Sony Technology Center-Pittsburgh
1990 -- 2008
History and Highlights
Courtesy Sony Pittsburgh Corporate Communications -- 2008
Products Produced at STC-P 1992-2008
50-, 55-, 60-, 70-inch SXRD™ HD Rear Projection TV
70-inch Grand WEGA™ LCD projection TV
65-inch HD Rear Projection TV
61-, 57-, 53-, 48-, 43-inch Rear Projection TV
60-inch Grand WEGA™ LCD projection TV
50-inch Grand WEGA™ LCD projection TV
46-inch Grand WEGA™
42-inch Grand WEGA™ LCD projection TV
32- 36- 40-inch FD Trinitron® WEGA™ TV
40-, 46-, 52-inch LCD Direct View BRAVIA® Televisions
7-inch Cathode Ray Tubes
Aperture Grille
Flat Display (FD) Trinitron® Cathode Ray Tube
Television Glass for Cathode Ray Tubes
Coated Thermal Transfer Ribbon
Industrial Adhesives
Ultra-Violet Coatings
Molded Plastic Parts
STC-P History 1990 - 2008
1969
1978
August 1988
November 1990
October 1991
January 1992
July 1992
April 1994
December 1994
June 1995
February 1996
April 1996
March 1997
April 1998
July 1998
September 1998
June 1999
April 2000
June 2001
2001
August 2001
September 2001
2002
2003
2003-2006
2004 -2005
2004-2005
2005 -2007
2007-2008
July 2008
Chrysler builds shell of building (frame, walls & roof)
Volkswagen takes over and starts auto assembly
Volkswagen closes
Sony takes over former Volkswagen auto factory
CRT construction begins (CRT manufacturing ends 2006)
Color TV construction begun
Rear Projection TV on-line – first set produced end of July 1992 (Rear Projection closes 2007)
PJ CRT in full production
Flat Aperture Grille operations (AG manufacturing ends (2006)
American Video Glass Company founded
35V Trinitron Tube on line
35V Set Assembly on-line (Symphony)
American Video Glass begins production (AV closes 2006)
Display Systems Service Company-Pittsburgh opens (closed in 2001)
FD Trinitron® CRT production & Aperture Grille Line #2 for Computer Monitors began
FD Trinitron WEGA™ assembly begins
American Video Glass begins production of flat panel glass
FD Trinitron® CRT manufacturing expands
40” FD Trinitron® production begins
Start of Foreign Trade Zone operation
38” glass panel production begins at American Video Glass Co.
40” WEGA™ TV production begins (Direct View TV production ends 2006)
Grand WEGA® LCD Production Begins
Pittsburgh Customer Satisfaction Center (PCSC) opens
Pittsburgh Logistics Center operations
Plasma assembly operations
Introduction of 34” HD Widescreen WEGA™
SXRD™ assembly operations
Start-up of BRAVIA® LCD Flat Panel Direct View Assembly
Sony Chemicals of America sold to Dai Nippon Printing
Fast Facts -- 2008
• 450-Acre Campus
• STC-P has 2.8 million sq. ft. under roof
• More than 3 miles of hallways
• 560 employees
• Cumulative total investment = $800,000,000+
Protecting Our Environment
Sony is committed to conserving resources and energy to reduce
waste, increase efficiency and, most importantly, to help the
environment.
– Sony was named an EPA Energy Star Partner for making
products that use less electricity and thus fewer natural
resources.
– We safely eliminate by-products of production. In the case of iron
chloride —which was created in the manufacturing process of
the aperture grille — it was sold to a local community to help
purify municipal wastewater.
– We have recently successfully recycled the Styrofoam in which
parts are shipped to us into the plastics used to make television
parts and we have an almost totally closed-loop on our
cardboard by recycling the cardboard cartons we receive raw
materials into the boxes we ship televisions out in.
– Our employees take part in local clean-up and environmental
activities.
Milestones
Beginning in 1992, Sony Technology Center-Pittsburgh was the
base for Sony’s global engineering and production of largescreen rear-projection TV sets.
In 1994, STC-P was the first Sony site to produce 7-inch color
picture tubes for use in rear projection TVs.
