Sharp CE Sales Jump 12.2%

By Jeff Malester -- TWICE, 4/26/2006

Osaka, Japan — Sales of audio/visual and communication equipment at Sharp for the fiscal year, ended March 31, jumped 12.2 percent, hitting $9.5 billion, up from $8.5 billion in the previous 12 months. The company’s A/V segment is composed primarily of consumer electronics.

Sales of LCD color televisions, mainly large-sized models, soared 33 percent in the 12 months, reaching $3.6 billion, while sales of mobile phones moved up 10.7 percent in the year, hitting $3.9 billion.

Sharp reported a 26.4 percent decrease in year-end sales of color TVs, down to $566.1 million, and DVD players/recorders, down 2.7 percent to $362.9 million.

Sales of LCD panels for the 12 months increased 16.5 percent to $5.5 billion, compared with $4.7 billion the prior year. The solid growth in sales of LCD panels for large-sized color TVs and mobile equipment contributed to an overall sales increase, said the company.

Overseas sales of A/V and communication equipment edged upward 2.3 percent to $3.3 billion, while overall sales to the Americas hit $3.9 billion this past fiscal year, up from $3.2 billion the previous 12 months. LCD panel overseas sales soared 34 percent, coming in at $3.7 billion, said Sharp.

Operating income for the company’s A/V segment rose 10.6 percent for the year, reaching $312.2 million, while operating income for the LCD panel business increased 22.6 percent over the same time frame, to $594.6 million.

In the past year, Sharp said it worked to further expand sales in its consumer/information products business, which includes A/V, or CE products. Specifically, the company looked toward expanding sales of LCD color TVs. In anticipation of the full-scale arrival of the digital high-definition TV era, it expanded its lineup of full-spec HD LCD TVs and worked toward expanding sales worldwide. Other efforts included an enhancement of mobile phones equipped with original cutting-edge devices, said Sharp.

Results for the past year showed a 10.1 percent increase in consolidated net sales, hitting $24.4 billion, up from a year-ago $22.2 billion. Net income rose 15.4 percent, reaching $773.5 million, compared with a year-on-year $670.3 million. Much of the rise was accounted for by strong sales of LCD TVs and cellphones

The company increased R&D expenditures to $1.6 billion this past fiscal year, compared with the prior year’s $1.5 billion.