Originally posted by NaClH2O I really don't understand the large amount of antipathy towards Hoya. They have never said they would sell the imaging division. What they said in December was (paraphrase and italics mine) "If the imaging division loses money we will sell it" Right now it is one of the best performing divisions, why would they want to sell it? It even compliments their optical glass making division. I personally have always thought that a Hoya/Pentax merger would be good for Pentax, it gives them some deep R&D pockets which they could certainly use. I know next to nothing about Japanese businesses, but I know people who know A LOT and to a person they all feel that the merger is a good one for both companies.
NaCl(but we'll see)H2O
Actually, if I remember correctly (that is always a big question) it was not profit but the fact it may "underperform" based of course on HOYA standards was the more direct quote. Heck if the camera division continued to lose money I'd even junk it (Pentax losing money on film SLR's gee go figure). Anyways, what's good for Pentax/Hoya may not be good for us "bit players" here. I have no doubt Hoya is good for Pentax, it's the direction this leads that is questionable. Considering the DSLR market as a whole (well Pentax at least), this does NOT fit into what Hoya considers a decent return..... based on their own history. They want to concentrate on high return areas (which IS good business sense) but being small as Pentax was, even small profits help the overall picture. My cloudy crystal balls says that if DSLR NET profits are not above 10% (which can be gotton how? Hoya helps this how? Cheaper optical blanks at their expense?) they won't be happy. Pentax history HAD protected them from this hard decision which in reality and if they were like most companies, would have stopped making cameras YEARS ago.
I think sometimes we forget that or don't really want to see that. I hope I'm wrong but don't really see it any other way. Going head to head w/ Canon et. al. is not really the Hoya way as far as I can see........Pentax better make damn good cameras quick and cheap and sell a whole boatload....... or they will end up in the bargain bin. Gloom and doom, maybe but we do have a few years to work with.
The last key annoyance is Pentax FINALLY woke up and began producing DSLR (and not just totally mediocre ones at that which would have encouraged me to say "goodbye" and I'd be singing the praises of a Sigma SD10
) only to have their company "diluted" by Urano and SPARX. BTW: who canned the "prototype" DSLR? Urano? Put them years behind the curve. Then again, even if Hoya/Pentax gives up camera bodies I suppose they could concentrate on becoming a "3rd party" lens vendor ala Tokina/Sigma.
Maybe this whole thing was "hatched" in Vietnam during Pentax plant construction...
Vietnam Investment Review - Timeout
Last edited by jeffkrol; 05-17-2007 at 07:22 PM.