Who’s Behind the TV?
Samsung- In 1969, with the help of Sanyo, Samsung Electronics was born. In 1970 Samsung – Sanyo produced its first black and white CRT TV. By the 1980’s Samsung exported electronics under its own name.
During the early 1990s Samsung, with the help of Sony to create LCD screens with clearer and sharper picture. In 1998 Samsung developed the largest LCD TV panel measuring 30 inches! Samsung Displays was founded soon after and it soon became one of the largest LCD panel manufacturers, A decade or so on it started to become apparent the company was outsourcing their LCD TV panels from other manufacturers as well as making their own. It became known as a lottery to what LCD panels their TV’s had and soon became known as the “Samsung panel lottery” in 2016.
In early 2020 Samsung announced it would be closing both its only LCD panel manufacturing located in Korea and its China plant at the end of the year, although rumoured this didn’t happen until the end of 2021 due to Covid. Samsung has said it wants to concentrate on the future of QD OLED, which uses an OLED panel rather than LCD. Its understood they will still invest to develop their 8k NEO QLED range who will supply the panels is not sure yet.
Samsung has cautiously made up its mind to buy 2 million OLED panels from LG Displays in 2021 for its OLED TV’s. Considering the rivalry between the two Korean giants, that’s a double defeat for Samsung. Not only will they be putting money into LG’s pocket, but Samsungs admission that OLED TV’s might be the best way forward for now. Reported by The ELEC, HDTV Test and What HIFI.
Samsung will continue to produce QLED TV’s which use an LCD panel and agreed to purchase its displays from Chinese and Taiwanese manufacturers – TCL’s CSoT China, AU Optronics Taiwan, BOE China. Prior to closing their LCD displays manufacturing plants Samsung was TCL’s and AU Optronics’ largest buyer of LCD panels for its budget to midrange TV’s. It is possible that Samsung will source LCD panels for its higher end QN models from Sharp Displays or LG Displays and possibly TCL, however this is not yet written in stone, but may will likely be AU Optronics.
It’s worth noting that Samsung have shares in TCL and TCL has shares in Samsung.
Although Samsung have their own semiconductor foundry which makes things like DDR4 RAM and Exynos SoC processors. Samsung mainly uses Taiwanese MediaTek processors in their TV’s.
LG TV’s- What is now known as LG founded in 1947 as a chemicals company, which in English translated to “Lucky” chemicals. In 1953 Dongyang Electrochemical Industrial was merged into Lucky Chemicals. 1958 in the aftermath of the Korean war Lucky chemicals founded GoldStar with the help of Hitachi to rebuild the nation with consumer electronics and white goods. In 1969 GoldStar produced its first black and white 19” TV, later that year GoldStar merged with Korea cable industry company and became GoldStar Electronics manufacturing semiconductors. Lucky and GoldStar merged 1983 as Lucky GoldStar, which it was known as until 1995 When it became LG electronics corporation as we know today.
LG has had a long relationship and joint adventures with Hitachi dating back to the early years of GoldStar. LG has aso had joint adventures with Royal Phillips electronics, namely LG Phillips display and LG Philips LCD. Phillips sold off its shares in 2008. LG has also had joint adventures with other foreign companies. LG Chem manufacture batteries and are also a leader in EV batteries, petrochemicals, advanced materials and life science.
LG Displays is a leading manufacturer of LCD panels which it first began developing in 1987, which it uses for its own products as well as reselling them.
LG Displays the main manufacturer of OLED and flexible OLED panels for its own TV’s and major supplier of OLED panels for TVs across the industry. 19 brands, including LG, Vizio, Sony, Panasonic, Hisense, Bang & Olufsen, and Toshiba, Phillips use LG Display OLED panels.
LG Display currently operates manufacturing facilities in Korea and China, and back-end assembly facilities in Korea, China, and Vietnam. Once its LCD TV production is discontinued in Korea it will close, LG Display will continue producing LCD panels only at its Chinese factory. It will source LCD panels from other manufacturers likely from Sharp displays. LG displays are developing a 480hz panel with AU Optronics Taiwan.
LG Display has said it wants OLED panels to make up 50 percent of its revenue in 2021, up from around 30 percent in 2018. In 2022 their OLED factory opened in China. The new factory will enable more rapid adoption of OLED displays in the market. LG called large OLED displays an essential growth engine for LG Display ranging from 48” to 77”. LG Displays has said it new OLED panels over its existing ones are the future.
