Having grown up in the last century, you might have come across a tech brand named Toshiba. The Japanese giant Toshiba had once remained the global leader in the world of TV manufacturing.
Their electronic devices are still in use by millions of persons worldwide. Though it isn’t as famous as once, it still manufactures TVs for its global consumers.
Ever wondered where are Toshiba TVs made? Well, we got the answer; let’s find it out.
Table of Contents
Where are Toshiba TVs made?
Today, most of Toshiba’s TVs are made by OEM companies and are manufactured in countries like Malaysia, Mexico, Japan, China, the US, Malaysia, Egypt, Indonesia, Poland, and many others.
Toshiba was initially founded in 1939 by the merger of two Japanese companies, Tokyo Denki and Shibaura Seisakusho.
The company started producing TVs in the year 1939 and also had the honor to produce the first transistor TVs in Japan in 1959.
A company that earned so much global recognition through its rich history of seven decades took only a few years to crumble down into pieces.
10 Countries Where Toshiba TVs Are Made:
Let’s have a close look at where Toshiba TVs are manufactured.
1. Japan:
The first country which comes to anyone’s mind after hearing the word “Toshiba” is undeniably Japan.
It is because Toshiba had its birth in Japan, and the still the headquarters of the company is situated in Minato, Tokyo, the capital of the country.
The country also houses the first major TV manufacturing facility in Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture. The facility began operations in 1965 as Toshiba’s first facility to produce color televisions.
The plant since then has produced millions and millions of CRTs and LCDs and has been the company’s primary facility for mass TV production.
In 2006, the company shifted its focus from producing CRTs and other TVs to LCD TVs due to its increasing global demand.
The Regza brand TV manufacturer decided to close Japan’s only production unit in Fukaya in 2012 due to a continuous decrease in demand and heavy losses.
So The company itself does not manufacture the TVs; rather, OEM companies worldwide originally manufactured and assembled TVs under the brand name Toshiba.
2. Mexico:
Mexico is considered the global hub for manufacturing and assembling TVs. So, it was mandatory for Toshiba to have a manufacturing facility here.
The company had an integrated manufacturing facility in the country’s famous city Ciudad Juarez commonly referred to as Juarez.
The factory used to produce TVs for the entire North American market. But as of 2015, Toshiba left the North American market as the company sold its only factory in Mexico to Taiwanese electronic manufacturer Compal.
Compal works as an ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) and is the second-largest contract manufacturer of laptops PCs.
The company works on the principle of outsourcing, where it manufactures products for customers under a contract with components being supplied from China.
The majority of the Toshiba TVs supplied across North America and Canada after 2015 were by Compal.
So, if you’ve bought Toshiba TV after 2015 in North America or Canada, it is highly probable that Compal would have made it.
3. United States:
Toshiba as a manufacturer first stepped into the US market in 1977. The company opened a plant on the outskirts of Nashville, Tennessee, with an investment of US $8.3 million.
Toshiba speculated to produce around 10,000 to 20,000 TV units monthly. This plant continued to supply CRT TVs for the US market.
After acquisition of Toshiba factory by Compal, all of its TV sets were then manufactured and supplied by Compal to the American market,
4. Indonesia:
Toshiba initially entered the Indonesian market in the early 1990s mainly to manufacture lamps. Toshiba once was a leading electronics manufacturer in Indonesia with a large manufacturing facility used to produce TVs for the Asian market.
Toshiba’s largest television production facility outside Japan was situated in West Java, Cikarang.
A decrease in Toshiba TVs demand and huge losses forced the company to sell Cikarang’s based plant to a Chinese manufacturer, Skyworth.
Today, Toshiba TVs supplied within the company are by Skyworth but under the brand name of Toshiba. Toshiba sold this plant in 2015 for around 3 billion yen.
5. Malaysia:
Toshiba worked with Panasonic in a joint-venture and had mainly a manufacturing facility to produce cathode-ray tube TVs.
This facility supplied CRTs ranging from 21-32 inches to the North American and Japanese markets.
