was a Japanese
consumer electronics
Consumer electronics or home electronics are electronic (analog or digital) equipment intended for everyday use, typically in private homes. Consumer electronics include devices used for entertainment, communications and recreation. Usually r ...
company that was established in 1958 in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Their devices were branded as "Orion". The company used to be called Orion Electric, until Brain and Capital Holdings, Inc. (Japanese company) acquired it in 2019. From 1984 to their acquisition, their headquarters were based in
Echizen, Fukui
is a city located in Fukui Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 83,078 in 20.341 households and the population density of 360 persons per km². The total area of the city was . The modern city of Echizen was establis ...
, Japan. Products manufactured and sold under the Orion brand included transistor radios, radio/cassette recorders, car stereos, and home stereo systems. Before their acquisition, they were of the world's largest
OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
television and video equipment manufacturers, primarily supplying major-brand
OEM
An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is generally perceived as a company that produces non-aftermarket parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. It is a common industry term recognized and used by many professional or ...
customers. Orion produced around six million televisions and twelve million DVD player and TV combo units each year until 2019. Most of their products were manufactured in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
.
The Orion Group employed in excess of 9,000 workers. They had factories and offices in Japan, Thailand, Poland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Orion's flagship factories in Thailand were one of Thailand’s top exporters, and they were recognized with an award from the Thai Government for their contribution.{{citation needed, date=April 2014
Orion manufactured products primarily for
Memorex
Memorex Corp. began as a computer tape producer and expanded to become both a consumer media supplier and a major IBM plug compatible peripheral supplier. It was broken up and ceased to exist after 1996 other than as a consumer electronics bran ...
, Otake,
Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...
,
JVC
JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...
,
Emerson, and
Sansui. In the North American market, Orion manufactured many televisions and VCRs for
Emerson Radio
Emerson Radio Corporation is one of the United States' largest volume consumer electronics distributors and has a recognized trademark in continuous use since 1912. The company designs, markets, and licenses many product lines worldwide, inc ...
during the 1980s and 1990s, but when
Emerson Radio
Emerson Radio Corporation is one of the United States' largest volume consumer electronics distributors and has a recognized trademark in continuous use since 1912. The company designs, markets, and licenses many product lines worldwide, inc ...
went bankrupt in 2000, the Emerson brand and their assets were bought by Orion’s primary competitor,
Funai
is a Japanese consumer electronics company headquartered in Daitō, Osaka. Apart from producing its own branded electronic products, it is also an OEM providing assembled televisions and video players/recorders to major corporations such as Sh ...
. During the 1990s, Orion and another of their brand names, World, were exclusively sold by
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
. The products sold consisted of discounted televisions, TV/VCR combos, and VHS players. In 2001, Orion partnered with
Toshiba
, commonly known as Toshiba and stylized as TOSHIBA, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Its diversified products and services include power, industrial and social infrastructure system ...
to manufacture smaller CRT and LCD televisions and DVD/VCR combos for the North American until 2009. In 2011, Orion licensed the
JVC
JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...
name for televisions. Until 2019, all
JVC
JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...
televisions were designed, produced, and supported by Orion. Orion also manufactured OEM televisions for
Hitachi
() is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is the parent company of the Hitachi Group (''Hitachi Gurūpu'') and had formed part of the Ni ...
. Most of these TVs were sold at
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
and
Sam's Club
Sam's West, Inc. (doing business as Sam's Club) is an American chain of membership-only retail warehouse clubs owned and operated by Walmart Inc., founded in 1983 and named after Walmart founder Sam Walton as Sam’s Wholesale Club. , Sam's Cl ...
stores. Orion also operated Orion Sales, headquartered in
Olney, Illinois
Olney ( ) is the county seat in Richland County, Illinois. The population was 9,115 at the time of the 2010 census.
History
Settlement of the Richland County area began around 1815 when Thaddeus Morehouse, a native of Vermont, arrived by wa ...
, for the North American market, using their privately-owned
Sansui brand, and their recently licensed
JVC
JVC (short for Japan Victor Company) is a Japanese brand owned by JVCKenwood corporation. Founded in 1927 as the Victor Talking Machine Company of Japan and later as , the company is best known for introducing Japan's first televisions and for ...
television brand. Orion Sales ceased to exist in 2016, and was sold to Elitelux Technologies.
On March 31, 2015, Orion Electric Co., Ltd. had reached insolvency and appointed provisional liquidators, due to poor sales by severe low price competition worldwide. However, on April 1, 2015, the "new" Orion Electric Co., Ltd. was established, and took over previous Orion Electric business. On January 19, 2019, Orion Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the Doshisha Corporation in
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
, took over the Orion brands and businesses. On May 20, 2019, Orion Electric Co., Ltd. had once again reached insolvency. Due to the lack of continuing funds, the Orion Electric Co., Ltd. ceased to exist, with all assets and holdings presumably owned by the Doshisha Corporation.
External links
en/ Orion Electric Co., Ltd.(English)
Electronics companies established in 1958
Display technology companies
Japanese companies established in 1958
Electronics companies of Japan
Radio manufacturers