Hitachi shuts up Australian CE division

After 30 years of business in Australia, consumer and electronics vendor, Hitachi Group Companies has decided to close its consumer electronics market.

Hitachi communications executive for consumer products, Celine Herit confirmed with CRN that it will no longer be supplying consumer electronics; home entertainment and home appliance products to the Australian marketplace.

Dipak Kumar general manager - electronic components group said the business divisions are continuing within Hitachi Australia Pty Ltd and these include; airconditioning systems for Domestic and Commercial market; power Industrial Products; Electronic Components (Semiconductors, LCD/TFT Displays, RFID,
SmartCards; Finger Vein Biometric products, Hard Disk Drives) and Presentation Systems - LCD Projectors, Interactive Whiteboards

Kumar said at the same time, it is also business as usual at the following Hitachi subsidiary companies; Hitachi Data Systems (Storage products; Hitachi Construction Machinery and Hitachi Power Tools.

Hitachi Group Companies began its operation in 1910, when it first manufactured three 5hp (3.6775 kW) electric motors as the company's first products, in Japan. In 2004 it was ranked 23 in the Fortune 500s largest companies in the world list.

According to the company’s website the combined revenue of the Hitachi Group companies is well in excess of $500m annually and the Group provides employment to more than 500 Australians across the country.

However the media spokesperson for Hitachi would neither confirm nor deny the number of employees and just what might become of them.

“All I can say now is that we are closing the [Australian] office and we won’t be releasing any details about the closure or how many people this would affect until after an official press conference on the 22 January,” said Herit.

CRN will keep you updated on this closure.