Good News about the Kyocera buyout of Sanyo !!!

[aschlect]

Keeping the Sanyo name and employees !!

"Kyocera will continue to use the Sanyo brand name for phones sold in Japan and overseas, alongside Kyocera-brand handsets. The 2,000 full-time Sanyo employees affected by the deal will be offered jobs at Kyocera"


Sanyo to Sell Mobile Unit to Kyocera
By JAY ALABASTER
January 21, 2008 7:25 a.m.

TOKYO -- Sanyo Electric Co. will sell its struggling mobile-phone operations to Kyocera Corp., a deal that reflects the growing influence of Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and other large Sanyo investors.

The companies said Monday that Sanyo's mobile business will be sold for about ¥40 billion ($375 million) on April 1, the start of the next fiscal year for both.

The long-anticipated sale is a sign that Goldman and Daiwa Securities SMBC Co., the wholesale unit of Daiwa Securities Group Inc., are making progress in reshaping the company. They funded the bulk of a ¥300 billion Sanyo bailout in 2006.

Initially, the founding family refused to sell any large businesses, and the company's shares have been battered as it suffered losses and past accounting irregularities came to light. But the investors, who are yet to convert their holdings into common shares and say they are in for the long term, oversaw a change in top management and have closely monitored the company's recovery efforts.

Despite setbacks such as an aborted attempt last year to auction off its semiconductor business, Sanyo is expected to post its first full-year net profit in four years for this fiscal year ending March 31.

In October, Sanyo said it was in final negotiations with Kyocera for its mobile phone business, which yields over 10% of revenue but isn't profitable. The business includes its handset manufacturing and sales operations in Japan and abroad.

Kyocera, which began as a ceramic component maker and has built its business through aggressive acquisitions, is strong financially and has deep cash reserves. But its profits are slipping in part because of the poor performance of its overseas mobile operations, especially in the U.S.

The company, which has turned around troubled purchases before, has said it is looking to take advantage of Sanyo's branding, mobile-phone technology and sales channels.

The deal will make mobile phones Kyocera's largest business, though it will be hard-pressed to maintain its high overall margins as it looks to integrate Sanyo's operations and compete in the U.S. and Europe.

The Japanese handset market is largely saturated, but domestic makers have failed in their forays abroad, outside of Sony Corp. and its joint venture with Sweden's Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson.

Kyocera will continue to use the Sanyo brand name for phones sold in Japan and overseas, alongside Kyocera-brand handsets. The 2,000 full-time Sanyo employees affected by the deal will be offered jobs at Kyocera.

The companies said the business was valued at about ¥50 billion but after debts and other factors are taken into consideration the net value is about ¥40 billion.

[toidi]

Theres nothing good about this. Kyocera makes crap phones and there influence will be handed down to "sayno". The real sanyo is dead

[johnny hotsauce]

Theres nothing good about this. Kyocera makes crap phones and there influence will be handed down to "sayno". The real sanyo is dead

:realitych Time for Sprint to start paying some exclusivity premiums to LG and/or Sammy to try and secure some hot if not hotter handsets than Verizon is pumping out and drop Sanyo as a vendor.

Not that Sanyo has really had anything headturning lately but Kyocera is just going to take Sanyo's quality control and drop it to nonexistant and push out entry level garbage and try to sell it at a premium price under Sanyo's name.

[knytphal]

Ohhhh, I can see it now......"Sprint announces exclusivity agreement with Sanyo"!

:D

[SL-10]

Ohhhh, I can see it now......"Sprint announces exclusivity agreement with Sanyo"!

:D

More like Sancero...:1zhelp:

[aschlect]

Ohhhh, I can see it now......"Sprint announces exclusivity agreement with Sanyo"!

:D

Sprint (and it's affilates) already has an exclusivity contract w/ Sanyo and this will now go away with the acquisition by Kyocera. From the sound of the press release, I bet Sanyos will now appear on Verizon and possibly some GSM carriers too.

[knytphal]

Sprint (and it's affilates) already has an exclusivity contract w/ Sanyo and this will now go away with the acquisition by Kyocera. From the sound of the press release, I bet Sanyos will now appear on Verizon and possibly some GSM carriers too.

Yes I know. I was being facetious.... ;)

[Wayne 1]

I'm praying the quality control on the Sanyo's stays up there. If not it will be a sad end to one of the best brands.:thought:

[aschlect]

Yes I know. I was being facetious.... ;)

I wouldn't be suprised if Sanyo's exclusivity contract w/ Sprint contributed significantly to Sanyo's losses in their mobile phone division. Sanyos would be all over the place if the contract was not in place. Imagine if Verizon had Sanyos too, and how Verizon and Sprint would be competing for better handsets from Sanyo......That would be some fun stuff !