The upcoming release of its G3 Gallery series OLED will have a brightness of 2,000 nits .
Panasonic- Panasonic was founded in 1918 by Matsushita Konosuke known as Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works (1918–1935) to manufacture and market lamp sockets and plugs he designed. It incorporated and became known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd in 1935 where it rapidly expanded into several varied electrical products. In 2008 it became Panasonic corporation.
Panasonic its first TV in 1952, at their peak in 2010, Panasonic’s TV sales exceeded 20 million units globally. TVs had been a star business for Panasonic until it faced competition from rivals in South Korea and China. In 2014, the company withdrew from the plasma TV business, which it had massively invested in. In 2020, their TV sales plummeted to around 3.6 million units globally.
The last made-in-Japan Panasonic TVs halted at the end of 2020, Panasonic had previously said their LCD manufacturing plant in 2016, leavng Sharp as Japans sole TV panel manufacturer. Panasonic said the small-lot manufacturing was costly and was hurting the company’s earnings. However, the electronic giant’s overseas TV production will continue overseas. Panasonic said it would outsource manufacturing of small and medium-sized liquid-crystal display and TV production to Chinese rival TCL. (See Samsung).
Panasonic stopped production of LCD panels in its Zatec Czech Republic plant in 2012 with its Malaysia being wound down at the same time. Panasonics TV business has suffered from falling prices due to stiff competition from its overseas rivals, which has led to a major restructuring of its LCD manufacturing division.
In 2021 Panasonic confirmed that it will begin outsourcing production of its higher end TV’s to a third-party manufacturer (I don’t who yet), it will no longer make them itself at its Pilsen factory in the Czech Republic. (it’s premium products, including its highly regarded OLED televisions, were all made in house at the Czech factory) The plant will continue to make things like Blue-ray players etc.
Panasonic already outsources production of its lower-end and some mid-range TV models to partners such as Vestel in Turkey for the European market.
Panasonic said it will continue to develop and evolve its picture quality with its R&D in Japan and Europe for its OLED TV’s
Panasonic also confirmed it buys its OLED panels from LG Display.
Sony- Sony was incorporated by Ibuka Masaru and Morita Akio in 1946 as Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (“Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Corporation”). Ibuka, whose Japan Precision Instruments Company had supplied electronic devices during World War II, and Morita, an applied sciences instructor, had met during World War II as engineers designing heat-seeking missiles for the Imperial Japanese Army. Sony became its official name in 1958 with its first consumer products, rice cookers and radios. Sony also had a successful business repairing radios and other electrical equipment. Its repair work for the Japanese radio broadcaster and later the US army. In 1950 it produced a tape recorder. In 1952 visited the United States and made the initial contacts for licensing the transistor from Bell Laboratories, then a division of Western Electric Company, the manufacturing arm of American Telephone & Telegraph (AT&T). Sony was very popular for its transistor radios in the US although Texus instruments were first to market one. Sony’s TR-63, an inexpensive pocket sized all transistor radio,that caught consumers’ attention when it was released in 1957. Sony’s pocket radios were a tremendous success and brought international recognition of the company’s brand name. Sony soon became an Electronics giant in the US in 1960 and then globally. Sony is also renowned in the film industry.
In 1968 the company shipped its first Trinitron colour television. By 1971, 40 percent of Japanese households had colour television sets, so Sony introduced the first colour video cassette recorder (VCR), which led to its introduction of the Betamax VCR in 1975. (Betamax, though widely considered the best VCR technology ever developed, was more expensive than its competitor, the VHS (Video Home System). As more and more studios and video stores turned to VHS, Betamax lost market share, and Sony finally introduced its own VHS in 1988).
Sony ended manufacturing of its TVs in Europe a decade ago and planned to sell its TV manufacturing plant in Spain to two local companies. Barcelona Technology Center was split into two companies, one focused on manufacturing and the other on development and engineering. Ficosa International will own the former company and half of the latter company. The remaining 50 percent share of the latter will be owned by COMSA EMTE. The move, which is part of Sony’s ongoing restructuring, will increase the company’s reliance on outsourcing companies and was part of a plan to return its core TV operations to profitability. For the first two years Sony outsourced LCD TV production to the manufacturing company and both companies will work with Sony on developing new business. The sale follows earlier deals with Hon Hai Precision Industry (China) that saw the Taiwanese company (Foxconn) take over Sony TV plants in Mexico and Slovakia and tasked with making their LCD TV’s
Sony does not make LCD TV panels and outsources them to various manufacturers like Sharp, LG and Samsung (see Samsung). They source their OLED panels from LG. Sony’s OLEDs and Mini LED premium TVs are made in Malaysia and overseen by Sony who continues with its R&D portal, adds the final touches to their Premium sets. Sony is renowned for its motion and interpolation of its premium TV’s and some midrange.
