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A century old brand that was started by a 23-year-old young man. How? Let’s see…
When there are problems for a start-up to survive even for a year, there are very few companies that achieve a hundred-year landmark. For that, it is necessary to know about the journey of Panasonic, who has completed 100 years.
It was the day of 7th March 1918. Konosuke Matsushita was only 23 when Panasonic came into existence, though its name was different at the time. But the above sentence was not as simple as it is read. When he was nine, the economic situation deteriorated and the land was sold. He had to leave his house. The family came to the city and began to look for odd jobs. Nine-year-old Konsuke started working after leaving his education. Every morning, he used to get up and clean the shop. He used to take care of his master's boys. But the shop's financial situation deteriorated and Konsuke was expelled. Then, he started working in a bicycle shop. At that time, bicycles were luxury goods and were imported from the UK. The shop was also in metalwork. He worked in the shop for about five years and at the age of fifteen, he began to find some work to learn something.
Seeking the increasing possibilities of electricity in the future, he thought that he should find a job in this field. One day he saw an ad from the Osaka Electric Light Company that needed new people. Konsuke got a job there. Now, he was learning a lot there. Konosuke also read books related to electricity. He used to experiment with new ones. Once, his sister introduced him to her friend Mumeno. He fell in love with her, and within a few months, they got married when Konosuke was 20.
At 22, he became a technical inspector because of his abilities. At that time, he made a modern electrical socket and showed it to his boss. Boss rejected his idea saying he would not be able to sell it in the market. But Konsuke was confident that this would make the market a buzz. With this confidence, he quit his job and started working himself. Friends and relatives condemned his decision.
He bought basic tools with the savings that he had accumulated during his job. He started working at home and started making sockets with two workers, his younger brother and his wife. They tried to sell sockets in many places but no one bought their products. After months, he got some small orders, but they were not sufficient to earn his bread and butter. Seeing this, both the workers left the job. There were only three people. The house was sold and the debt was increasing. Every day, they tried and used to return with failure.
In the end, the only option left was the job. Yet, his faith was firm. When he thought of a job interview, he got an order for a thousand pieces. Since then, the company has started to move on.
The company named ‘Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works’ was established. They started making plug and two-way sockets. In 1918, there were twenty employees. By 1920, there was a new factory with fifty employees. When Japan was in trouble after World War I, Konoshuke said, "We will half the production. But no employee would be expelled from the company. They would come for half-day only, but the allowance will be paid for the full day. So, every employee tried to sell inventory.” The plan worked.
By 1935, the company had grown up with a team of 3,500 employees and produced over 600 products at once. During World War II, the company had made 56 wooden ships and three wooden aircraft. In turn, during the war, 32 factories and offices were destroyed. After the war, Panasonic was a grand success globally. They started making a lot of things like washing machines, monochrome TVs, refrigerators, radios, cookers, tape recorders, and air conditioners. Since then, the company has never looked back. Konosuke Matsushita died at the age of 94.
The rebellious young boy, who justified his passion at the age of twenty-three, presented a lot to the world.
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