[johnny hotsauce]

I wouldn't be suprised if Sanyo's exclusivity contract w/ Sprint contributed significantly to Sanyo's losses in their mobile phone division. Sanyos would be all over the place if the contract was not in place. Imagine if Verizon had Sanyos too, and how Verizon and Sprint would be competing for better handsets from Sanyo......That would be some fun stuff !

Verizon reaches deep into it's pockets to pay for exclusives so if that we're to happen with Sanyo, Verizon would get all the good stuff like they do with LG and Sprint, Alltel and USCC would get the leftovers like they do now.

[knytphal]

I imagine that we never would have seen the likes of the 9000 or M1.

[johnny hotsauce]

I imagine that we never would have seen the likes of the 9000 or M1.

Probably not but then again Verizon might not have found those handsets to be that great either. I think the MM-9000 was probably the best phone I've ever had but I also thought the thing was butt fugly at the same time. But I was more into function over looks and signal was most important to me and still is.

[Marlon_JB2]

I wouldn't be suprised if Sanyo's exclusivity contract w/ Sprint contributed significantly to Sanyo's losses in their mobile phone division. Sanyos would be all over the place if the contract was not in place. Imagine if Verizon had Sanyos too, and how Verizon and Sprint would be competing for better handsets from Sanyo......That would be some fun stuff !

That would be right. That exclusivity agreement limits their marketshare and increases costs. If the agreement didn't exist, they could offer their phones to other providers while also spreading costs around.

While I doubt it was the SOLE cause of their financial losses, it certainly contributed.

[Climatronic]

Sprint (and it's affilates) already has an exclusivity contract w/ Sanyo and this will now go away with the acquisition by Kyocera. From the sound of the press release, I bet Sanyos will now appear on Verizon and possibly some GSM carriers too.

Don't think so. Verizon and ATT don't want anything to do with Sanyo, frankly there is no room for such midling and average phones.

[shamefulzero]

i hope keyosera pushes the pro series out. then start with there plans

[Climatronic]

Sorry guys, but this dribble of their being some great binding contract with Sprint and Sanyo is just completely false. The truth is, no other US carrier carries Sanyo phones beucase they don't want to. Verizon Wireless has a multitude of handsets supplied by some of the world's largest mobile vendors, the same applying to att and T-mobile as well. If you recall, Sanyo filled the void that the then-absent Motorola created.

[shamefulzero]

http://www.phonearena.com/htmls/Kyocera-takes-over-Sanyos-mobile-phone-business-article-a_2357.html

The two companies have reached an agreement, which will go into effect on April 1, 2008. Kyocera has paid $375 million for Sanyo’s mobile phone division agreeing not to fire any of the 2000 employees already working there. The company will continue to sell headsets of both brands and it sees the merger as a way to offer a broader lineup of mobile phones and data devices.

this is great news!

[PokerFace23]

sanyo + kyocera merger could be a great thing for BOTH companies (all 3).

kyocera makes some flashy looking phones, albeit cheap.
sanyo makes some GREAT phones, but usually ugly.

see where i'm going?

we're finally going to see a COOL looking DURABLE phone.

cuz let's face it, the M1 when flipped open looks like Optimus Prime and the 3200 looks like Darth Vader :D

[knytphal]

What's wrong with carrying around Optimus Prime or Darth Vader! ;)

[jrdhmmr]

Well, maybe I'm just being optimistic here (I hope not), but I am hoping that this Kyocera buy out will be a good thing. As Kyocera has such deep pockets and a record for turning nonprofitable companies around, we may seem some nice changes.
Ok, its true, up till now Kyocera hasn't had anything great as far as mobile phones go here, but they will now have all of Sanyo's technology and patents available to them, not to mention the employees that worked for Sanyo doing the actual work.
As I mentioned on another thread, I don't know if we'll see the much anticipated Pro 700 & 800 due to the buyout, but I would love to see them combine the best features of the M1 & the 9000 with the ruggedness of the MM7500, or maybe even the military spec 7050. Add to that a little more aesthetic appeal, and we'd have a sweet phone thats worth the money. Although, I'd take it without the aesthetic appeal, I'm all about the functionality.

[VibrantRedGT]

The best phones I ever purchased on Sprint were Sanyos.

My favorite in order.

