Sony develops, designs, manufactures, and sells electronic equipment, instruments, and devices. The company's products include audio and video equipment, televisions, displays, semiconductors, electronic components, semiconductors, computers and computer peripherals, and telecommunication equipment. Sony also develops, produces, manufactures, and distributes recorded music and image based software and is engaged in insurance and financing. (Japan)
You can visit Sony's web site: www.sony.com/
In a 1990 Landor Associates survey of Japanese, American, and European companies, Sony ranked first in terms of esteem and fourth in name recognition to win an overall ranking of second place, ahead of Kodak, IBM, Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW, Disney, and others. The only company ahead of Sony was Coca-Cola.
Today, North America makes up about one-third of Sony's worldwide operations, and Sony Electronics Inc. in North America represents the largest single geographical operation of the corporation. Sony employs more than 25,000 people in manufacturing, customer service, research and development, marketing and sales in North America. Sony's U.S. operations include manufacturing and engineering, design, sales, marketing, distribution and customer service of electronics products, recording media, and systems integration. Market segments include consumer, broadcast, commercial, institutional, components and original equipment manufacturers.
Sony has been a part of the North American landscape for almost 40 years. During that time, Sony has created numerous products and technologies that have helped make consumers' lives easier, more enjoyable and more productive. At the same time, the company has earned a solid reputation for quality, reliability, innovation and stylish design. In fact, a 1998 Harris Poll identified Sony as the number one brand in America, ahead of Ford, General Electric, Disney and Coca-Cola.
Whether it's the benchmark products that have made Sony famous, like Trinitron® televisions and Walkman® personal stereos, or more recent introductions that will lead the company into the future - like the VAIO® PC, DVD, the 24P HDCam® acquisition system and Memory Stick® - the company is committed to maintaining a leadership position in consumer electronics, broadcast and professional systems, computing, semiconductors and telecommunications. Sony is also committed to developing new technologies that reflect the networked convergence of audio, video, and information technology.
Throughout the U.S., Sony continually invests in local markets, people, facilities and infrastructure to help support the growth of its business. This commitment to investing in local resources is best exemplified by the establishment of the Sony Technology Center - San Diego in 1972 - the first television manufacturing facility opened by a Japanese company in the U.S. In 2001 SEL unveiled its 11th and newest building, a 93,000 square foot Facility to house the company's Personal Network Solutions Company (PNSC), responsible for marketing and engineering Sony's PC digital imaging products in the U.S. In 1997, Sony opened a $25 million state-of-the-art, 277,000 square foot center for engineering and development and a $21 million distribution center designed to emphasize the rapid distribution needs of today's quickly evolving electronics market. Today, Sony Electronics has expanded its North American manufacturing base to include 10 production plants. In addition to meeting U.S. market needs, these facilities also export products and components to other worldwide markets.
Sony has forged strategic alliances and partnerships with such companies as Microsoft, Intel, Philips, Sun Microsystems and General Instruments, as well as with other leading companies in the U.S. and around the world to address the needs of emerging markets. And in 1998, Sony Corporation was named one of the top five U.S. patent holders.
In 1999, Sony was recognized for the third year in a row as one of the world's 100 Best Managed companies by Industry Week magazine. Industry Week's award-winning companies are gathered from the Industry Week 1000 -- a ranking by annual revenues of the world's largest publicly held manufacturing companies.
For the second year in a row, in 2000, Sony was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the number one consumer appliance company. With criteria that included strict financial screens such as estimated EPS growth and five-year average return, Forbes acknowledged Sony's online supply chain management system and continues introduction of new products in ranking Sony at the top of the list.
Sony Electronics is the largest component of Sony Corporation of America, the U.S. holding company for Sony's U.S.-based electronics and entertainment businesses. SCA's legal subsidiaries include: Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Music Entertainment Inc.; Sony Pictures Entertainment; Sony Broadband Entertainment; Sony Computer Entertainment America; Metreon; and Sony Plaza Public Arcade and Sony Wonder Technology Lab.
You can visit Sony Electronics online at
http://www.sony.com/ 7/03Sony Corporation of America
Corporate Fact Sheet
Sony Corporation of America, based in New York City, is the U.S. subsidiary of Sony Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo. Sony is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, communications, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its music, motion picture, television, computer entertainment, and online businesses make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony's principal U.S. businesses include Sony Electronics Inc., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of over $62.3 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003, and it employs 161,100 people worldwide. Sony's consolidated sales in the U.S. for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2003, was $20 billion.
U.S. Businesses
- Sony Electronics Inc.
- Sony Broadband Entertainment (Sony Music Entertainment Inc. and Sony Pictures Entertainment)
- Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc.
