Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America

Mitsubishi Electric America said two of the company's affiliates will merge. Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, with operations in Santa Ana and Braselton, Ga., will combine electronics manufacturing and marketing activities with Mitsubishi Electronics America. The new company will be based in Norcross, Ga., and will keep the Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America name. It will handle audio-video products and cellular telephones.

Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, which in September moved its headquarters to Irvine from Georgia, has dropped its line of run-of-the-mill color televisions and now concentrates solely on large-screen, projection TVs. Although the mammoth televisions, with screens ranging from a manageable 50 inches to a block-out-the-sun 80 inches, make up only 1% of the 25 million televisions sold in the U.S. annually, their average price tag of $2,000 makes them a lucrative niche.

Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, which in September moved its headquarters to Irvine from Georgia, has dropped its line of run-of-the-mill color televisions and now concentrates solely on large-screen, projection TVs. Although the mammoth televisions, with screens ranging from a manageable 50 inches to a block-out-the-sun 80 inches, make up only 1% of the 25 million televisions sold in the U.S. annually, their average price tag of $2,000 makes them a lucrative niche.

A federal job retraining grant of $748,650 was authorized Thursday for more than 300 Santa Ana workers being idled by the movement of a Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics television assembly plant to Mexico. Mitsubishi, which had assembled big-screen TVs in Santa Ana since 1978, said in January it was closing the plant because it can no longer compete in North America without cutting costs.

In another defection of manufacturing jobs to Mexico, Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. said Thursday that it will transfer its television assembly operations from Santa Ana to Mexicali by the end of the year, eliminating 380 local jobs. Mitsubishi said the shift will significantly reduce costs and allow it to remain strong in the North American market.

Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. said Monday it will open a television research center that will employ more than 100 engineers and other professionals in Orange County. The company, a subsidiary of Japan's giant Mitsubishi Electric Corp., said it will invest about $11 million to establish the research center at a leased site that has not yet been chosen. It is scheduled to open in October.

A federal job retraining grant of $748,650 was authorized Thursday for more than 300 Santa Ana workers being idled by the movement of a Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics television assembly plant to Mexico. Mitsubishi, which had assembled big-screen TVs in Santa Ana since 1978, said in January it was closing the plant because it can no longer compete in North America without cutting costs.

F. Timothy Trujillo and John J. Revere have been named executive vice presidents of Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America in Cypress. Trujillo, formerly vice president of administration, will oversee legal and public-affairs issues. He will also continue to oversee employee relations, management information systems and facilities. Revere will oversee the manufacturing of projection and color televisions.

Brian Mitchell has been appointed regional manager for Merit Property Management, a community association management company in Mission Viejo. He was previously district manager. Mitchell joined Merit in 1990 as an account executive. * Paul W. Dunn has been named director of data systems for National Contracts Inc., a health care consulting firm in Rancho Santa Margarita.

Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said it will close its U.S. holding company and get out of several businesses as part of a restructuring to focus on digital television and computer hardware and software. Cypress-based Mitsubishi Electric America Inc. will be closed and an Americas corporate office will be opened as part of Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc., the largest of Tokyo-based Mitsubishi's subsidiaries in the U.S.

In another defection of manufacturing jobs to Mexico, Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. said Thursday that it will transfer its television assembly operations from Santa Ana to Mexicali by the end of the year, eliminating 380 local jobs. Mitsubishi said the shift will significantly reduce costs and allow it to remain strong in the North American market.

Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America Inc. said Monday it will open a television research center that will employ more than 100 engineers and other professionals in Orange County. The company, a subsidiary of Japan's giant Mitsubishi Electric Corp., said it will invest about $11 million to establish the research center at a leased site that has not yet been chosen. It is scheduled to open in October.

Mitsubishi Electric America said two of the company's affiliates will merge. Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America, with operations in Santa Ana and Braselton, Ga., will combine electronics manufacturing and marketing activities with Mitsubishi Electronics America. The new company will be based in Norcross, Ga., and will keep the Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America name. It will handle audio-video products and cellular telephones.

* John J. Revere has been appointed president of Taylor-Dunn Manufacturing Co., an Anaheim maker of electric- and gas-powered vehicles. He was formerly executive vice president of Mitsubishi Consumer Electronics America in Santa Ana. He has also been president of QCS Systems Co. in Brea and vice president for operations at CalComp Inc. in Anaheim. * Joseph B. Inge has been appointed vice president in charge of major corporate accounts for Johnson & Higgins in Costa Mesa, an insurance brokerage.