Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, Toshiba Corporation is a multi-international company and a global leader in the manufacturing and marketing of electronics products. As one of the early technological pioneers, its massive product line has evolved to span communications systems and equipment, social and industrial infrastructure systems, network solutions and household appliances. Also specializing in the chip business, Toshiba semiconductors stand among the world’s top 20 in sales and performance. The company itself is one of the world’s largest PC manufacturers, coming in fifth only behind Hewlett Packard, Dell, Acer and Lenovo.
Toshiba was originally founded in 1939 but its history dates back to the late 1800s. It was initially established from the merging of two companies: Tanaka Seizosho, which was founded in 1875, and Hakunetsusha, founded in 1890. It was not given the official name Toshiba Corporation until 1978. The company expanded rapidly through internal growth and acquisitions, investing heavily in engineering and industry firms to form subsidiaries in the electrical equipment and chemical fields among other sectors. Over the years, it has introduced a number of Japanese firsts. Some of Toshiba’s innovations include the TAC digital computer in 1954, the microwave oven in 1959, the laptop PC in 1996 and HD DVD in 2005. The quality of Toshiba chips made it one of the most successful semiconductors during the 1980s and that momentum has carried on to the current day. As of 2007, it was the third most profitable chip maker behind Intel and Samsung.
Today, Toshiba maintains its position as an industry leader with a diverse range of products and in-house companies. Some of the most notable divisions include Toshiba Laptops, Digital Products Group, Infrastructure Systems Group and Toshiba TEC Corporation. With regional headquarters located in Asia, Europe and the Americas, this company and their nearly 160,000 global employees available to keep the world thriving from the latest innovations.