- Sony Plaza Public Arcade and Sony Wonder Technology Lab (New York)
- Metreon -- A Sony Entertainment Center (San Francisco)
Annual Sales / Sony Corporation Consolidated
- $62.3 billion (Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2003)
- Sales in the United States: $20 billion
Workforce
- 161,100 employees worldwide (Fiscal Year ended March 31, 2003)
- Approximately 22,000 employees in the United States
Major U.S. R&D and Engineering Facilities
- San Jose, CA
- San Diego, CA
- New York, NY
- Boulder, CO
Major Manufacturing Sites in North America
- Dothan, AL
- New Stanton, PA
- Pitman, NJ
- San Diego, CA
- Terre Haute, IN
- Tijuana, Mexicali and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Entertainment Production
- Sony Pictures Studios/Culver Studios, Culver City, CA
- Sony Music Studios, New York, NY
More About Sony
- A leading audio-visual electronics and information technology company in the U.S. and worldwide
- The second largest music company in the world
- A leading motion picture and television production company in the U.S. and worldwide
- The co-developer of the CD, DVD, and Super Audio CD
- The developer, manufacturer, and marketer of PlayStation® and PlayStation®2 game consoles
- The inventor of a wide range of consumer audio-visual products, such as the FD Trinitron® WEGA® television, Mavica® digital camera, Digital8® Handycam® camcorder, Walkman® personal stereo, MiniDisc player/recorder, and the Memory Stick®IC flash media; IT products, including VAIO® personal computers, FD Trinitron® computer display, the 3.5-inch floppy disk, and CLIÉ™ handheld; and professional products, highlighted by the HDCAM® 24-P, Digital Betacam® and DVCAM® VTR and camera formats
- A publicly held company, with shares listed on 16 stock exchanges worldwide, including Tokyo, New York, and London
- A company with 1,035 consolidated subsidiaries worldwide
May 2003
1950
Introduces Japan’s first magnetic tape recorder, the G-type, and Soni-Tape KA Series,
- Japan's first practical magnetic recording tape using a paper-based
film.
1955
- Introduces the first transistor radio in Japan.
1960
- Akio Morita establishes Sony's first major overseas operation on 514 Broadway in New York City with a capital investment of $500,000.
- Introduces the world's first fully transistorized, portable B&W TV
in Japan.
1961
- Makes a public offering of 2 million shares of Sony common stock the form of ADRs. (American Depository Receipts in the United States.) First stock offering by Japanese company in the United States markets the world's first all-transistor television in America.
- Sponsors and demonstrates the world's smallest and lightest videotape
recorder (model PV-1000),designed for the technological, industrial
educational, medical, sports and arts markets.
1962
- Debuts world's smallest and lightest television, the 5-inch micro TV-5-303.
- Markets 2-inch open-reel videotape for the world's first transistor
videotape recorder, the PV-100.
1965
- Markets world's first home-use videotape recorder, the CV-2000.
- Introduces the world's first transistor condenser microphone, the C-38.
- Markets V30E (20-minute recording capability), the world's first
1/2-inch open-reel videotape, for the all-trasistor CV-2000 home videotape
recorder.
1966
- The world's first color home videotape recorder is demonstrated by
Sony Corporation of America.
1967
- The world's first portable VTR is introduced, the DV-2400.
1968
- Markets the world's first integrated circuit radio, model ICR-100. It weighs approximately 3 ounces and is one-half the size of a pack of cigarettes.
- Announces a revolutionary concept in color TV with the Trinitron®
KV-1310. The set has a brighter picture because it uses a system invented
by Sony and not the conventional "shadow mask" color tube.
1971
- Markets KC-60, the world's first videocassette tape for
U-matic® VTRs.
1972
- Sony is the first Japanese company to establish a charitable giving foundation. Today, It is known as the Sony USA Foundation.
- Sony is the first Japanese company to open a U.S. plant to manufacture
Trinitron televisions in San Diego, Calif.
1973
- The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awards Sony an Emmy for the development of the Trinitron television. It is the first time an Emmy had been given for a product.
- Markets DUAD, the world's first dual-coated ferrichrome audio cassette
tape.
1974
- Donates sixteen technological firsts to the Smithsonian Institute
including the first Trinitron television.
1975
- Introduces Betamax® VCR, world's first home-use videocassette recorder using 1/2-inch tape.
- Demonstrates the world's first four-channel cassette tape recorder.
The BM-144 allows the user to switch back and forth on single standard
cassette from four different recordings.
1978
- Introduces the world's smallest tape recorder for standard cassettes, the TCM-600.
