Sharp to Sell Microwaves Made in U.S. to Europe

Sharp Corp., saying it is cheaper to make some products in the United States than in Japan, announced Wednesday that it will begin exporting American-made microwave ovens to 11 European countries.

The Japanese consumer products company said its U.S. subsidiary, Sharp Electronics, will ship about 60,000 ovens to Europe during the next few months. By the end of next year, the unit is expected to have shipped to Europe 100,000 ovens worth about $12 million. Each oven is 0.6 cubic feet in size.

Sharp said it believed that this will be the largest export by a Japanese company of consumer electronics made by an American affiliate.