Hachiman Taro Electronics

Hachiman Taro Electronics
HachTaroE-Logo.png
Corporation Profile
Founding Yearca. 3022[1]
AffiliationDraconis Combine
HeadquartersHachiman[2]
LeadershipCEO
Product(s)
Manufacturing Plant(s)

Founded by Chandrasekhar Kurita, Hachiman Taro Electronics, also known as Hachiman Taro Enterprises,[See Notes] was a pillar of the Draconis Combine electronics industry throughout the thirty-first century.

Overview

Originally based on Hachiman, HTE grew rapidly under the leadership of "Uncle Chandy," who was the company's principal financier and leader directly or indirectly until his death in 3076.[1] Hachiman Taro's expansion was considerable, acquiring competitors such as Tanadi Computers[3] and even surviving the destruction of their facilities on Hachiman by the Word of Blake in 3070.[4]

Thanks to the practices instituted by Chandrasekhar, HTE products were often sold at comparatively low prices within the Combine, with as much as a 50 percent 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 his passing.[2]

Hachiman Taro translates approximately as "the first-born son of the god of war."[5]

History

Hachiman Taro Electronics was formed by Chandrasekhar Kurita after Coordinator Takashi Kurita banished him from Luthien in 3020,[6] with the first modest consumer electronics manufacturing plant completed on Hachiman in 3022.[1] With the Combine's Third Succession War economy straitjacketed 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.[7]

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.[7]

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.[7]

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 long-standing 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.[7]

Security

The Security personnel of HTE wore powder-blue helmets and uniforms with white gloves. Hachiman Taro's chief of security in the 3050s was Mirza Peter Abdulsattah,[8] who would also step in as CEO in the late 3050s.[2]

Notes

^ The oldest and newest publications, Close Quarters (1994) and Handbook: House Davion (2007), occasionally present the company as "Hachiman Taro Enterprises."[9][10] It is unclear if this is in error or if it implies there is an organizational distinction. The company has also been written as Hachiman Taro Electronics Limited[11] and Hachiman-Taro Electronics (hyphenated).[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, p. 22: "Hachiman Taro Electronics"
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Masters and Minions: The StarCorps Dossiers, p. 24: "Corporations of the Combine - [Hachiman-Taro Electronics]"
  3. ↑ Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, p. 28: "Uncle Chandy - [Tanadi Computers]"
  4. ↑ Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, p. 25: "The Jihad"
  5. ↑ Close Quarters, Epilogue
  6. ↑ Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, p. 26: "Chandrasekhar Kurita"
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Jihad Conspiracies: Interstellar Players 2, pp. 22–23: "Uncle Chandy - Hachiman Taro Electronics - Economic Tentacles"
  8. ↑ Close Quarters, ch. 8, pp. 73–79
  9. ↑ Close Quarters, ch. 8, p. 79
  10. ↑ Handbook: House Davion p. 158: "Hachiman Taro Enterprises"
  11. ↑ Close Quarters, ch. 6

Bibliography

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