1995 saw STC-P begin operations of Sony’s first and only
Aperture Grille manufacturing facility which exported this
critical TV component to plants throughout the world. That
year, too, Sony Chemicals Corporation of America opened its
first manufacturing facility in the U.S. at
STC-P.
The first large size cathode ray tube, the 35-inch Trinitron® was
produced in 1996.
Milestones
In 1997, STC-P became the world’s first vertically integrated TV plant when the American Video Glass
Company began production of television glass. The sand for the glass came from Pennsylvania and
West Virginia and the glass was shipped across the street and made into color television picture tubes
at STC-P and then put into the 35-inch Trinitron® TV.
The following year Sony introduced flat cathode ray tubes with glass made at STC-P. Flat displays
eliminated the distortion seen in tradition picture tubes.
In 1999, Sony’s first High Definition rear projection television, a state-of-the-art, 65-inch set, was designed
and built at STC-P. Also, STC-P, Sony Electronics and Waste Management, Inc. formed a
partnership to develop new methods of post-consumer electronics recycling.
American Video Glass began production of flat-panel glass.
STC-P produced its 1,000,000th rear projection and regular television set!
In 2001, Sony Electronics announced plans for STC-P to manufacture a 40-inch WEGA™ television. The
40-inch WEGA™ utilized flat picture tube technology and was the largest mass produced CRT in the
industry.
In September 2001, STC-P was granted Foreign Trade Zone status. As the only television manufacturing
facility in the northeast, and one of only three left in the United States, FTZ designation helped STCP to remain competitive with television plants that have moved offshore and to Mexico.
In late 2001, STC-P was chosen as the production site for North American for wide-screen, high definition
rear projection sets and in 2002, the site began sole production of the wide-screen, digital rear
projection televisions. STC-P started to produce the 50-inch and 60-inch rear projection LCD
(Liquid Crystal Display) Grand WEGA™ television sets. That same year AV was recognized by the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as one of the leading companies, nationally for their
waste minimization initiatives.
In 2003, STC-P welcomed the Pittsburgh Refurbishing Operation (PRO) which refurbished a variety of
Sony products and services all sizes and types of televisions. That division is now known as the
Pittsburgh Customer Satisfaction Center. The Pittsburgh Logistics Center (PLC) opened that same
year in the old Montgomery Ward Warehouse near STC-P. The PLC served as a distribution facility
for a variety of Sony products.
Finally in 2003, STC-P's Aperture Grille (AG) division won the Governor's Environmental Award for
their reduction of hexavalent chromium in the manufacture of aperture grilles.
Milestones
In May of 2004, STC-P received word that the Direct View set group was chosen to make the 42inch Plasma WEGA™ television sets. The Display group (DDP) also began the production
of several new widescreen (16:9 aspect ratio) cathode ray tube models in 2004. The new CRT
models were used in the 34-inch and 30-inch FD Trinitron® WEGA™ televisions.
n May of 2004, Sony Electronics was awarded the prestigious CEO award for the launch of Grand
WEGA™ televisions which achieved the number one position in the U.S. for the Grand
WEGA™ XBR/WE series. STC-P shared the honor of the award with the Grand WEGA™
Sales and Marketing teams.
STC-P hosted Sony Electronics' national media launch of its newest television in August 2005.
The Grand WEGA™ SXRD™ (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display) Rear Projection HDTV
was manufactured in 50” and 60” sizes at STC-P for the North American Market.
Then U.S. Treasury Secretary John Snow and former Senator Rick Santorum visited STC-P in
August 2005 to discuss trade issues and the American economy with Sony executives and as
part of the celebration of the 1 Millionth Grand WEGA™ television, Pennsylvania Governor
Ed Rendell visited STC-P and presented Sony with $1 million Opportunity Grant for job
training and technology investment.
2006 and 2007 brought major changes in technology and the television industry. STC-P ended the
manufacture of CRT’s and assembly of picture tube-type televisions. As a result, the Display
Device Pittsburgh and CTV-Assembly operations were closed. The American Video Glass
Company ended production of television glass at the site and closed as well. In 2007, Sony
produced its last rear-projection television, the SXRD™. The new Sony BRAVIA® flat-panel
LCD television sets were introduced.