Originally posted by GLXLR Hey Aristophanes. Although I'm not experienced in economics as some of the users here are, I would like to point out that Hoya's products are mainly used by consumers indirectly, much like steel: no one goes out to buy steel these days, only big companies use the steel and turn it into something else like Carnegie (US steel). Intel doesn't sell processors much directly (ofc some of us here have custom built computers ;D ) yet its name is everywhere because its computers are so important and daily used while I think Hoyas products like medical equipment and optics in CD drives and lasers etc aren't nearly as daily and occupy a small niche of people, with most of those people not even caring about where these optics came from. So in my mind, I don't think Hoya needs/can get public attention and I think should be in a large part scratched out from Hoya's interest in Pentax.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. Not trying to offend anyone here although i love reading this discussion!
The reason why Intel branded itself was partially to boost its profile amongst those brands (Compaq, Dell, HP, etc.) looking for a cheaper source or processors from AMD, TI, etc. This is called co-branding, and it began in the mid-1990's. There's lots of it around now, like Dairy Queen with Oreo cookies.
At times, it can be more economically efficient to outsource your supply chain. Why invent a new cookie crumble recipe to mimic Oreos when you can share profits by co-branding?
But that cycle appears to be coming to an end. Point in fact, Apple buying its own semiconductor design and manufacturing businesses. Intel also hedged its bets with regards to semiconductors by making Intel so well known that if the company had to branch out to B2C products, it would be ready.
For Hoya/Pentax, it's hard to say. Their issue is not the optics, but the sensors. Canon, Samsung, Sony, Fuji, and now Nikon (limited) make their own because it is now more efficient to do this all in-house and vertically integrate development. So for Hoya the Pentax venture includes both a mass market retail presence not in their DNA, but also they need to source very large volumes of materials like sensors from external sources, possibly at higher prices and with less control than the in-house manufacturers. This can go wrong, as well, for vertical integration. Fuji appears to be stumbling, for example, and Canon is getting some market feedback that they have too many P&S models, swamping supply and choking off their higher-margin units.