3. Sanyo 7500
2. Sanyo M1
1. Sanyo MM-9000

Still have a brand new refurb M1 in my closet. I use it as an MP3 player and camera.

Sanyo is done Kyo hasn't made a phone that anyone can remember. Sanyo made great reliable handsets. R.I.P Sanyo, you will be missed.

[johnny hotsauce]

The best phones I ever purchased on Sprint were Sanyos.

My favorite in order.

3. Sanyo 7500
2. Sanyo M1
1. Sanyo MM-9000

Still have a brand new refurb M1 in my closet. I use it as an MP3 player and camera.

Sanyo is done Kyo hasn't made a phone that anyone can remember. Sanyo made great reliable handsets. R.I.P Sanyo, you will be missed.

I still have my MM-9000 collecting dust in case I ever have a need to go back to a normal handset from a smartphone. The thing may be butt fugly but I still think it'll be better than any of the current offerings based on function, features and durability.

[VibrantRedGT]

I still have my MM-9000 collecting dust in case I ever have a need to go back to a normal handset from a smartphone. The thing may be butt fugly but I still think it'll be better than any of the current offerings based on function, features and durability.

I miss my 9000's a lot. I had one I used for 9 months then bought a brand new one at the end of 06 and tucked it away. I sold it later for $295. People will pay big bucks for them even today.

What kind of shape is your 9000 in? Trade for a M1?

[jrdhmmr]

Sanyo is done Kyo hasn't made a phone that anyone can remember. Sanyo made great reliable handsets. R.I.P Sanyo, you will be missed.

I think its still a little early to say that just yet. Keep in mind that all of the current Sanyo employees are being kept. So I don't think we can state that "Sanyo is done". The same people who made such great phones before, will still be making them. The only difference will be who signs their checks every week.
I'm not saying that the future Sanyo line up will be as good, but who knows, rather than being worse, it might be better. I'm not going to write them off yet. Lets see what sort of vision Kyocera has for Sanyo...

I will say though, that I've been with Sprint now for about 10 or 11 years, and if I don't see some good phones of equal or greater value than the ones Sanyo produced, I may consider taking my business elsewhere. Granted, I probably won't be happy with my service anywhere else, but if I'm going to be unhappy, I might as well go with the cheaper method of unhappiness. lol
Sad huh?

[johnny hotsauce]

I miss my 9000's a lot. I had one I used for 9 months then bought a brand new one at the end of 06 and tucked it away. I sold it later for $295. People will pay big bucks for them even today.

What kind of shape is your 9000 in? Trade for a M1?

It's in decent shape for how old it is, just normal wear and tear. It's got some minor scuffing or scratches on the top right and left corners by the hinges which are the biggest blemishes and then some extremely small little nicks and scratches here and there from hitting my keys in my coat pocket. Both screens are in perfect shape.

I'd have to really think about that on the M1, the main reason I hold onto this thing is because it gets a signal in Central Wisconsin where my old man lives and none of my other Sprint phones do so I just swap ESN's when I go visit him. Actually, my old Nextel i355 with the stubby off of an i325 pulled a good signal up there too which is why I got that thing as a spare to just swap SIMS but that's a moot point now anyway, LoL. I don't like to be without coverage in the middle of nowhere in case something happens like hitting a deer. I heard the M1 gets a decent signal but the 9000 was supposed to have been better.

[bikerich69]

I think the 9000 and M1 trade talk is supposed to be in another forum:), The Trading Post.

[johnny hotsauce]

I think the 9000 and M1 trade talk is supposed to be in another forum:), The Trading Post.

You are correct and my apologies, but actually in my case it would have to be through PM's since I'm not a premium member and don't have access to the trading post. But I'll make sure I stay on topic :tu:

[ar15kaizoku]

My hope is that Kyocera takes some of the Sanyo handsets that get released in Japan, throws CDMA radios in them and sells them here.

The Sanyos that AU gets are ridiculous compared the lame ones (Katana, 2 and DLX) we get here.

AU carried Sanyo's version of the Sony Ericsson W580i, the W31SA, back in 2005! This phone, even if all they did was throw a CDMA radio in it and add Sprint branded firmware, would sell like crazy.

http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/images/sanyoW31SA.jpg

And don't get me started on the phones that have been released since then...