- Markets the MC-90, the world's first metal magnetic particle micro
cassette enabling a maximum of three hours recording and playback.
1979
- WQXR conducts the first digital source radio broadcast using Sony's PCM-1600 digital audio processor.
- Introduces the Walkman® TPS-L2 personal stereo, changing the way the
American public listens to music.
1980
- Markets the world's first commercial color video camera to utilize a completely solid state image sensor called a charge-coupled-device (CCD). It is also the smallest camera (weighing only 2.8 pounds) on the market.
- Markets the KV-4000, the smallest Trinitron color TV in the world with a 3.7 inch diagonal picture.
- Unveils its first line of car stereo equipment.
- Announces the first prototype of the "Video Movie," a single-unit
compact color video camera-cassette recorder system, and proposed a common
format.
1981
- Introduces the first compact Walkman personal stereo (model WM-2).
- Sony, Philips and Polygram announce the impending introduction of a compact disc digital audio system to the world market within two years.
- Video magazine publishes its first charter members of the Video Hall of Fame. Akio Morita is selected along with such media giants as Edward R. Murrow and William S. Paley.
- The premiere issue of Technology magazine honors Akio Morita for, "his brilliance in creating and marketing superb electronic gadgets that combine irresistible convenience and practicality."
- Introduces the first 3.5-inch micro floppy disk drive.
1982
- Introduces first recording Walkman personal stereo.
- Introduces first Walkman personal stereo with a built-in tuner.
- Sony releases Dictavision KV-4100, the world's first television and dictating machine in one.
- Unveils the Watchman® personal TV, the personal pocket-sized television. The FD-210 is the world's smallest, lightest and flattest television.
- Introduces first water-resistant Sports Walkman personal stereo.
- Markets the D-1/2, the world's first DASH format digital audio tape, for professional use.
- Markets the Metal-ES, the world's first high-performance audio metal tape cassette featuring a high precision shell with a wide transparent window.
- Introduces the world’s first CD player, the CDP-101.
1984
- Establishes world's first one-piece compact disc players. These portable CD players are the first in a line of products aimed at use in the family car.
- Introduces the first multi-frequency monitor.
1985
- Introduces the first 8mm camcorder, the CCD-V8
1987
- Introduces My First Sony® product line for children.
- The first Walkman personal stereo enters the Smithsonian Institution.
- Markets the D-1 Series video cassettes, the first in the world for
4:2:2 format component digital VTRs.
1988
- Marketed the D-2 Series metal video cassettes, the first in the world for use in D-2 format composite digital VTRs.
- Sony joins its optical and magnetic recording technologies to create
the world's first 5.25" magneto optical disk, a rewritable medium in a
handy cartridge format.
1989
- CCD-V9 camcorder goes on Atlantis Space Shuttle mission.
- The high picture quality delivered by the Hi8™ Metal-E metal evaporated 8mm video cassette tape, the first of its kind in the world, creates a sensation.
- Markets Hi-8 Metal P metal particle 8mm video cassette tape, the first in the world to use vertical recording technology.
- Marketed HD-1D 1-inch open reel tape, the first metal video tape in
the world for use in digital HDVS® VTRs.
1990
- Introduces the first writable CD.
- Introduces first Digital Audio Tape (DAT) Walkman personal stereo.
- Sony receives an Emmy for metal tape technology. This is the first time the award is presented for metal tape technology.
- introduces V® videotape.
1991
- Sony develops the MiniDisc (MD), a revolutionary, recordable, ultra compact optical disk.
- Sony opens its first outlet store in Kenosha, Wash.
1992
- The first rear-projection television units roll off the line at Sony's Mount Pleasant, Pa., manufacturing center.
- Sony conducts its first successful experiment with a blue laser diode.
1993
- Sony's Write Once Optical Products Division launches its first national advertising campaign.
- Sony introduces the recording industry's first MD Cart™ player and recorder/player.
- Sony introduces its first S-VHS Hi-Fi VCR+® to offer both VC Timer Programming and Cable Box Control.
- Introduces first Handycam® camcorder with LCD monitor.
- Introduces first 180-minute Hi-8 Metal Evaporated videotape.
1994
- Introduces the Magic Link™ Personal Communicator.
- Introduces the world's first MD changers for cars.
- Announces MD-Data format.
- Announces the world's first MD Data portable drive.
- Sony introduces its first 5.25-inch multifunction (rewritable and write-once) magneto optical jukebox.
- Sony's Data Media SD1 video tape is used for data collection and
storage during two NASA space missions.
1995
- Introduces the world's first MD business recorder.
- Introduces world's first 16:9 Ratio Computer Monitor.
