Panasonic launched the EverVolt in 2019 and began manufacturing at its manufacturing vegetation in Malaysia and Japan. The product line consists of photo voltaic panels, photo voltaic batteries, and modular kits for integrating your entire setup into residential power methods. Then, in 2021, the corporate made a significant change in its enterprise mannequin. Instead of constructing EverVolt photo voltaic panels in Panasonic factories, OEMs will deal with manufacturing and meeting up entrance. Panasonic vegetation in Malaysia and Japan will cease making EverVolt photo voltaic panels in 2022.
Now that manufacturing has been outsourced, an EverVolt module can comprise elements from many alternative international locations, together with Japan, Canada, Germany, Mexico, and the United States. In truth, EverVolt merchandise are actually manufactured by subcontractors moderately than Panasonic itself. This transfer, in Panasonic’s personal phrases, is meant to create “an ecosystem of residential power merchandise, together with photo voltaic panels, as an alternative of focusing solely on manufacturing.” That rationalization is a bit imprecise, however the backside line in all probability entails prices and supply-chain wants.
Reading between the traces, it appears that evidently subcontracting manufacturing to an OEM will help maintain prices aggressive amongst home markets. Instead of constructing EverVolt merchandise in a single or two Panasonic factories after which promoting them wholesale to small installers and retailers, Panasonic can maintain its model title within the EverVolt line whereas sustaining a dynamic provide chain. chain. It might additionally enable the Japanese electronics large to launch new merchandise extra shortly with out being bottlenecked by too many worldwide obstacles directly. Whatever the explanation for Panasonic’s transfer to contract manufacturing to OEMs, the transfer appears to have benefited clients. In truth, EverVolt photo voltaic panels are extra competitively priced than ever.
