Difference between revisions of "Hachiman Taro Electronics"

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==Bibliography==
 
==Bibliography==
 +
* ''[[Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2]]'' (Sourcebook)
 
* ''[[Close Quarters]]'' (novel)
 
* ''[[Close Quarters]]'' (novel)
  
 
[[Category:Manufacturing Centers|Hachiman-Taro Electronics]]
 
[[Category:Manufacturing Centers|Hachiman-Taro Electronics]]
 
[[Category:Draconis Combine Companies]]
 
[[Category:Draconis Combine Companies]]

Revision as of 17:11, 21 October 2021

Template:InfoBoxManufacturer

Overview

Founded by Chandrasekhar Kurita, Hachiman-Taro Electronics, Limited was a pillar of the Draconis Combine electronics industry throughout the mid-to-late 31st century. Originally based on Hachiman, HTE would grow rapidly under the leadership of 'Uncle Chandy', who would serve as CEO from 3027 until his death in 3076. Hachiman-Taro's expansion was considerable, acquiring competitors such as Tanadi Computers and even surviving the destruction of their facilities on Hachiman by the Word of Blake in 3070.

Thanks to the practices instituted by CEO Chandrasekhar, HTE products were often sold at comparatively low prices within the Combine, with as much as a 50% markup outside to compensate. This in addition to their existing contracts with manufacturers such as Luthien Armor Works made them a formidable corporate entity, even after the passing of Chairman Chandrasekhar.

History

Hachiman Taro Electronics was formed in 3022, establishing a modest consumer electronics manufacturing plant on Hachiman IV. With the Combine's Third Succession War economy straight-jacketed by excessive government oversight, bureaucratic red tape and endemic corruption, observers fully expected that HTE would quickly run afoul of the next inexplicable change of economic policies handed down by Luthien, or would be forcibly "invited" to join local competitor Tanadi Computers "in the interests of efficiency". Yet by 3027 Hachiman Taro Electronics not only survived, but flourished, opening a new production center in Hachiman's planetary capital of Masamori and ensuring it now had sufficient manufacturing capacity to capture a major share of the domestic market.[1]

Incensed at the performance of the upstart company, the Combine's incumbent corporations then launched a campaign of vandalism, arson and intimidation, only to discover to their chagrin that Hachiman-Taro boasted a well-trained and equipped security force that allowed it to fend off their attempts. The company faced a much more serious threat when Tanadi's chief executives began circling, until in June 3027 when HTE announced the appointment of a new CEO - Chandrasekhar Kurita. In truth the company's principal financier all along, the public revelation of his involvement in Hachiman-Taro gave the company's competitors pause. Though he actively avoided trading upon his famous last name, centuries of custom had ingrained a sense of reverence for the ruling house of the Draconis Combine that made it unthinkable to act openly against any member of House Kurita, even one far from the actual line of succession. Instead HTE's competitors largely consoled themselves with the belief that the foolish "Uncle Chandy" would drive the company into the ground, unaware the reputation and persona had been deliberately crafted to make people underestimate him.[1]

The hammer blows of the Fourth Succession War and the loss of the Rasalhague Military District left the Combine reeling, but also forced Coordinator Takashi Kurita (at the behest of his son Theodore) to introduce social reforms that fueled an upswing in demand for consumer goods across the Combine. HTE was perfectly positioned to take advantage of the growth in the domestic market, producing inexpensive yet high quality items. New investments and the acquisition of several smaller companies fueled HTE's continuing growth through the 3030s and 3040s, while at the same time Chandrasekhar Kurita began to clandestinely invest in Isesaki Shipping, securing the company's shipping routes and allowing him to establish an extensive network of contacts beyond the Combine's borders. It was during this period that Uncle Chandy was able to lure Tanadi's best designers with offers of better pay and working conditions, whilst Marquis Redmond Hosoya grew enraged with this "Lyran" tactic. While no evidence was ever found linking Tanadi, during this period Hachiman-Taro security prevented several attempts by Yakuza teppodama to kill or kidnap the former Tanadi employees - as well as narrowly stopping an assassination attempt on Chandrasekhar Kurita himself, by a freelancer supposedly working for SAFE.[1]

By the Clan Invasion, Hachiman Taro Electronics rivaled Tanadi in size and market share in the civilian arena. With the Draconis Combine Mustered Soldiery desperate to counter the overwhelming technological advantage of the Clans and with numerous key component manufacturers lost in the path of the Clan juggernaut, the DCMS looked beyond its longstanding military suppliers like Tanadi to every element of the Combine's corporate industries. This decision gave Hachiman Taro Electronics a golden opportunity to branch out, as HTE's factories were more modern, independent of poorly understood and maintained Star League era manufacturing equipment. The company was able to rapidly retool and begin production of military electronics far faster than any of its competitors, and by late 3051 HTE was manufacturing targeting systems for a new generation of DCMS BattleMechs and Combat Vehicles as well as being instrumental in the development of the Combine's new c3 computer systems.[1]

Security

The Security personnel of HTE wear powder-blue helmets and uniforms with white gloves. Hachiman-Taro's chief of security as of the 3050s was Mirza Peter Abdulsattah.[2]

Manufacturing

Notes

  • Hachiman-Taro Electronics, Limited seems to be a subsidiary of Hachiman-Taro Enterprises, which is specifically what Chandrasekhar Kurita identifies himself as the CEO of.[3]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, pp. 22-23 "Uncle Chandy - Hachiman Taro Electronics - Economic Tentacles"
  2. Close Quarters, pp. 73-79, "Chapter 8"
  3. Close Quarters, p. 79, "Chapter 8"

Bibliography