Sony-Ericsson
 | |
| Type | Private joint venture between japanese Sony Corporation and swedish Ericsson |
|---|---|
| Genre | Telecommunication services and multi-media mobile phone production |
| Founded | Founded as Sony-Ericsson in October, 2001 |
| Number of locations | London, UK, Stockholm, Sweden |
| Products | Mobile phones, Mobile music devices, wireless voice and data products and services |
| Revenue | €12,916 million (2007) |
| Net income | €1,114 million (2007) |
| Employees | 9,400 (As of July 2008) |
| Parent | Sony Corporation (50%) Ericsson (50%) |
| Website | http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/home?cc=us&lc=en |
Sony-Ericsson is a joint corporate venture established in the year 2001 by the japanese consumer electronics giant SONY Corporation and the swedish mobile communications company Ericsson. Its goal is to be a leading provider in multimedia mobile phone technology and wireless communications. According to the company itself "the 50/50 joint venture combines the mobile communications expertise of Ericsson with the consumer electronics and content expertise of SONY Corporation"[1]
"Sony Ericsson undertakes product research, design and development, manufacturing, marketing, sales, distribution and customer services. Global management is based in London, and research and development is in Sweden, UK, France, Netherlands, India, Japan, China and the US. The management team is led by President Hideki Komiyama, a former senior executive of Sony Europe and one of the key players in the growth of Sony in Europe; and Executive Vice-President and Head of Sales Anders Runevad, the former President of Ericsson Brazil."[2]
Sony Ericsson has, as of July 18, 2008, approximately 9,400 employees and 2,500 contractors worldwide.
Contents
Company History
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications was established in 2001 by telecommunications leader Ericsson and consumer electronics powerhouse Sony Corporation. The company is owned equally by Ericsson and Sony and announced its first joint products in March 2002.
Historical Financial Information
For historial financial information spanning the past 3 years, please view:[1]
Business Strategy
Sony Ericsson's business strategy currently concentrates on the categories of: music, camera, business (web and email), design, and all-around capable phones. Four of its most predominant product lines are:
- The Walkman W series music phones, launched in 2005.
The Sony Ericsson W-series music phones are music-centric mobiles that focus on the storage and playback of varied amounts of music, exploiting the economic bonanza pioneered by the iPod format.
- The Cyber-shot line of phones, launched in 2006.
This paricular line of products is made of of camera-centric phones, that concentrate on image quality and storage capabilities for photographic content. Cyber-shot phones always include a flash, some with a xenon flash, and also include auto-focus cameras.
- The BRAVIA-branded line of phones, launched in 2007 for the japanese market only.
- The UIQ smartphone range of mobiles, introduced with the P series in 2003 with the introduction of P800.
Notable for their touchscreen
- The Xperia range of mobile phones, heralded by the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 on February 2008
Notable for integrating Windows Mobile technology.
Political and Public Influence
Political Contributions
Lobbying
Corporate Accountability
Labor
Wake up call: Mobiles make Congo suffer
30.05.08 Copenhagen. Mobile phone batteries from at least four leading mobile phone producers contain cobalt from The Democratic Republic of Congo. These companies run the risk of supporting illegal export and unfair mining practices, which often involve severe human rights abuses.
"In 2001 a UN panel of experts first documented that the extraction of another metal coltan (tantalum), used in capacitors for mobile phones, was related to critical conditions in the mining industry in DR Congo. Until very recently, however, mobile phone producers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG Electronics and Sony Ericsson have made little, if any, effort to track the origins of the metals used in their phones, even though for many years they have been aware of the risks involved. Presently there are no guaranties that the various metals used in mobile phones are extracted in a sustainable and responsible way." [2]
Workers silenced while we talk
New report reveals severe violations of workers’ rights in Asian mobile phone factories
24-09-2008
"The mobile phone industry is often presented as a clean, unproblematic industry, but makeITfair’s new report ‘Silenced to Deliver’ shows that this is not the case. Young electronics workers handle chemicals without protective gear. They work inhumane overtime hours to cover basic needs and are punished if they make mistakes. In the export processing zones in Asia where the factories are located, protests are often brutally suppressed." [3]
Human Rights
"Toll-free mobile service to give rural Africa access to medics"
May, 2008
Sony-Ericsson, alongside mobile phone service provider Zain, is involved in the development of a toll-free mobile service launched in selected remote areas of Africa, allowing people with emergency medical cases to contact health personnel.
