Countercurrent 1982

Chapter 1908 Embarrassing Sales

Jiro Hayakawa never expected that Li Yun would ask him such a question suddenly.

However, he did feel a little embarrassed about the sale of LCD color TVs in the US market.

Because the technology is not mature enough and the cost is high, the sales of LCD color TV sets that Sharp has placed high hopes on in the United States last year were indeed very bleak, and even reached the point of appalling.

As an electronic technology manufacturer, Sharp’s color TVs were relatively popular in the US market in the past, with an annual sales volume of 230 million to 450 million units. The sales volume of TV sets is also very small. Historically, only Toshiba TVs have sold more than 500 million sets in the United States each year, reaching an astonishing 860 million sets.

Toshiba can be said to be the "father of color TV". In July 1960, Toshiba TV launched Japan's first color picture tube TV, known as the "father of color TV" in Japan.

In 1971, Toshiba produced the world's first large-scale integrated circuit color TV 11C20 using 60 types of integrated circuits at the same time, and became the first batch of companies in the world to start selling highly integrated color TVs.

Throughout the 80s, Toshiba's business in the United States reached a peak, especially the color TV industry, which has always been the manufacturer with the highest sales in the US market. Toshiba was suppressed and boycotted in the United States, and sales began to drop sharply in an instant, so that a few years later, it still did not fully recover.

On the other hand, Sharp Electronics, taking advantage of the Toshiba Dongchuang incident, once occupied the top position in the US color TV market sales. It is precisely because of this that Sharp Group finally chose to list their latest LCD TVs in the US, and to Based on the market, guide the global LCD TV industry.

However, what Sharp Group did not expect was that due to the high price, Sharp's LCD TVs encountered Waterloo in the United States, and the first generation of Sharp LCD color TVs still had many quality problems, such as dead pixels and afterimages. It has not been effectively solved, so that in the two years since Sharp LCD color TVs were launched in the United States, the total sales volume was less than 10 units. To put it bluntly, it is pitifully small, and it can even be described as dismal sales.

"As far as I know, the year before last, your Sharp Group sold only 18000 LCD TVs in the United States. Last year, it was slightly higher, but the sales volume was less than 42000. You said that this is a commercial secret and cannot be disclosed to the public, but in fact your company In last year's external financial report, the sales volume of LCD color TVs has been clearly included." Li Yun glanced at Jiro Hayakawa, and then said: "Even if the product is of high technological level, if it does not have sufficient commercial value, it is nothing. Useful, I think Mr. Hayakawa should know about this point..."

Li Yun has obviously already grasped the business situation of Sharp Group in the past two years. In fact, except for LCD TVs, Li Yun has conducted a detailed investigation of all the products that Sharp Company currently operates and sells. She has special information in Hong Kong. The source channel only needs a phone call for consultation, and the other party will send detailed fax information.

As any high-tech product, if it cannot demonstrate its commercial potential in the market, it is a failed product. This is the most basic common sense for any technology company in a capitalist country. , These research and development projects with no commercial value will eventually be slowed down or completely terminated. Historical cases abound, including Japanese companies such as Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic. These projects have all been suspended and terminated, almost without exception.

And Li Yun wanted to use this as an entry point to complete the patent exchange according to the instructions Duan Yun gave her.

However, Duan Yun also knows that LCD technology is a key research and development project of HP, and a lot of money has been invested in it. Test the attitude of the other party first.

"This technology cannot be exchanged with you!" Hayakawa Jiro replied decisively, only to hear him continue: "This is our most advanced display technology in Japan, how can it be exchanged with you? You This request is too much!"

"I think it's Mr. Hayakawa who is too much!" Li Yun raised her eyebrows at this time, and then said: "Our Tianyin Group's VCD sales in China this year are about to exceed 1000 million units. This product alone will be sold by us. The group company has brought more than 40 billion yuan in profits, which is about 6-8 million US dollars in US dollars. You must know that the size of China's electronic consumer market may be less than 1/10 of that in the United States. If this product can be sold in If you sell it in the United States, the annual profit is far more than that!"

"Put it in the U.S.? Can your Chinese company's products open up the U.S. market?" Hayakawa Jiro heard this, a look of disdain flashed across his face.

"Our Tianyin Group does not have sales channels in the United States, but this does not prevent our products from entering the American market. In fact, your Japanese company has shown a very strong interest in our VCD, and the given The quotation is also much higher than your Sharp Group." Li Yun said, looking directly at Jiro Hayakawa.

"Are you talking about Sony? Or Victory Corporation?" Jiro Hayakawa asked with a slight frown.

When Jiro Hayakawa came to China this time, he also saw that Sony and Victory Co., Ltd. were negotiating with Tianyin Group. In fact, in the morning, Jiro Hayakawa greeted the team leader of Victory Co., Ltd., because both parties are well-known Japanese technology companies. They also often deal with each other, so when the two parties meet, they will also exchange a few polite greetings.

Judging from this situation, Tianyin Group may indeed discuss VCD patents with Sony and Victory Corporation.

"To tell you the truth, I'm talking with both of them, whichever is more sincere, we will sell this patent to them." Li Yun said lightly.

"How much are they bidding?" At this moment, Hayakawa Jiro's face suddenly became serious.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hayakawa, this is a commercial secret. I can't tell you the quotations of the two companies, but the only thing I can say is that the two companies are more sincere than your Sharp company, and the quotations are several times yours." Li Yun smiled slightly, and then said: "And I also believe that with the strength of these two companies, VCDs should be able to have a very good sales in the United States."

(End of this chapter)