Mitsubishi- Mitsubishi goes back to 1870, perhaps more known for their car and air conditioners they have made many things from rockets, fighter planes and touchless hand dryers. They had defined themselves as a powerhouse and decided to try their hand in the home entertainment industry. Although making LCD TV’s Mitsubishi put all their eggs in one basket to develop a DLP system using a DMP chip (composed of over a million microscopic mirrors. This paired with a lamp and a color wheel produces a high-quality image that is then projected onto the screen) which led to its downfall. Its earlier days of CRT televisions were better-
In 1979 Mitsubishi Electric UK took over a colour TV plant in Haddington, East Lothian from bankrupt Norwegian company Tandberg. Exports of colour TVs from Japan to the EU and particularly the UK had risen rapidly in the early 1970s, even though they were restricted to small screen sets. Then demand in the UK came to a sudden end and TV manufacturing in the UK had excess capacity. The British government encouraged Japanese companies to take over existing plants. Japanese companies also chose the UK for manufacturing iin Europe.
It acquired Britain’s Apricot Computers in April 1990, with a plant in Glenrothes and R&D in Birmingham
The Haddington plant continued to make colour TVs and microwave ovens, but when the price of TVs dropped, it was no longer profitable. In 1998 production ended, blaming cheap competition from Asia.
Sharp- Sharp was founded in 1912 as a metal workshop in Tokyo, some of its first inventions was a snap buckle and ever ready sharp mechanical pencil, which became one of the first internationally recognised mechanical pencils in 1915. The was established as Hayakawa Metal Works in 1924 which became Hayakawa Electronic industry in 1942.
In 1953 they started producing the Japan made TV’s and went on to make the first transistor calculator in 1964 and produced the first LCD calculator in 1970 and had a working relationship with Nintendo. In the 1970sSharp went on to produce microwave ovens.
Sharp ventured into the high end stereo market in 1976 with the introduction of high end receivers, amplifiers, speakers, turntables and cassette players. The Optonica line, consisted of high quality and technically advanced components, that was expanded in 1979, to cover a broader selection of high end equipment. During this run, Sharp introduced digital technology to some of the Optonica products, along with the traditional analogue products, and offered a complete selection of models ranging from low power high end receivers to very powerful models and moved mainly into digital high end, complete stereo systems with advanced technological features setting the trend towards the digital age.
Since 2000, Sharp heavily invested in LCD panel manufacturing plants. The Sakai plant is still the only 10th generation LCD manufacturing plant on the globe and its best fit for production of 60-inch or larger panels. However, the 2008 financial crisis significantly lowered world demand for Japanese LCD panels. In June 2005 Sharp produced the largest LCD television at the time, with a display of 65 inches. It went on sale in August 2005 in Japan. At CES 2007, Sharp introduced a prototype largest LCD TV, with a screen size of 108 inches.In July 2008 Sharp announced that the model will go into production for the Japanese market. Sharp also took a controlling stake in Pioneer. In 2009, Sharp and Pioneer agreed to form a joint venture comprising their optical businesses, called “Pioneer Digital Design and Manufacturing Corporation.
In 2012 the Taiwan-based electronics company Hon Hai, trading as Foxconn, agreed to acquire a 10% stake in Sharp Corporation, and to purchase up to 50 percent of the LCD displays produced at Sharp’s plant in Sakai, Japan. Foxconn chairman later tried to renegotiate the price after he’d paid for the LCD manufacturing plant due to Sharps falling share prices. Sharp initially agreed but later changed their minds.
Sharp exited the European TV market in 2014 and sold the licensing rights to use the TV brand to Skytec UMC of Slovakia. In the US, the rights were sold to Hisense, which Sharp re-purchased later from Hisense.and in 2016 was recently acquired by Taiwanese Foxconn for the American Market which holds an majority share to Sharps LCD plant in China and outsources it panels to other manufacturers.