This new approach is taken in a bid to stimulate the demand of mobile solutions in mobile phone areas considered to be commercially challenging.[4]
Environment
Company scores plummet in Greener Electronics Guide
25 June 2008'
According to Greenpeace's Guide to Greener Electronics, Sony-Ericsson is one of the few consumer electronics provider to achieve a high score in Greenpeace's latest world-ranking.
"With expanded and tougher criteria on toxic chemicals, electronic waste and new criteria on climate change only Sony and Sony Ericsson score more than 5/10 in our latest Guide to Greener Electronics. Nintendo and Microsoft remain rooted to the bottom of the Guide."
The Greener Electronics Guide is a statetigcal way of getting the electronics industry to face up to the problem of e-waste. The main objective is to get rid of harmful chemicals products used in the making of consumer electronics.[5]
Consumer Protection and Product Safety
Anti-Trust and Tax Practices
Social Responsibility Initiatives
Business Scope
Financial Information (as of DATE)
| Data (in Euros, unless indicated otherwise) | Quarter 3 2007 | Quarter 1 2008 | Quarter 2 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number of units shipped (million) | 25.9 | 24.4 | 25.7 |
| Sales (Euro m.) | 3,108 | 2,820 | 2,808 |
| Gross margin (%) | 31% | 23% | 22% |
| Operating income (Euro m.) | 393 | -2 | -33 |
| Operating margin (%) | 13% | -0% | -1% |
| Restructuring charges (Euro m.) | 0 | 11 | 35 |
| Operating income excl. restructuring charges (Euro m.) | 393 | 8 | 2 |
| Operating margin excl. restructuring charges (%) | 13% | 0% | 0% |
| Net income (Euro m.) | 267 | 6 | -25 |
Governance
As a 50/50 corporate venture, Sony-Ericsson is run equally by two Senior Executives, one representative of Sony Corporation and the other of swedish-based Ericsson:
Hideki Komiyama
Anders Runevad
Full biography of both:[6]
Contact Information
Group Registered Address
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB
Nya Vattentornet
SE-221 88 Lund
Sweden
Group Headquarters
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Management Ltd.
Sony Ericsson House
202 Hammersmith Road
W6 7DN London
UK
Asia Pacific Region
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB
Singapore Branch
510 Thomson Road #05-00
SLF Building
298135 Singapore
Singapore
China & Hong Kong Region
China Digital Kingdom Building
No.1 Wangjing North Road
Chaoyang District
Beijing 100102
China
Europe, Middle East and Africa Region
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB
German Branch
Wappenhalle
Konrad-Zuse-Platz 2-5
81829 Munich
Germany
Latin America Region
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB
US Branch
601 Brickell Key Drive, Suite 300
Miami, Florida 33131
USA
North America Region
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (USA) Inc.
7001 Development Drive
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, 27709
USA
Articles and Resources
Books on the Company
Related SourceWatch Articles
Sources
- ↑ "Historical Financial Information"
- ↑ "Sony-Ericsson running the risk of supporting illegal exports and unfair mining practices
- ↑ "Report on severe violation of workers' rights in Asian mobile phone factories"
- ↑ "Toll-free mobile service to give rural Africa access to medics"
- ↑ "Sony-Ericsson does well in Greenpeace's Greener Electronics Guide"
- ↑ "Senior Executive's biographies"
External Resources
Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations: http://somo.nl/
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre: http://www.business-humanrights.org/Home
makeITfair:European project focusing on the electronics industry, especially on consumer electronics like mobile phones, laptops and MP3 players: http://makeitfair.org/
