Troubled Japanese consumer electronics maker Sanyo Electric is considering exiting the market for major household appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines, a report said yesterday.
Sanyo may withdraw from white goods to focus on more profitable areas such as batteries, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported in its evening edition without naming any sources.
The company said in response that it had not ruled anything out on the fate of the business but that no decision had yet been taken.
"While Sanyo is considering all options and possibilities regarding the future expansion and improvement of its white goods business, at this time there are no plans to sell neither this business nor the logistics subsidiary," it said in a brief statement.
Sanyo, which controls 40 percent of the global market for lithium-batteries, is struggling to return from the red amid fierce price competition. A scandal over alleged window-dressing of its accounts has only added to its woes.
After suffering an annual net loss for the past three years, Sanyo is increasing its focus on batteries, which have been a bright spot in its otherwise lackluster recent performance.
The troubled company is reportedly moving closer to a sale of its mobile phone manufacturing unit and a majority stake in its semiconductor business.
The Osaka-based firm, which started out making bicycle lamps after World War II, has been accelerating its restructuring with thousands of job cuts as part of efforts to stem its large losses.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft