Declining quality of consumer-grade products – 2009 fridge compressor autopsy

Re:Declining quality of consumer-grade products – 2009 fridg... by hakfoo on Sunday August 14, 2022 @10:54PM (#32465361)

That reminds me of something I always wondered: during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge.

It wasn't a "we can't make/ship big things with relatively low value density" factor (they made cars, after all) and I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?). Was there some tarriff situation keeping them out of this sector?

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Re:Declining quality of consumer-grade products – 2009 fridg... by midoridensha on Monday August 15, 2022 @02:08AM (#32466373)

>during that window (I'd say, roughly 1975-2000) where Japan had strong brand equity for "quality, reliable, innovative", why did they seem to make no footprint in the US appliance sector? I've never seen a Panasonic washer or Sony fridge.

I have a Panasonic washer and fridge. They're great.

>I'm assuming they were making something for domestic consumption (or were they buying Whirlpool fridges for Tokyo apartments?)

Whirlpool and other western brands have no presence in Japan for appliances. It's all Panasonic, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Toshiba, plus Haier, and for the cheap brand, Iris Ohyama. Virtually all appliances are made in Japan, or some (usually cheap ones) in China by Japanese companies.

They probably don't bother with the US because American consumers don't want to pay for quality, and they'd have to re-engineer everything for American sizes and preferences. American appliances look nothing like Japanese ones.

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