Matsushita Fully Adopts Panasonic Name Worldwide

Matsushita Electric Industrial, one of the world’s largest consumer electronics companies, is celebrating its 90th anniversary by changing its name. Never heard of Matsushita ? That explains why the company is switching its corporate identity to match one of its biggest brands : Panasonic.

Matsushita’s U.S. division made the switch four years ago, but the Japanese parent company—founded in 1918 and headquartered in Osaka, Japan—was more reluctant to ditch the traditional banner, which honored the company’s founder.

Panasonic manufactures a broad range of products, ranging from batteries and semiconductors to personal computers, telephones, radios, digital cameras and camcorders, audio/visual gear, and household appliances. The company has carved out a particularly profitable niche with its Toughbook line of ruggedized notebook computers.

Company executives celebrated the event in the U.S. yesterday by ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange and displaying the company’s new 150-inch plasma HDTV outside the Exchange, the first time that product has been shown outside of private industry events.