Funai Electric has been experiencing problems selling TVs produced at its factory in Poland into the European market. Europe is a challenging TV market, as many countries have different requirements and licensing laws. To this end, the company has ceased to manufacture sets at the factory, and is now using it as a warehouse. Funai’s TVs for Europe are now being made by a larger third party, with access to more and larger facilities. This means that the unnamed partner can create the range of products needed for different countries.
Speaking about the current saleable technologies, Darko Dragicevic, general manager at Funai Deutschland said that there is great potential in UltraHD. However, he is not sure whether it is worthwhile to begin producing sets yet, when prices and costs are still falling rapidly and there is a lack of content. It will be an area that Funai looks at in the future for its European operations (it is already selling UltraHD units in the USA).
There is no point in TVs with a static curve, said Dragicevic. However, flexible models may be popular. It is an area that Funai is watching with interest.
Funai’s current maximum size is 50″, but next year will expand to a 55″ TV. Features, such as triple tuners for the German market and a 32″ model with an integrated DVD player, are also being added.
