Weer wat nieuws van Hoya. Ziet er allemaal nog niet zo gek uit. Lagere inkomsten door prijsdaling, maar wel bijna gelijke verkoopaantallen camera's (daar waar de meeste concurrenten toch duidelijk minder camera's verkopen).
Segment Overview by Mr. Hamada, COO
<Digital Cameras and Optical Lenses etc.>
• Since the crash last year, inventory adjustment has been ongoing with all manufacturers curbing
production. Stores have only recovered to about 80% in a year-on-year comparison but orders
have been coming in since the summer and it seems that market conditions are recovering.
• Compact cameras will probably finish at 95-96% compared to the previous year and SLR at
99%, close to 100% in a year-on-year comparison in terms of volume. Volume seems to be
recovering but the unit price is falling. This also has an impact on raw materials. HOYA optical
materials and optical lenses have also recovered to the levels of the preceding year in terms of
volume but since unit prices have fallen by 20-30%, sales have decreased by 20-30% compared
to the previous financial year.
• From now on, it depends on how much is sold at Christmas season. Many of our customers in
optical lenses said they are not sure about the outlook and there is a sense of caution about
placing orders. The peak for optical lenses is from October to December with the start of the
New Year being quiet. Now is the time to proceed with care.
• How much is sold in the stores is the key. There is a small recovery in North America while
Japan is so-so, and Europe seems to be a little weak. According to the chain stores, customers
are down by 20%.
• We manufacture the plastic lenses used in Blu-ray. In the spring of this year orders were
flooding in but since the products for Christmas have already been manufactured and shipped,
things are a little calmer now.
• In camera business, there is less of a burden on several fronts thanks to last year’s restructuring
and as a result of narrowing the focus to channels, regions and countries where we are strong,
there has been considerable improvement but we still do not have our heads above water in the
2nd quarter. We are working hard to get to the surface and take in some air (turn to black) in the
3rd quarter.
• Volumes for the PENTAX K-7 midrange camera that was released in July are according to plan.
Since the product is priced at ¥110,000-¥130,000, the results will not go beyond expectations.
• Orders for the K-x, a camera that is available in a choice of 100 colors, have been extremely
high. Since it has not been on the market long, we have yet to receive the numerical results.
Topic: Hoya Corporation; Pentax (gelezen 4412 keer)