Over its nearly ninety-year history, the Japanese company, now known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., which owns the Panasonic brand, has produced a wide variety of products - from irons and sockets to military ships and aircraft. But the brainchild of businessman-legend Konosuke Matsushita did not conquer the world at all, but completely harmless products - household appliances and electronics: vacuum cleaners, CDs and DVD players, televisions, telephones and, of course, air conditioners. And the company helped to persistently follow seven principles: to serve society, to be conscientious and honest, to achieve a common goal by joint efforts, to strive for excellence, to be polite and modest, to live in harmony with the laws of nature, to thank for good deeds. Until now, the day at Matsushita begins with the repetition of these rules and the choral performance of the corporate anthem.

It all started in 1918, when the twenty-four-year-old Konosuke quit the Osaka Light electric lighting company, where he held the position of controller, and decided to establish a company for the production of electric cartridges of his own design. Alas, the first step of the company, called Matsushita Denki, was unsuccessful - the wholesalers refused to take the goods, and Matsushita had to go home personally, offering the owners their products. But it didn’t help much - the sales volume for three months was only 10 yen. To keep the company afloat, I had to lay down personal belongings, right up to my wife’s kimono.

But the entrepreneur did not despair. Having received an order from Kawakita Electric for a trial batch of fan stands, he, working with his wife and brother-in-law for 18 hours a day, completed the task ahead of schedule. After receiving a lucrative contract, Matsushita made enough money to open a small factory.

By the end of 1920, he already had eight factories, which employed about a thousand workers, producing products under the brand name National. The assortment of the company includes plugs, wires, light bulbs, lights, bicycle lights, electric heaters, irons. And in 1931, the first National radio appeared on the market.

Despite the fact that the situation around was far from encouraging, the company successfully overcame the Great Depression, survived the war years and did not cease to exist in the face of severe restrictions imposed by the American occupation administration. “A person with an inquiring mind is able to see many opportunities, knows how to learn useful lessons from any situation, is generous enough to forgive a lot, determined to see things in their real form, and tempted enough to judge their true value.” The philosophy formulated in these words of the creator of the company, allowed to overcome all obstacles.

In 1951, in an annual message to managers, Konosuke Matsushita formulated the following tasks: promoting his products on the international market and integration into the global business community.

The familiar National brand was not suitable for the presentation of Japanese goods in the markets of the USA, Canada and Mexico - other companies have already used it there. Therefore, in 1955, the Panasonic brand appears, which, translated from Greek, means “all sound”. Initially, this brand was intended only for audio equipment. However, subsequently, under the Panasonic brand, almost the entire range of Matsushita products began to be produced - from bicycles and rice cookers to household air conditioners, which appeared in the company's assortment in 1958, immediately becoming one of the leaders in the global climate industry.

The Panasonic brand came to Europe in 1962, together with the establishment of the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. branch in West Germany. - National Panasonic GmbH, which has become a springboard for the conquest of the Old World. And, having only conquered the whole world, having earned international recognition, the Panasonic brand returned to its homeland, to Japan. It happened in 1986. By 1990, all of the consumer electronics intended for the domestic market, which bore the National brand, flaunted the familiar Panasonic logo. In the new century, this brand has become common to all Matsushita products.

Now the company is fourteen domain companies, each of which is responsible for its own line of business. Equipment with the Panasonic brand is produced by more than three hundred thousand people at enterprises in China, Malaysia, the USA, European countries and, of course, in Japan, the brand’s homeland. According to 2006 data, the turnover of Matsushita amounted to more than 76 billion dollars.

The company has always tried to stay at the forefront of scientific and technological progress, seeking to convert the latest developments into technology that combines convenience and quality. If we talk about climate equipment, then Panasonic was the first manufacturer of vertical window air conditioners (1968), all-season air conditioners capable of not only cooling but also heating air (1973), air conditioners with scroll compressor (1990). Panasonic is a pioneer in the use of non-ozone depleting refrigerants (1995). Innovative technologies have found application in such developments of recent years as catechin filters and air ionizers.

The highlight of one of the latest air-conditioning novelties is the “robot sensor patrol” (air quality control system). It produces up to 3 trillion active ions, which neutralize approximately 99% of dangerous viruses and bacteria, making indoor air clean and fresh. “Sensor Patrol” monitors air purity 24 hours a day, even when the air conditioner is turned off. Caring for the air conditioner has become easier than ever - a specially developed mega-filter, 1.5 times more than usual, with its micro-cells traps dust particles, pollen, dust mites, bacteria, viruses and unpleasant odors. The conditioner now not only cools the air, but also cleans it. Thus, the consumer receives two devices in one: air conditioning plus an air purifier. But that is not all. In the latest models of air conditioners, thanks to the use of inverter technology (Inverter), it was possible to reduce electricity consumption by up to 50%, which is very important for non-energy-intensive networks and houses with old wiring.