UMC announced that it will bring a total of 50 Sharp-branded TVs to the market in early 2017. The TVs will range in sizes from 24 to 75 inches. 19 of these, from the 6 series and up, will feature Ultra HD resolution. The 5 series offers Full HD. All 32” and above will feature Harman Kardon speakers to the European market, although are budget TV’s sadly.
Sharp continues to manufacture TV’s for its own market and is one of the oldest electronics companies in Japan.
Toshiba- Toshiba was founded in 1875 as Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co It formed as Toshiba in 1939 through a merger of two electrical companies. The company name was officially changed to Toshiba Corporation in 1978. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure systems, elevators and escalators, electronic components, printers, batteries, lighting, as well as IT solutions such as quantum cryptography which has been in development at Cambridge Research Laboratory UK. It was one of the biggest manufacturers of personal computers, consumer electronics, home appliances, and medical equipment. As a semiconductor company and the inventor of flash memory, Toshiba had been one of the top 10 in the chip industry until its flash memory unit was spun off as Toshiba Memory, later Kioxia, in the late 2010s.
Toshiba started to run out of capital by 2015 but had previously continued to develop and manufactured its own TV’s (Toshiba Visual Solutions) in some regions where sales were still high. Such as Russia, Japan and China. Due to Toshiba’s ongoing crisis its Chinese division was sold to Hisense in 2018 who market the brand in China.
In 2001, Toshiba signed a contract with Orion Electric, one of the world’s largest OEM consumer video electronic makers and suppliers, to manufacture and supply finished consumer TV and video products for Toshiba to meet the increasing demand for the North American market. The contract ended in 2008, ending seven years of OEM production with Orion. Compal is now the licensed manufacturer.
More importantly for the European market the brand was licensed by the Turkish holding Zorlu Holding and it owns a subsidiary company Vestel. Vestel produces TV sets under the outsourcing scheme under the trademarks such as Toshiba.
After the sale of Toshiba Visual Solutions, the question arose as to how to license the Toshiba brand for Compal and Vestel. Toshiba explained that until the end of the licensing agreement, Compal and Vestel will have the right to produce Toshiba-branded TVs. The licensing period will not be disclosed. In 2017 Hisense gained 95% share in Toshiba Visual Solutions but its understood vestel still owns the licensing agreement currently to manufacture TV’s in Europe.
Phillips- (Royal) Phillips was founded in 1891 Frerick Phillips and his son Gerard who had been an engineer at Brush Electric Light corporation. The company gained its royal honorary title in 1998 and dropped the Electronics in its name in 2013, due to it refocusing from consumer electronics to healthcare technology. Philips was once one of the largest electronics companies in the world. In later years the company was often slow to bring its innovative technologies to market.
Their first products electric light bulbs, which they continually experimented with to improve the longevity of the bulbs and optimising production procedures. His younger brother later joined the company and is responsible for their international expansion. The company remained driven by technology, however, often striving for high quality rather than low cost. In 1908 Philips Metal Filament Lamp Factory Ltd, followed in 1912, by the foundation of Philips Philips Lightbulb Factories Ltd. In the 1920s, the company started to manufacture other products, such as vacuum tubes and in 1924, Philips, together with the American manufacturer General Electric Company and Osram GmbH (now a wholly owned subsidiary of German manufacturer Siemens AG), formed the Phoebus cartel in order to divide up the lightbulb market worldwide and to set the standard life of a lightbulb to a thousand hours. By doing so it stifled innovation and competition in lighting for several decades. By 1919 Philips had expanded into manufacturing radio valves and by 1927 it introduced a simple affordable radio, In 1933 it was the world’s largest radio manufacturer.
In the 1930s Philips shifted much of its production outside the Netherlands to avoid the import controls that many countries established during the depression just before the outbreak of WW 11. Philips moved its headquarters to Curaçao, keeping the company out of German control. After 1945 Phillps expanded its product line and having its own record label Polygram. They also produced a cassette tape recorder. It was late to the market with its VHS recorder that didn’t launch until 1984.