Matsushita Toshiba Picture Display Co. announced the closure of the manufacturing plant after the company incurred a hefty loss of $264 million in 2006.
Since then, Toshiba has ceased all its operations in the country.
6. China:
Toshiba has been present in China for the past three decades. With its TV manufacturing facility situated in the modern port of Dalian.
The production facility mass-produced LCD TVs to be supplied within the country and to other Asian countries.
But in 2013, the Japanese’ giants announced to end LCD production at its plant in Dalian, which marked the end of Toshiba’s TV production in China.
Today, Toshiba TVs supplied in the country are with different ODM companies, mainly the famous Compal.
7. Turkey:
Toshiba in Turkey works under the shade of Turkish home and appliances manufacturer Vestel.
Vestel’s parent conglomerate is Zorlu Holding, which has acquired stakes in Compal to align all the workings with Toshiba.
In 2016, Toshiba signed a deal with Vestel to manufacture and supply Toshiba TVs around the European market. Vestel is also celebrated as the biggest TV manufacturer in Europe.
8. Poland:
Toshiba established itself in Poland in 2006, and by July 2007, Toshiba had its manufacturing plant in Poland. The plant is situated in the southwest of Poland in Kobierzyce.
This plant was established to scale up LCD production in Europe and to fulfill the increasing demand for Toshiba TVs in Europe.
Continous loss in LCDs and the company’s bad economic condition compelled the company to sell Poland plant to Compal.
Today, all the European Toshiba products are manufactured by Compal.
9. Taiwan:
Taiwan is the hometown of electronic manufacturer Compal, which now manufactures the majority of Toshiba TVs.
Compal looks over all the operations from production to sales.
10. Egypt:
One may think that how do African countries get access to Toshiba products?
The company signed an agreement with Egyptian local manufacturing company El Araby for the mass production and assembling of LCD TVs. The plant catered to the needs of African and Middle East Asian countries.
The Egyptian-based plant started its operations in 2011. The plant initially could produce 600,000 units annually, increasing to 2 million in 2 years.
Are Toshiba TVs Good?
In general, yes! Toshiba TVs are good if you want a mid-range TV with powerful features. Toshiba TVs are affordable yet quite good.
They usually have high-quality picture quality, powerful speakers, and excellent connectivity options.
The Toshiba Fire TVs are the best-looking TV sets from the brand today. They have excellent picture quality and offer tons of smart features.
The Fire TV also comes with a good set of voice assistants, including Alexa and Google Assistant, 4K resolution, OLED display, and Dolby sound.
Although they are not as popular as Samsung, Sony, LG, or Apple TVs, they can still satisfy the demands of the consumers. One drawback is the design of their TVs, as it needs big improvement.
All in all, they are among the most affordable TVs available today.
Who makes Toshiba TVs?
Compal Electronics Inc. makes Toshiba TVs. In 2015, Toshiba left the electronic market of North America.
The company in Mexico was sold to Compal Electronics, and they are now manufacturing TVs under Toshiba’s Brand Name.
How long do Toshiba TVs last?
We know it’s hard to tell how long a TV will last. It depends on many factors like the screen size, brand, usage, and how well it was built.
The average lifespan of a Toshiba TV is around 3 to 4 years. But if you are not a heavy user, it might last longer.
Conclusion:
Toshiba still has many manufacturing facilities around the globe. However, Toshiba’s continuous loss-generating business prompted the company’s decision to sell 95% of the company’s stake to Chinese electronic giants, Hisense Group.
Today, almost all of the TVs under the brand name Toshiba are sold by Compal. Despite being a veteran, the brand is struggling now is nowhere close to the top manufacturers like Samsung and Sony.
Related:
Anaya Shah is a seasoned consumer product analyst with over 8 years of experience in the retail and e-commerce industries. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing from a top-tier university. Anaya has a keen eye for detail and a passion for uncovering the true value of products, helping consumers make informed decisions. At BrandCritica.com, she brings her expertise in product evaluation, brand analysis, and market trends to deliver trustworthy and insightful content. Connect with Anaya on Instagram for the latest updates and reviews.