[NANI198]

so whats going to happen to the supposed pro 900? Sanyo is effin awesome to say the least! Sanyos are more preferred imo me having been a sales rep in my day. 2003-2006 i think we saw some awesome sanyo models but yes recently they have had some horrible models such as the katana dlx like who would by that expensive piece ***! 3200 total bust and the katana 2 that phone needs to fall in a hole for real. i remember in PCS days (THOSE WERE THE DAYS) when the 4500/5500 came out wow i mean damn good unit. Then the 7400 came out christmas of 2004 that WAS A GREAT MODEL !!! (7500 was awesome to !!!) 5600/9000 beautiful phones worked superbly !!!! The katana 1 was a damn good phone if it was taken care of i didnt really use it for the ringers on it i preferred the defailt ringers but everyone expected too much from that phone imo. SANYO/KYO NEEDS TO MAKE A SERIOUS COMEBACK FOR SURE !!!! everyone is waiting on a rugged evdo multimedia phone step up to the plate!!!!!!!!! 7050 is a BOOOOOOOOOOOO

[ou2mame]

sanyo's quality has been going downhill for a long time. i can't imagine how poor their phones would get in another few years. i mean, anyone remember the 4500? that thing had so many bugs. it took them a year and a half to correct enough of them so that the damn phone could make a call, and keep it. the m1 can't even tell me who sent me a txt message when its set to vibrate and plugged in. hell, it can't even ring. even better, it can't tell me who txt'd me when on vibrate and ringer! all it does is say "text message from...." and kinda just stops right there. that's an unacceptable bug that shouldn't be there in the first place. this should have been fixed way before they sent the firmware update out. and that's just one example of why they probably sold off the division. if this is any example of how the company is run, i can't even imagine whats going on inside the place.

and yeah, their phones are ugly as sin. most people i know when they hear sanyo think cheap cd players and microwaves. when i mention i have a sanyo phone they look at me, like i'm driving a daewoo or something.

[tbakergobuck]

I really liked Sanyo phones because of the fast menus very few bugs and loud sound quality. I thought I read that sanyo was coming out with a smartphone and that would be cool but I have no idea what's going on with them. I always wanted a slim 9000 with a 7400 body. I thought the dlx was a pretty good phone but was disappointed with the M1. I've been wanting to go back to a regular high end phone but there's none that I want at this time.

[w7excursion]

My 4500 worked fine. We will just have to wait and see what they come up with.

[tbakergobuck]

I forgot about the 4500. I think it took me a few 4500's before I got one without the redial bug but I did like that phone.

[ou2mame]

oh i liked the 4500, but 6 phones, god knows how many updates, and i still couldn't make a call half the time. i couldn't afford another sanyo so i went with a dirt cheap samsung off craigslist for a while. that phone really pissed me off.

[Dubspoon]

I've only had the lowend Sanyo phone til '06, 4900, 4920, 9K and the M1 and of those the M1 was the only to give me problems. Let the Pro Series be a reality

[Dzalumni]

Sanyo had the best non-PDA phone in my opinon. I guess not anymore....

[Dubspoon]

Anybody think this deal means more Kyocera could become part of Sprint's lineup?

[bikerich69]

i have had nothing but sanyos for many years. i hope that the sanyo quality continues but it seems that it might not.
only time will tell. it is hard to presume

[hookedonitunes]

You are correct and my apologies, but actually in my case it would have to be through PM's since I'm not a premium member and don't have access to the trading post. But I'll make sure I stay on topic :tu:

since when did the trading post become premium-only?

[hookedonitunes]

oh i liked the 4500, but 6 phones, god knows how many updates, and i still couldn't make a call half the time. i couldn't afford another sanyo so i went with a dirt cheap samsung off craigslist for a while. that phone really pissed me off.

I forgot about the 4500. I think it took me a few 4500's before I got one without the redial bug but I did like that phone.

My 4500 worked fine. We will just have to wait and see what they come up with.

sanyo's quality has been going downhill for a long time. i can't imagine how poor their phones would get in another few years. i mean, anyone remember the 4500? that thing had so many bugs. it took them a year and a half to correct enough of them so that the damn phone could make a call, and keep it. the m1 can't even tell me who sent me a txt message when its set to vibrate and plugged in. hell, it can't even ring. even better, it can't tell me who txt'd me when on vibrate and ringer! all it does is say "text message from...." and kinda just stops right there. that's an unacceptable bug that shouldn't be there in the first place. this should have been fixed way before they sent the firmware update out. and that's just one example of why they probably sold off the division. if this is any example of how the company is run, i can't even imagine whats going on inside the place.

and yeah, their phones are ugly as sin. most people i know when they hear sanyo think cheap cd players and microwaves. when i mention i have a sanyo phone they look at me, like i'm driving a daewoo or something.

