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View Full Version : Pioneer to stop making plasmas - the implications



rabbi
11-03-2008, 06:44 PM
Pioneer to stop making plasmas - the implications


:cool:
Recognized as producing arguably the best plasma screens, and possibly the best TV's in the world, it may seem strange to many of you that Pioneer is to stop in-house plasma manufacturing.

The reality is that Pioneer are a niche plasma manufacturer and will not make any money on its Plasma business in 2008. It became inevitable that a radical solution such as the one announced this week would materialize.

Pioneer is likely to outsource its plasma manufacturing to either Panasonic or Toshiba, and the arrangement is not necessarily a good or a bad thing.

Russ Johnston Pioneers Executive VP said that Pioneer would continue "engineering game-changing plasma technology and producing proprietary components" which suggests that ground breaking Pioneer technology will still materialize in their future plasma lines.

Of course, Pioneer outsourcing their plasma manufacturing business to the likes of Panasonic could mean that Pioneers of the future could simply become re-branded Panasonics.

The reality is likely to fall somewhere between the two scenarios, and many will be analyzing the transition very closely to determine exactly what that reality is