2008

Removing "Matsushita Denki (Electric)" from the Head Office rooftop sign

On October 1, 2008, the year marking its 90th anniversary, the company changed its name to "Panasonic Corporation" and in conjunction with this, the corporate brand was unified as "Panasonic" worldwide*.

With the company name change and global brand unification, the names of group companies containing "Matsushita" or "National" were also changed to new names to contain "Panasonic." Simultaneously, the brand name used for domestic white goods and housing equipment was sequentially switched from "National" to "Panasonic."

The company was established as Matsushita Electric Housewares Manufacturing Works in 1918, renamed Matsushita Electric Manufacturing Works in 1929, and then incorporated under the new name Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. in 1935. This was the first change since that time.

The company name change was announced in January 2008 and the decision formalized by a resolution of the general shareholders' meeting in June. Upon the resolution of the company name change and brand unification, President Fumio Ohtsubo declared his resolve by saying, "We will steadily strengthen the power of Panasonic brand in the global arena by bringing together all activities of Panasonic Group employees and all the fruits under the name of Panasonic." In addition, he emphasized that the management philosophy of the founder Konosuke Matsushita would be unfailingly shared among and practiced by all employees."

Regarding unification of the corporate brand as "Panasonic," for domestic white goods that had been offered under the "National" brand, the brand name was sequentially switched to "Panasonic" by starting with new models of air conditioners, refrigerators, tilted drum type washer-dryers, and household cyclone cleaners, which were released in October of the same year.

* As an exception, "Matsushita" continues to be used in China.