SECAUCUS, N.J. — Panasonic Corp. of North America announced that the Kennesaw, Ga.-based HVAC Products Group of Sanyo North America Corp.’s Commercial Solutions Division was officially integrated into Panasonic’s North American operations on Oct. 1. The unit, which is responsible for sales and service for commercial and consumer HVAC products, is designated Panasonic Air Conditioning Group.

The HVAC operation is the first Sanyo unit to become part of Panasonic in North America and this move will start the process of incorporating North American units of Sanyo Electric into Panasonic’s operations in this region. The process of integrating Sanyo business units is one of the outcomes of Panasonic Corp.’s acquisition of Sanyo Electric, which became final on April 1.

“Combining this HVAC business into Panasonic’s portfolio of businesses will allow us to offer a broader range of solutions to our B2B customers and channel partners,” said Joseph M. Taylor, chairman and CEO of Panasonic Corp. of North America. “Panasonic is a leader in air conditioning globally, including the production of air conditioning compressors and other key components. We expect that the newly designated Panasonic Air Conditioning Group will benefit from this expertise and legacy of technology development as well as the growing power of the Panasonic brand.”

The move will expand the Panasonic product portfolio by adding Sanyo’s light commercial split HVAC line, 26,000- to 42,000-Btuh products, as well as its variable refrigerant flow products (ECOi product line), and will allow for further market and sales expansion in North America.

As a unit of Panasonic, the HVAC team will continue to promote and sell its current product line with high-quality service, while also planning to incorporate new products based on the combination of Panasonic and Sanyo technologies, said the company.

The organizational change will enable access to combined engineering and manufacturing capabilities to develop innovative products for the future as well as the strengths of both companies to expand sales and market share.

“The integration of the HVAC Group into Panasonic will enhance this business from the synergy that will be created,” said Noboru Nakanishi, division president, Commercial Solutions, Sanyo North America Corp. “Sanyo has a very robust HVAC business in North America, and Panasonic has a strong sales network and access to a wide range of channels and partners that will benefit our growing business.”

For more information, go to www.panasonic.com.

Publication date: 10/03/2011