- Introduces world's highest capacity (15Gb) 12-inch write-once drive and media announced.
- Introduces world's highest performing 5.25-inch magneto optical drive.
- Sony introduces three, Sony brand DSS® (Digital Satellite System)Systems.
- Sony Electronics joins the EPA's Energy Star Buildings program.
- Launches the Sony Playstation® videogame system in the U.S.
1996
- Sony helps develop DVD, the next-generation optical disc.
- Introduces the PC by Sony models PCV-70 and PCV-90.
- Introduces the WebTV™ Internet terminal.
- Introduces Betacam SX® digital broadcast format designed to be the ultimate replacement for Sony’s defacto standard.
- Introduces DVCAM™ format for corporate and industrial use.
- Sony unveils its first Voice File™ IC Chip Recorder the ICD-50.
- Sony introduces the world’s smallest digital video camcorder, the DCR-PC7, with a LCD screen.
- Sony introduces the world’s lightest Discman® portable CD player the D-777.
1997
- Introduces the first digital video cassette recorder available in the U.S. the DHR-1000.
- Introduces world’s first digitally powered subwoofer for car audio, the XS-TL1.
- Sony launches "Digital Dream" family of CDMA handsets including the industry’s first dual band dual mode PCS/cellular phone.
- Sony announces its first line of multimedia notebook computers for the U.S. market, the PCG-705C and PCG-707C.
- Sony and Fujifilm announce they have jointly developed HiFD a new
3.5-inch floppy disc system with a 200 megabyte (both sides) storage
capacity.
• Introduces compact disc rewritable (CD-RW) media, bringing writing, erasing and rewriting capabilities to CD technology.
- Introduces new car stereo speaker cone technology, Highly Oriented Polyolefine (HOP).
- Introduces the industry’s smallest and lightest phone the CM-Z100 PCS phone.
- Introduces Glasstron™, PLM-100, a wearable personal LCD monitor.
- Announces with Hewlett Packard, Phillips Electronics NV, Mitsubishi Chemical Corp., the format specifications for phase-change rewritable - a 120mm disc formed to be read easily by future DVD-ROM drives to be known as DVD+RW drives.
- Sony and Phillips Electronics jointly announces their intention to develop a next generation music carrier based on Direct Stream Digital™ (DSD™), a new high resolution, digital encoding system that allows music recording of unprecedented quality. Both agree to provide hybrid discs which will include a standard density Compact Disc layer in addition to a new high density DSD layer for use in Super Audio CD players.
- Sony introduces floppy disk-based digital still camera the Digital
MavicaÒ, the MVC-FD5
and the MVC-FD7, which allows users to store their images onto a standard 3.5-inch floppy disk.
1998
- Sony unveils the first DVD Discman® portable disc player – the world’s smallest and lightest.
- Introduces the first DV Video Walkman, which offers playback, dubbing & basic editing capabilities.
- Introduces the Ruvi (CCD-CR1), the world’s smallest camcorder.
- Introduces floppy disk Digital Mavica cameras MVC-FD91 and MVC-FD81 with XGA resolution and MPEG "movie mode".
- Announces availability of DVP-C600D, the world’s first five-disc CD/DVD video carousel changer.
- The 34-inch FD Trinitron® Wega™ (model KW-34HD1), the first direct-view, high-definition television from Sony hit dealers’ shelves.
- CBS broadcasts the first NFL game in HDTV format with the use of Sony high definition production equipment.
- Sony is first to introduce multi-colored MDs in the U.S. with its MiniDisc color collection.
- Sony introduces Memory Stick, an IC (integrated circuit) digital
storage media.
1999
- Sony introduces the MZ-R55CG, the smallest portable MiniDisc recorder player.
- Using Sony’s high definition broadcast equipment, KOMO 4 News became the first in the world to broadcast daily local news in HDTV.
- Introduces the first virtual Dolby® Digital headphone system – the MDR-DS5000.
- Introduces the new Digital Mavica™ camera with 1.3 million pixels (MVC-FD88).
- Launches i.LINK (IEEE1394) LSI incorporating 5C Digital Content Protection Technology.
- Sony, Philips and Sun Microsystems announced plans to collaborate in connecting the Home Audio/Video interoperability architecture with Sun’s Jini™ technology.
- Sony and Philips held the debut of Super Audio Compact Disc in the United States, introducing SCD-1.
- Sony receives two Emmy awards. One was presented to Charlie Steinberg for lifetime achievement. The other was for the development of Sony’s HDCAM® high definition VTR.
- Introduces 65-inch big screen, high definition rear-projection television.
- Introduces Digital8 camcorders, allowing digital recording on a standard 8mm or Hi8 tape.