Originally called Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo (Tokyo Telecommunications Engineering Company), Sony’s roots go back over half a century to 1946 when it was founded by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita. In the crippled post-war Japanese economy Ibuka and Morita made their living repairing radios and manufacturing small numbers of voltmeters whilst looking to develop a future in designing and manufacturing new electronics.

Ibuka and Morita were global thinkers. They realised the need for a global brand which crossed cultural and language borders in order to expand the business in the US and later Europe. TTK was already being used by another company so a new name, Sony, was conceived. The name Sony derives from the Latin word sonus meaning sound and the English word sonny-boy - a term used by the Americans in the 1950's to denote a bright youngster.

Sony’s UK history began in 1968 when Sony United Kingdom was founded in London. Six years later Sony became the first major Japanese company to open a factory in the UK. Today there are two factories, both in Wales, at Bridgend and Pencoed, which between them manufacture broadcast cameras, television sets and components for the UK and export to other countries around the world. Indeed, Sony was awarded the prestigious Queens Award for Export on four occasions in the 80s and 90s.

Today Sony UK employs around 4,500 people in functions including Manufacturing, Sales and Marketing. Sony’s UK Headquarters are located at Brooklands, near Weybridge, Surrey.

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Danny
DVD News Editor
http://www.dvd-and-media.com