Hmm... wasn't this phone called the 4500 by Sanyo, but the 5500 by Sprint?

[ar15kaizoku]

since when did the trading post become premium-only?

A couple months ago.

I hadn't visited the site in several months and was kind of surprised when I came back and saw that it had been made premium-only.

[hookedonitunes]

A couple months ago.

I hadn't visited the site in several months and was kind of surprised when I came back and saw that it had been made premium-only.

Yeah, that's shocking to me too. I'm just glad they let me keep my ratings from when I dealt with it before. I guess it's for the better though; it probably helps (at least to some extent) to keep swindlers out.

[johnny hotsauce]

since when did the trading post become premium-only?

The changed that out a while ago, I wasn't a premium member back when I posted that (obviously..LOL).

I actually went to the Trading Post one day to see if there were any good deals and noticed I couldn't get into the threads, I was kind of shocked at first because I didn't know you had to premium to go in there since it wasn't like that in the past so I did some reading on SU and noticed the change in rules. I guess they're trying to weed out the scam artists.

[shamefulzero]

i would love to see keyocera realize that sanyos product is stronger then theres and continue 90% of sanyo if not 100%

[neoelectrex]

here's the perfect sanyo phone, take all the capabilities of the 9000, add full bt, evdo rev o rev a and rev b, wimax, wifi, touch screen, slide out qwerty keyboard, massive battery life, 8mp camera, expandable memory, lot's of onboard memory, qchat, and the lastest copy of windows mobile. and i would expect it to look something like the mogul. i think something like this would put the iphone out of business. especially on sprints faster network. i know i would pay a pretty penny for this phone, as it would be future proof for a long while. any comments?

[ice.i]

Hmm... wasn't this phone called the 4500 by Sanyo, but the 5500 by Sprint?

yep.

VM4500/SCP-5500.

I didnt have any problems with that phone. It was my first phone. I miss that thing so much.

Since then i've had a LG Fusic, and an LG Muziq. I really miss the loud speaker on that phone as well as the reception. Whenever I get a new phone, I compare it's reception to my 4500 as it has set the standard.

[Marlon_JB2]

Hmm... wasn't this phone called the 4500 by Sanyo, but the 5500 by Sprint?

Yes, but you've got it reversed.

Sanyo called it the SCP-5500
Sprint called it the VM4500

[hookedonitunes]

Ha! My memory may be slipping, but at least it's still (partially) there

[yappering]

here's the perfect sanyo phone, take all the capabilities of the 9000, add full bt, evdo rev o rev a and rev b, wimax, wifi, touch screen, slide out qwerty keyboard, massive battery life, 8mp camera, expandable memory, lot's of onboard memory, qchat, and the lastest copy of windows mobile. and i would expect it to look something like the mogul. i think something like this would put the iphone out of business. especially on sprints faster network. i know i would pay a pretty penny for this phone, as it would be future proof for a long while. any comments?

Heck yeh...i'd buy it.

[Marlon_JB2]

That phone sounds great. :)

[mykie]

I dunno, Kyocera/Qualcomm used to have some really awesome phones back in the day. My first Sprint phone was the QCP 2760:
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/image/phone-detail/phone_thin.jpg

Followed by the 1135 years later:
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/image/phone-detail/phone_2119.jpg

I'm looking forward to see what Kyocera and Sanyo come up with.

[sleepyhollowtoo]

I dunno, Kyocera/Qualcomm used to have some really awesome phones back in the day. My first Sprint phone was the QCP 2760:
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/image/phone-detail/phone_thin.jpg

Followed by the 1135 years later:
http://www.kyocera-wireless.com/image/phone-detail/phone_2119.jpg

I'm looking forward to see what Kyocera and Sanyo come up with.

Oh JOY! Good ol' 2760! (Runs to closet...pulls out pastic bag with 2 2760s.....
pushes power buttons and *2 talk....WELCOME TO SPRINT 4 bars, loud and clear!!!! Life is great, a quality product. They haven't been charged in OVER a year, tiny battery, light weight. As purely a phone, I don't know if I'd rate my 2760s any different than my 9000s. Great phones!

[Marlon_JB2]

Sadly, Kyocera followed up with the 2255 which was a piece of crap.

Well maybe not a total piece of crap... it only had one real problem... which was an LCD connector cable which got loose over time which made the LCD go out. A temporary fix was to cut a business card to fit under the battery.

Maybe the buyout of Sanyo will remind Kyocera of their good old days of making good reliable tough phones. :)