Sony to merge electronics, imaging, and mobile into one division

Will be known as Sony Electronics Corporation

For those unfamiliar with how Sony operates, the company is made up of a dozen different divisions, all with their own leadership, engineers, marketing departments, and more. That means, Sony itself actually a conglomeration of:

• Sony (electronics)
• Sony Pictures
• Sony Music
• PlayStation

and while at first, that doesn’t seem awful, it’s when you look deeper at Sony that it all starts to fall apart. Sony itself is actually:

• Mobile Communications (smartphones, wearables)
• Imaging Products & Solutions (cameras)
• Home Entertainment & Sound (consumer electronics)
• Professional (pro-cameras and gear)
• Semiconductors (sensors)
• Financials
• Medical
• AI & Robotics

And I know for a fact that the above list is still missing a few divisions. So if you’ve ever wondered why Sony products don’t complement one another or their messaging is so inconsistent, you now have your answer. Starting on April 1st, all of that could begin to change with Imaging Products & Solutions, Home Entertainment & Sound, and Mobile Communications merging under one umbrella — Sony Electronics.

Shigeki Ishizuka

This new intermediate holding company will be led by CEO and President Shigeki Ishizuka (who will report to Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida) and will aim to optimize marketing, manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and engineering platforms. One of the biggest hurdles Sony has often faced is divisions only looking out for their own interest by not sharing technologies or cooperating on collaborative initiatives. With the majority of their electronics divisions now under one roof, Sony should have a much better chance of staying competitive.

I’ll have a lot more to say about this later, but this has the potential to bring monumental changes to Sony and all for the better.

Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that it will establish an intermediate holding company “Sony Electronics Corporation” effective April 1st, 2020. Sony Electronics Corporation will incorporate the three businesses that comprise its Electronics Products & Solutions (“EP&S”) segment (Imaging Products & Solutions, Home Entertainment & Sound, and Mobile Communications) and related global sales and marketing, manufacturing, logistics, procurement and engineering platforms.

Through the establishment of Sony Electronics Corporation, Sony will not only accelerate the integrated operation of the EP&S businesses, but also aim to optimize its organizational structure, talent and business portfolio, while further enhancing competitiveness and creating new business.

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