Electronics firm Sharp Corp. has merged two Malaysian arms to streamline business operations in the Southeast Asian country in line with restructuring policy under Taiwanese parent Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.
Sharp Electronics Malaysia, a manufacturing and sales unit of the Osaka-based company, absorbed Sharp Malaysia Sales & Service Co., its marketing and sales arm, on Sunday to follow its recent policy of having no more than one sales company in a country, the company said.
The integration will help make decision-making processes in the Sharp group faster in areas such as product-planning, while improving logistics capabilities and strengthening financial standing in the country, said Tadashi Oyama, the marketing unit's managing director.
Sharp was taken over in 2016 by Hon Hai, better known by its trade name Foxconn, the first acquisition of a major Japanese electronics-maker by a foreign company.
No employees will be discharged following the merger, according to Oyama. "We are not reducing operating costs, but making the organizational structure more efficient."
Sharp Electronics Malaysia, established in 1995, has been responsible for product development, procurement and regional strategy in Southeast Asia.
The internal reform is part of its efforts to expand businesses in the region as "the ASEAN market, due to its huge potential, has been identified as a growth driver" for Sharp, and Malaysia sits in a strategic location in the region, Oyama added.
Sharp started sales in the predominantly Muslim country in 1985. On its 33rd anniversary this year, the integrated local arm is launching a campaign until the end of this month offering a 33 percent discount on selected items at authorized dealerships across the country.