
Since 1951, the Japanese company AIWA has been developing products that meet the growing demands of consumers. Aiwa's reputation for price, quality and design has helped the company achieve a high market share worldwide. Aiwa is a leading manufacturer of audio products including stereo systems, amplifiers, headphones, radios, and car stereos. The company also produces and sells visual products such as televisions, players and digital satellite television tuners. In the "other" category, which accounts for the remainder of sales, Aiwa produces phones, watches, tablets, as well as "lifestyle products" - air purifiers, humidifiers, air conditioners, refrigerators, dryers, washing machines and so on. Aiwa produces more than 89% of its products outside Japan, with a particular focus on the countries of Southeast Asia - Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. The company also relies heavily on overseas sales, with more than 80% of total revenue coming from sales outside Japan: 43% in the Americas, 25% in Europe, 13% in Asia and other regions outside Japan .
The company was founded in June 1951 as AIKO Denki Sangyo, a microphone manufacturer. In June 1958, the company's shares were registered for over-the-counter trading. In October 1959, it changed its name to Aiwa Co., Ltd. The following year, a plant was opened in the city of Utsunomiya, located about 60 miles north of Tokyo. In October 1961, the company's shares were included in the second section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. A key event occurred in February 1964, when Aiwa introduced the first Japanese cassette recorder, the TP-707. Cassette recorders, players and decks became the company's core products and remained so until the late 1970s. In February 1967, Aiwa opened another plant in Iwata. Two years later, Sony Corporation acquired a majority stake in Aiwa, which became an affiliate of Sony. However, Aiwa continued to operate virtually independently and its shares remained publicly traded.