[davidsladek]

looks like bcnranking has bee closed down, that's a pitty...
??????????? BCN?????

[Kunzite]

They're preparing to launch a new website.

[monochrome]

But doesn't you stockpile a few month of production at launch so that everybody world wide has enough stock to server the demand?

If you have your own factory, it doesn't make sense to have huge capacity iddling most of the time to do JIT including at product release. You keep a lower capacity, reducing need for employees, real estate and machines and try to optimize your factory capacity.

Sure you don't continue to produce is there no forecast it is needed. You also want to adapt to demand and not stock pile.

But there still a need to accumulate before a launch for cameras... And for lenses the whole business seems based on batch as the sale are very low and there huge economy on scale to produce them in quantity for a short period of time instead of producing a few of each type every day.

JIT is the opposite of basic principle of factory that you do always the same thing in quantity to reduce cost. I am sure there quite few models and strategies to optimize things overall as a tradeof of amount of money invested, reactivity to market, reduce risk of having stock of unsold products as well hability to follow demand... Among other things...

They make a camera at a continuous rate with a trained set of assemblers. They build up initial stock, run it down to a few week supply, and hope to maintain a constant sale / production volume. Price incentives are used when the product is mature to adjust the size of the cushion.

Toward the end of product life the assemblers are retrained on a new product while the final inventory is run down - and the cycle begins anew.

The real issue is they can't really increase production to meet unanticipated demand because they don't have assemblers available to open another production line (without slowing or delaying something else).

[Nicolas06]

The real issue is they can't really increase production to meet unanticipated demand because they don't have assemblers available to open another production line (without slowing or delaying something else).

While going 100% all the time is ideal for usage of resources, it doesn't let any margin so you can adapt to demand or issues.

Usually it is better to have some margin so you can produce more if needed but also to be able to reduce capacity so you don't pill up useless stuff that never sell neither.

In the current market with quite reduced capacity (-50% since 2012?) it is quite unlikely that already existing factory work at full capacity all the time.

[RonHendriks1966]

In the current market with quite reduced capacity (-50% since 2012?) it is quite unlikely that already existing factory work at full capacity all the time.

Wow, that is remarkable. I think staf numbers have been decreased over the past 5 years. Maybe just gradually due to pension or leaving or getting married/children. Pentax does not sell the numbers of camera's like they did in the time of the K-x or the K-5.

[asahi man]

The Sensor production is close to the regular number and Pentax is pushing K-1 production slowly to the standard now.
But the word wide orders are to high to get cameras on stock.
So the cameras are complete pre ordered and after landing direct on the way to the shops and online customers.
Pentax will have cameras on stock again maybe in autumn,winter.
The production is still sold out.
Best regards

[gazonk]

The production is still sold out.

That's good news for Pentax!

(And for my wallet. I'll count on santa )

[monochrome]

While going 100% all the time is ideal for usage of resources, it doesn't let any margin so you can adapt to demand or issues.

Usually it is better to have some margin so you can produce more if needed but also to be able to reduce capacity so you don't pill up useless stuff that never sell neither.

In the current market with quite reduced capacity (-50% since 2012?) it is quite unlikely that already existing factory work at full capacity all the time.

Nicholas: Please read my post again. The bottleneck is trained assemblers.

[Zygonyx]

The Sensor production is close to the regular number and Pentax is pushing K-1 production slowly to the standard now.
But the word wide orders are to high to get cameras on stock.
So the cameras are complete pre ordered and after landing direct on the way to the shops and online customers.
Pentax will have cameras on stock again maybe in autumn,winter.
The production is still sold out.
Best regards

Good news, plus after some days/weeks of shortage, the K-1 is back on our Paris shelves...

[mee]

That's good news for Pentax!

(And for my wallet. I'll count on santa )

It is welcome news for all of us shooting with Pentax products.. because they said before the launch that the K-1 was the bellweather to see if they would continue down the FF route or not (dependent on if it sold well or not).

[Rupert]

All this is interesting...but I am the typical "Ugly American".......I've got mine, and that's and that all that matters to me! I learned that attitude from a furry buddy of mine....you may not like it...but it is honest!

Glad I got my K1? You bet I am! I hope everyone gets one, and though I'm sorry for your delay, I will not offer you mine!

Regards!

[ivorianebony]

i just dont feel RICOH gets it going. big biz is slendering, products are slendering....
So many people where waiting for a FF-DSLR no matter what. Thats the reason it sells now. PERIOD

The situation now shows, the hardcore pentaxians and "wannabe Fullframers" would have praised any product. really. any.

USB2.0 for tethering 36MP pixelshifted RAW files, yes that shows how much you love to really deliver... - PUN INTENDED

It seems the same philosophy is inherited in every other branch of RICOH... other business-people realize and dont consider deals with you worthy anymore...
otherwise i couldnt explain all the minuses in the "Change" columns.

IMHO Ricoh as a whole is still in ATARI...(in a tight spot) and should do better. In which way(branch) soever.

[monochrome]

What are you going on about?

[thibs]

Boriscletoed

[thibs]

What are you going on about?

Don't feed, pleaaaase