For the procurement of home appliances in the Japanese market, the article outlines the positions of major domestic and overseas suppliers and Japanese companies, as well as key procurement considerations such as certifications, support systems and lead times.
This article identifies potential suppliers in Japan’s consumer electronics market and outlines both major overseas companies and Japanese companies from the perspective of domestic procurement. The candidates listed include Apple, Hewlett Packard, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Philips, Samsung Electronics, Sony and Toshiba.
Many suppliers available for procurement in Japan are companies with overseas bases that also sell widely in the Japanese market. The 3 Japanese companies listed are Hitachi, Sony and Toshiba, each of which is described as having driven Japan’s home appliance market for many years.
Procurement checkpoints include realistic lead times, consistency with sales plans, certification requirements, including the PSE Act, the Electrical Appliances and Materials Safety Act and the Radio Act, Japanese-language local support desks, long-term availability of repair parts, financial condition and the diversification of production sites. A comprehensive assessment of these factors is required.
By application, household products are assessed as placing greater emphasis on design, intuitive usability, lifestyle fit and affordable pricing, while commercial products place greater importance on continuous operation, long-term maintainability and the period for which repair parts remain available.