Alps Electric history

A technical agreement with General Instrument in 1963 led to Alps’s acquisition of UHF television tuner technology; today Alps is the world’s leader in TV tuner manufacturing.

Alpine Electronics was established in 1967 as a joint venture between Alps Electric Company, one of Japan's leading manufacturers of electronic components for consumer appliances, and Motorola, Inc.; the company was originally called Alps Motorola Company, Ltd.

The company's first product, an eight-track cartridge tape player, was introduced in 1968.

By 1970 the company was the largest independent component manufacturer in Japan, but it was unable to win the respect usually accorded a company of its size.

In 1980 the company introduced the 7128 and 7308 electronically tuned radios, the first of their kind.

In 1981, in a venture with Honda Motor Corporation, Alpine introduced the world's first gyrocator.

By 1988, Alpine had grown large enough to have its shares listed on the Second Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

In 1989 Alpine made a commitment to the development of compact disc products and began investing heavily in research and development in this area.

In 1990 the company introduced the CD Shuttle 5952, a six-disc compact disc automatic changer that was the first to fit into a car's dashboard, thanks to a miniature mechanism for ultrathin pickup.

Recognizing the importance of applied computer technology, especially in car navigation systems, in 1991 Alpine created NEU Alpine Software, Inc., to recruit and train young software engineers in China.

In 1994 the company built a manufacturing facility in China and entered into a Chinese joint venture called Dandong Alpine Electronics, Inc.

As part of the company’s 50th anniversary celebration—the company tagged 1998 as the second founding of Alps—it established a new corporate vision that outlined Alps’ business plan for the new millennium.

“Japan: Alps Electric to Fall Into Red Over Problem Bonds,” Bernama, The Malaysian News Agency, September 13, 1999.

Despite weakening sales in several of its segments resulting from a faltering American economy, Alps posted a 4.8 percent increase in fiscal 2001 sales as well as an increase of 2.9 percent in operating profit.

©2019 Alpine Electronics, Inc.