Who Manufactures Vizio Televisions?

Vizio is a company that came onto the television scene in 2003 and has since garnered a good share of the flat-screen market. Since their induction into the electronics sector, many have believed the company is owned or operated by a larger electronics mogul. In reality, Vizio is a privately owned, U.S.-based company that manufacturers its televisions in electronics plants throughout China and much of Asia.

Vizio

Vizio's headquarters are located in Irvine, California. The company is best known for manufacturing and selling flat-screen television sets at affordable prices. The company has several investors, but one of its largest is Taiwan-based Amtran. The company's mission is to create reliable HDTVs (high-definition TVs) for the American population at a lower cost, thus undercutting big names such as Sharp and Sony in the HDTV market.

Manufacturing

The key to Vizio's success is production plants in Asia that offer cheaper labor and cheaper manufacturing costs. Vizio then passes on those cost reductions to consumers to create low-cost television price tags that still maintain a quality picture. The company first began working on televisions in 2002 when they helped Gateway produce a low-cost plasma television. Since then, the company has gone on to use the Asian market and Asian materials to produce low-cost plasma and flat-screen televisions.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing is not uncommon with television manufacturing, and Vizio took a similar approach as other television manufacturers with its decision to move its production to China and other Asian countries. Vizio televisions are produced in one of six plants that produce televisions throughout Asia. Samsung is believed to work closely with Vizio in terms of components, although that remains a rumor and has yet to be confirmed.

Success

In 2007, Vizio became the best-selling television producer in North America. The company managed to outsell Sony, Sharp and others in the flat-screen and plasma television sector for that year. They produced and sold 600,000 flat-screen or plasma televisions in that year alone. They have since slowed but still maintain a comfortable portion of television sales in North America.

Criticism

While Vizio has celebrated wild success with a high selling rate, there have been several complaints lodged against the company. Most commonly consumers are complaining about a short life span. Some are reporting that the televisions are lasting less than two years with average use. Another common complaint is the shoddy customer service received when calling for repairs. Most complaints revolve around the plasma televisions Vizio sold between 2004 and 2005. The plasma line of televisions has since been removed from the lineup. While no one is sure of the life span of the newer flat-screen televisions, many consumers have taken to more well-known companies over Vizio in hopes of a better life span and more efficient customer service.

References

• Cnet
• Top News