting dry cell battery
1964 Konosuke Matsushitas story was covered globally by Life magazine
1980 Sanyo first worldwide commercial solar cell manufacturer
1981 50 years corporate mission anniversary
1985 Promotion by the Establishment of Japan Prize Foundation
1988 Foundation of Panasonic Europe
Start of the worldwide Olympic Partnership
Launch of camcorder with optical image stabilization
1989 Konosuke Matsushita passed away
Acquisition of SDS-Elektro GmbH
1991 Establishment of basic environmental management policy – Matsushita Environmental Chapter
1994 Development of Lithium-ion batteries
1998 Foundation of Panasonic Industrial Europe
2003 Unification under the global brand Panasonic
2005 Name change to Panasonic Electric Works
2007 Declaration of Eco-Ideas
2008 Company name change from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. to Panasonic Corporation and corporate brand unified worldwide as Panasonic
2010 Partnership with Tesla motors
2011 Acquisition of 100% ownership of Panasonic Electric Works and Sanyo Electric
2012 Incorporation of Panasonic Electric Works and Panasonic Electronic Devices into Panasonic Corporation
2014 Grand opening of Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town SST
2004 Comprehensive partnership start with Matsushita Electric Works
2016 New slogan: A Better Life, A better World
2017 Panasonic Industry Europe founded
2018 100th Anniversary
2019 Launch of seven company system (Appliances, Automotive, Connected Solutions, Industrial Solutions, Life Solutions, China & Northeast Asia, USA)
2020 Opening of Panasonic Campus Munich (Read more)
2022 Panasonic transitions to a Holding Company System
2022 Panasonic Industry Europe GmbH and Panasonic Electric Works Europe AG have successfully merged as of 1st October 2022 (Read more)
2024 End of the worldwide Olympic Partnership