In the United States, Canada and other North and South American countries, the Philips brand was bought by Funai Corporation, which makes and sells televisions under the brand. The quality of Philips TVs varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Phillips produce its first TV in 1949 and withdrew from the TV market in 2010 to focus on medical equipment. The right to produce and sell Philips TVs was bought by the Chinese company TP Vision, which sells Philips TVs in Europe and several other countries. TP Vision is dedicated to upholding the reputation of the Phillips brand. They purchase OLED panels from LG and outsource LCD TV panels to various Chinese manufacturers. The Brands 8 series and up LCD TVs are of good quality and are their OLED TV’s.
JVC- JVC (Japan Victor Company) Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as Victor Company of Japan. the company is best known for introducing Japan’s one of the first televisions, soon after Sharp, and for developing the Video Home System (VHS) video recorder. Matsushita became the majority stakeholder in 1953. In 2008 JVC merged with Kenwood and became JVC-Kenwood corporation.
JVC stopped manufacturing TV’s in 2010, the right to manufacture and use the JVC brand under license in Europe was sold in 2011 to Dixons Carphone. They are now nothing but a cheap budget brand.
In America AM-Tram have the licensing rights to the brand
JVC outsourced its LCD TV panels to mainly Sharp when it was producing TV’s. As we know the Dixons do not make TV’s and outsource their manufacture to Turkish company’s. The LCD panels are outsourced to unknown entities lol.
Hisense- Hisense was founded in 1969 in China by a radio engineer as (Qingdao No.2 Radio Factory). A small factory which made its first radio sold under the “red lantern” brand. Along with fellow Chenese company acquired the skills along to make TVs, making a trial-production of black and white televisions ordered by the Shandong National Defence.This resulted in the production of 82 televisions by 1971 and the development of transistor TVs by 1975. Qingdao radio factory first TV model was produced in 1978. Television production in China was limited until with civilians until1979.
Qingdao No.2 Radio Factory merged with other local electronics makers and began to manufacture televisions under the name Qingdao General Television Factory. Color televisions were manufactured through the purchase of a production line from Matsushita (Panasonic) which was one of many which allowed them to remain competitive. Hisense has bought products for their TV’s from the likes of Hitachi, NEC, Sanyo Toshiba and Qualcomm in its earlier days and today uses Qualcomm processors in the majority of its TV’s.
The Hisense group was founded in 1994 and went global the same year in 1997 it became Hisense Electrical company. The company became a leader in household appliances, computers and communications. It sells TV’s white goods and electrical appliances around the globe.
Hisense and Hitachi have a partnership to produce its commercial air conditioners.
Hisense is one of only a few manufacturers that manufacture their own panels to make LCD displays. It still buys OLED panels from LG, the only company that produces this technology as of 2022. This gives them an advantage over competitors like Sony, who rely heavily on Samsung (see Samsung), Sharp and LG for display components.
In 2013, Hisense invented a type of transparent 3D television which took the world by storm.
In July 2015, Hisense bought a Mexico facility from Sharp alongside rights to use the Sharp brand on televisions sold in America. In June 2017, Hisense was sued by Sharp under its new owner Foxconn, seeking to have the license agreement halted (see Sharp). It is believed Foxconn and Hisense agreed a License Sharp under its name for 5yrs. As recorded in January 2019 all Sharp TVs sold in the USA were manufactured by Hisense. There have been rumors that Sharp has regained its shares but it is not been confirmed yet.
In November 2017, Hisense announced that it would acquire a 95% controlling stake in Toshiba Visual Solutions.
In 2018, Hisense became the majority shareholder in Slovenian appliance manufacturer Gorenje with 95.4% of shares.
In 2020, it introduced the world’s first true 8K 10 bit HDR screen TV that is based on an AI-powered HDR algorithm and an image quality engine claiming 6.5T supercomputing power.
Hisense was the official TV Sponsor of the FiFA world cup in 2018.
Hisense is an integrated company, making most of its components. Third party manufacturers make critical parts of Hisense TVs, such as LED backlight film, colour filters, Intel chipsets, Qualcomm processors and OLED panels they buy from LG.
Hisense have over 53 overseas companies, 14 high-end production facilities including the Czech Republic for its European TV’s, and 12 research and development centers across Europe.
Hisense are the 5th largest TV manufacture in the world and is the Number 1 brand in its home country and S Africa. They make budget to lower end premium TV’s Europe. America gets budget to upper premium.
Hisense TVs are of a decent quality and offer great features and fantastic picture quality at lower prices. The company often gets high star reviews from purchasers who are happy with them. The company has also won numerous awards.
