Sharp Corporate Information

Background

The Sharp Corporation was founded in 1912 by Tokuji Hayakawa

and takes its name from one of our founder's first inventions, the
Ever Sharp propelling pencil, developed in 1915.

Sharp has continued this creative tradition, developing

technologically innovative products to enhance our lives, add to our
comfort, broaden our perspectives and boost our productivity.

Sharp is recognized for its pioneering research into Liquid Crystal

Display (LCD) technology. Sharp introduced the first LCD electronic
calculator back in 1973.

Since then, it has continued to develop revolutionary LCD products

such as the ViewCam, Ultra-Lite notebook pc and touch-screen
personal organizers.

Perhaps the best illustration of the impact of liquid crystal display

technology on product development is with the simple calculator.

Sharp introduced the world's first all-transistor desktop calculator in

1964. By 1979, just 15 years later, Sharp announced the world's first
super-thin (1.6mm) card sized calculator.

Today, Sharp leads the way in LCD and is a worldwide developer of

core technologies that will play an integral role in the development of
digital technology such as optoelectronics, infrared, semiconductors
and flash memory.

Facts and Figures

Sharp dedicates its total resources to the development and

manufacture of electronic equipment. It can claim one of the widest
ranges of business and lifestyle product portfolios under a single
brand name in the world.

The Corporation employs 66,700 staff, of which nearly half are

employed outside Japan. It operates from 64 bases in 30 countries
and its products are distributed to 164 countries worldwide.
Research and Development

Sharp's continued success results directly from the emphasis it

places on research and development. The corporation dedicates
10% of its gross profit and employs 8,200 researchers in the effort to
design products that will enhance our leisure and working lives both
now and well into the 21st century.

Complementing the research facilities in Japan and the USA, Sharp

Laboratories of Europe (SLE) is based on the Oxford Science Park
employing around 60 scientists. SLE contributes to the Corporation's
core technologies such as LCD, 3D imaging displays and
optoelectronics.

Environment

Looking towards future product development, Sharp Corporation is

wholly committed to protecting the environment and conserving
energy.

Our goal is to minimize the environmental impact of our products by

continually implementing and improving product technologies,
designs and programs aimed at conservation.

This is achieved by evaluating each step of the product life cycle,

from the materials used in the manufacture and packaging of our
products, to the amount of energy the products consume and the
manner in which they may be recycled and eventually disposed of.