In 1912, Tokuji Hayakawa founded a metal workshop in Tokyo and began inventing new products including the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil. After the pencil business was destroyed in the Great Kantō earthquake in 1924, the company moved to Osaka, was renamed Hayakawa Metal Works, and began making some of the the first generation of Japanese radios. It was renamed Sharp in 1970. 

Over the years, the company added new lines of electronic products: TVs, calculators, microwave ovens, stereo receivers, amplifiers, speakers, turntables, cassette players, compact disc players and camera phones.  It acquired the Pioneer AV brand in 2007.  Today the company has over 46K employees and sells electronics products globally. Their business products division is known for its commercial displays, which come in a variety of sizes and are specifically engineered for business applications.  business.sharpusa.com