The company produces 4k LED, quantum dot, mini-LED and OLED TV’s. They are renowned for their short throw projectors costing upwards of £2.5k . Their OLED panels are sourced from LG.
TCL- TCL (CSoT group) a Chinese electronics company. The company was founded in 1981 under the brand name TTK as an audio cassette manufacturer, It was founded as a state-owned enterprise. In 1985, after being sued by TDK for intellectual property violation, the company changed its brand name to TCL by taking the initials from its formally known Telephone Communication Limited.
In 2002, TCL announced the acquisition of all consumer electronics related assets of the former German company Schneider AG, including the right to use its trademark.
In 2003, The chairman announced to establish two competitive TCL businesses in global markets and three leading businesses inside China.
Later in 2003 TCL and Thomson SA of France announced the creation of a joint venture to produce televisions and DVD players worldwide.TCL took a 67 percent stake in the joint venture, with Thomson SA holding the rest of the shares. It was agreed that televisions made by the two companies would be marketed under the TCL brand in Asia and the Thomson and RCA brands in Europe and North America.
In 2004, TCL and Alcatel announced the creation of a mobile phone manufacturing joint venture: TCL injected 55 million in the venture in return for a 55 per cent shareholding of Alcatel Phones. In June 2007, TCL announced that its mobile phone division planned to cease using the Alcatel brand and switch entirely to the TCL brand within five years.
In 2008, Samsung Electronics announced that it would be outsourcing the production of some LCD TV modules to TCL and and produce TV’s 42 inches up to 56 inches.
This is where it gets interesting (see Samsung):
In 2020 TCL Technology had acquired a 60 percent stake in Suzhou Samsung Electronics Suzhou LCD Technology Company. and a 100 percent stake in Suzhou Samsung LCD Display Company
In 2021 TCL provided more than 15 percent of the large-size display panels, making Samsung the second-largest customer of the company.
With the purchase of Samsung‘s Chinese factories, TCL aims to become the largest LCD TV panel vendor and plans to expand its product portfolio. Last year, TCL was the second-largest LCD panel maker for TVs globally, behind China’s BOE Technology Group.
In 2021 TCL Technology announced that it plans on entering into a joint venture to establish its own semiconductor technology based company, called TCL Semiconductor Technology Co Ltd.
Companies 2022 included the 4, 5 and 6 series LED TV’s. Its 7,8 and 9 series are worth a look. (With its 8 series C835 beating the Samsung QN90 and Sony X95k) videos on YouTube.
Cello- Many of you are probably unaware of the Cello brand. Cello Electronics is the only LED TV brand that still manufactures products in the UK, with their production is made in County Durham.
Cello was founded in 2001, In its early days the company manufactured under the brand names of its customers. Retailers who marketed their own LED TV products from Cello included Next, Marks & Spencer, Argos, Morrisons and Aldi.
In 2009 the company saw an opportunity to integrate internet-based entertainment within the traditional television. To this end, Cello partnered with BBC iPlayer to allow viewers to watch iPlayer content through the TV (an early example of a smart TV)
When 3D TV’s became popular in 2010 after the CES show, Cello along with other major manufacturers began to push their own line ups of 3D TV. 3D TV’s weren’t hugely popular with consumers due to the wearing of those daft glasses. Cello partnered with Stream TV Networks to produce 3D televisions that did not need glasses. Hower 3D popularity soon declined within a few years.
Over the years the company has been a notable supplier to the niche travel market.[12] By manufacturing small screen TVs with 12-volt power capability they have created a steady demand amongst consumers who use caravans, motorhomes, boats and HGVs.[13][14]
Cello’s interest in outdoor TV use led to the development of the world’s first solar-powered TV package in 2016. Operating as Cello Solar, the company has a base in Kenya where it has developed a range of solar products for the home. It is currently working on developing a distribution network for these products across rural Africa.
In 2017 Cello resurrected the famous Ferguson brand by licensing the name from Technicolor (Thomson)
(Ferguson is one of the older electronics companies, alongside Ultra, Dynatron, Pye and Bush in the United Kingdom. It was originally an American Canadian Pre War company making radio sets for the U.K. based upon contemporary American models. After World War II, it became Ferguson Radio)
Cello make LED TVs from 16″ to 85″. Including a wide range of accessories, such as TV cabinets, soundbars and digital tablets. Cello products are distributed throughout the UK on the global market..
