Panasonic Broadcast & Television Systems Co. is establishing a 'High
Definition Business Development Center' at its offices in Los Angeles.
The center will serve as a design and support facility for HDTV and
digital-video-networking products.
President Frank DeFina said market research and engineering activities will
shift from offices at parent Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. in Japan to
the Los Angeles center. A rotating team of product engineers from Japan will
work at the center in an effort to stay closer to U.S. customers.
Panasonic's U.S. division is also undergoing some organization changes,
resulting in the elimination of 'a minimal amount' of jobs in sales and
administration in Los Angeles, DeFina said. Some sales staff will move from Los
Angeles to Secaucus, N.J., where Panasonic maintains its corporate
headquarters.
