Iris Ohyama Inc., a manufacturer of household goods, held a ceremony Tuesday to mark the opening of a home electronics development center in the city of Osaka staffed by engineers who have quit major electronics makers due to restructuring measures.
The company, which wants to beef up its product lineup, has hired 19 engineers from firms such as Sharp Corp. and Panasonic Corp. since it started a recruitment drive in December.
It is projecting ¥30 billion in revenue from sales of home electronics items such as vacuum cleaners and fans in the year ending in December, roughly double last year's figure.