The company is continuously innovating and making good quality TVs. However they are still not at par with the top tier brands like Samsung, Sony, or LG, or other established brands. Cello are making a name for themselves in the African Market.
Their LCD panels are outsouced to other manufacturers.
Vestel- Vestel is a Turkish home and professional appliances manufacturing company consisting of 18 companies.
Vestel, together with its subsidiary brands has a significant share in the European market of consumer electronics and home appliances, in particular TV sets. As of 2006, Vestel was the largest TV producer in Europe with more than 8 million units sold, accounting for a quarter of the European market.
Most TVs produced by Vestel are sold under licensed brand names such as Toshiba, Hitachi, Sharp, JVC, Bush, Alba including some Panasonic’s and TPV and more for Europe. Including its own brand labels such as AOC and Technika. Most of these low end brands like Bush either ceased to be manufacturers in their own right years ago or are just made up, for example Technika as used by Tesco. There are a number of manufacturers like Vestel who make stuff for other people, so you don’t necessarily know who makes what.
They are generally considered at the bottom end of the market. Doesn’t necessarily make them rubbish but don’t expect the quality levels of the likes of Sony or Panasonic. For the UK Vestel is by far the largest player. Vestel also produces for a large amount of other brand names and own brands from chain outlets and supermarkets.
Beko- Beko purchased the German electronics company Grundig and by January 2005, Beko and its rival Turkish electronics and white goods brand Vestel accounted for more than half of all TV sets manufactured in Europe.
To sum them up- most of the low end brands like Bush ceased to be manufactured in their own right years ago, or are just made up brands, for example Technika as used by Tesco.
They outsource LCD panels.
Foxconn- Worth a mention. Founded in Taiwan in 1974, to make plastic knobs for black and white TVs. The company went on in the 1980s to make electrical connectors for companies like IBM and Atari, growing quickly thanks to the soaring popularity of video games and personal computers. Foxconn’s first factory in China, it helped transform southern China into a global electronics manufacturing powerhouse.
Foxconn group is Apple’s longest-running partner in building these devices. It currently assembles the majority of Apple’s iPhones in its, China, location. Although is planning on breaking Foxconn’s hold and it is expected to enlist Luxshare Precision China to assemble its premium iPhone models. Luxshare has already been producing small amounts of the iPhone 14 Pro Max since the backend of last year.
Foxconn maintains factories in countries across the world, including Thailand, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, South Korea.
Also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Company. It is the world’s largest contract maker of electronics, with factories across mainland China.
in 2001 Intel selected the company to manufacture its Intel-branded motherboards instead of ASUS. By 2007, Foxconn further expanded with an announced plan to build a new plant Southern China.
In 2012 gained a 10-percent stake in the Japanese electronics company Sharp Corporation and to purchase up to 50 percent of the LCDs produced at Sharp’s plant in Sakai, Japan. However, the agreed deal was broken as Sharp’s shares continued to plunge in the following months (See Sharp, Hisense). Other subsidiary’s include Belkin and Smart Technologies
Foxconn bought a majority stake in Japan’s Sharp Corp in 2016 (see Hisense)
In 2020, Foxconn established “Hon Hai Research Institute,” with five research centers, each having an average of 40 high technology R&D professionals, all of whom are focused on the research and development of new technologies.
In 2021, Foxconn announced that the company will enter into more semiconductor production and will be expanding into supplying chips for electric vehicles and electronics equipment used for healthcare.
Foxconn planned to build a huge LCD manufacturing plant in Wisconsin America, but it fell through.
The company also makes hardware such as motherboards for Dell
Foxconn is different to the likes of Vestel in That it Assembles electronic goods for manufacturers including TV’s IOS devices but, whilst the company manufacturers electronic components it does not necessarily use them in every manufacture it assembles for, as some manufacturers source their own materials from their own- or third-party sources. For others to manufacture them. The company also holds licenses to produce various makes of TV’s and other electronics. It also has majority shares or owns various brands as well as its own, although this is for other Markets such American where the manufacturer is better known.
It’s a different outfit compared to the likes of Vestel.
The information is based on reliable sources around the world I’m familiar with including Gizmo China along with other Asian electronic resources and reliable European electronic resources including en tab tv, flat panels hd. It is up to date for the 2022 year but frequently changes.