Back in March 2020, NEC Display Solutions announced that Sharp had acquired a majority stake in the company. Last November, Sharp became the sole owner of the company, changing the name globally over the last few months.
Moving forward, all new products will carry the Sharp brand name. Sharp's Mark Quiroz, SVP and general manager, displays, said Sharp Display Solutions is the division handling all displays. That division is part of Sharp Imaging and Information Company of America, which itself is a division of Sharp Electronics Corporation.
To minimize customer confusion, Quiroz said Sharp "intentionally overcommunicated" to help inform customers what was changing, what was not, and what they could expect moving forward. "Our goal was to provide clarity, reduce uncertainty, and give customers confidence throughout the integration process,” he added.
So, what took so long? According to Quiroz, the unhurried approach was intentional, designed to support long-term product performance as well as technological progression.
"From the outset, we planned for a standard five-year refresh cycle, which is consistent with refresh rates within the industry,” Quiroz told SCN. “This timing allowed us to thoughtfully address evolving customer needs while advancing innovation in a way that aligned both organizations. Full integration between two global brands is a multi-year effort, particularly when it involves aligning product roadmaps and technology platforms.”
With the merging of two global brands, there were plenty of lessons to be learned. For Quiroz, the biggest was respecting established organizations with deep institutional knowledge. “Both companies had long-term teams with well-defined processes and structures that had evolved over time,” he explained. “Business decisions have a direct impact on how organizations operate day to day, so it was critical to be deliberate and balanced in how we brought the teams together. In a joint venture between two global companies, we also learned the value of approaching integration with curiosity and openness to how work is done across different geographies, including outside the U.S.”
Quiroz said that with its expanded portfolio, Sharp is now positioned to deliver greater value and deeper support to its customers worldwide. “We’re focused on continuing to deliver the best customer experience and the lowest total cost of ownership,” he noted. “No other display organization can offer our level of customer experience on a global scale. Building off that strength, Sharp plans to drive innovation and remain at the forefront of display technology and customer support.”
