Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. ( , ) is a Japanese electronics manufacturer based in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It produces products under a variety of names including Panasonic and Technics.
The company was founded by Konosuke Matsushita in 1918 to sell duplex lamp sockets. In 1927, it produced a bicycle lamp, the first product it marketed under the brand name National. Since then, it has become the largest Japanese electronics producer. In addition to electronics, Matsushita offers non-electronic products and services such as home renovation services.
Matsushita was ranked the 59th company in the world in 2007 by the Forbes Global 500 and is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders.
The common English pronunciation is /ˌmɑtsuːˈʃiːtə/, while the proper Japanese pronunciation for the company is /matsɯɕ(i)ta/.
On January 10, 2008, the company announced that on October 1, 2008 it will change its name to Panasonic Corporation, unifying the Matsushita, National and Panasonic brands under the new corporate name.
