Ward-Takahashi

Ward-Takahashi focuses on the sale of small consumer electronics, with its computers, communicators, and even mid-class automobiles a fixture of many households. Less famously, Ward-Takahashi also supplies most of the AI cores on which vital control systems are mounted, and it is this branch of their industry that has led to their tertiary interest in the development and sale of high-grade AI systems. Ward-Takahashi’s economies of scale frequently steal market share from NanoTrasen’s high-price products, leading to a bitter rivalry in the consumer electronics market.

About

History

The industry giant Ward-Takahashi was born in the year 2332 after the unexpected merger of Ward G.M.B. and Takahashi Electronics. Prior to the merger, Ward G.M.B. was a military contractor whose successful foray into the lucrative civilian self defense market catapulted them towards dizzying acquisitions in a variety of areas ranging from sporting goods to high quality machines parts, becoming one of the most prominent companies within human space of such markets by the year 2290.

In stark contrast, Takahashi Electronics was a non-profit company founded by engineer Hideo Takahashi, originally created as a think-tank for novel circuit designs. Takahashi's many ambitious projects forced the company to go public, bringing in shareholders who were quick to push the visionary out in favor of improved profits. Under new leadership, Takahashi Electronics quickly became a household name through a mixture of design patents and manufacturing.

While the companies had dealt with each other before, their 2332 merger came as a shock given their disparate interests. This did not stop profits from soaring as the newly-minted Ward-Takahashi rode out the phoron boom, producing everything from furniture, computers, AI systems, and weaponry for nascent phoron colonies.

Modern Day

Look inside any piece of consumer electronics, and the Ward-Takahashi logo is probably stamped on each and every chip inside. Pick up a gun and you'll see the same etched into the side. While Ward-Takahashi may not be involved in heavy industry, the company provides many of the finished goods in any self-respecting colony. Wielding a large, disciplined and relatively untarnished security force, the tech giant is prepared to use their wealth and force against both patent infringers to rowdy competitors. The Ward-Takahashi brand is strong, and the future seems to only hold more profits for the ambitious company.

Prosthetics

The manufacturing giant's prosthetic line is functionally quite similar to Nanotrasen, but is directed at the consumer market and cheaper than Nanotrasen's own product. Aesthetically, of course, they are worlds apart, trading Nanotrasen's black gunmetal for rounded white plastic. The design endeavors to avoid the "uncanny valley" that plagues humaniform robot designs, by abstracting away the human shape into a series of connected ovals. Artists debate whether or not it succeed, while normal people are more concerned with WT's tendency to accrue dirt and scratches with hard use.

Ward-Takahashi is popular through all economic classes, from Poor to Wealthy. Though it takes more wear-and-tear from heavy labor than dedicated industrial chassis, some use it for these tasks regardless.