Pentax was never exactly in trouble financially, camera sales were not world beating but they made a reasonable return on investment. Part of that was due to what I see as Pentax's philosophy which is that Pentax is a Camera and Lens manufacture, everything else Pentax did was to make that possible. That's one of the problems with Herb's analysis. He looked at Imaging as an under preforming division, not a "Raison d'Etra". Based on the Pentax board's behavior I'd say I'm closer to right about the internal view of Pentax had of itself than Herb ever was about the external view. I've always been a realist about Pentax's position. However I have a very hard time with Financial Analysts they often parrot back the conventional wisdom within their own own community, weather it's correct or not. The majority are wrong more often than they are right on investments in my experience, but it seems you can never go wrong in finance following a herd mentality.
Tom C wrote: > No one predicted the details of what would happen Peter. How could they? > > Pentax's camera division turnaround was still a drop in the bucket, both > volume-wise and profit-wise compared to their competiton in the industry, > and that competition has the means to force the smaller companies to their > knees in a price/profit war. > > It was simply suggested that Pentax appeared to be in trouble financially, > and that the future was uncertain. They could exist as a small-time player > for some period of time independently, they could go away, or the > brand/mount could survive with the assistance of another company, > Sony-Minolta fashion. > > > Tom C. > > > >> From: "P. J. Alling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Reply-To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List <[email protected]> >> Subject: Re: Don't want to sound too alarmist but... >> Date: Mon, 21 May 2007 14:36:24 -0400 >> >> Pentax is being forced to sell out to Hoya by the Japanese equivalent of >> a Corporate Raider brought in as a White Knight, after they began to >> turn their Camera Business around. That seems to be the exact opposite >> of what Herb was predicting. >> >> Tom C wrote: >> >>>> On 21/05/07, Paul Stenquist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>>> I'm just tired of all those who spend so much time watching the sky >>>>> to see if it's falling. If I were inclined to dump my Pentax gear, I >>>>> would do it now. But I'm not going to. It works quite well, thank >>>>> you. A yawn is appropriate. >>>>> >>>>> >>>> Rob Studdert wrote: >>>> >>>> It's not really, this is a conversation about Pentax on a Pentax >>>> discussion list. Try to exercise just a little empathy, granted >>>> Pentax's future is not entirely clear at the moment. However consider >>>> for just a moment that some others here may not be made of money and >>>> may have had to save and sacrifice to buy into the Pentax system and >>>> as such are simply concerned that it may not have a future. Surely >>>> scenarios are worth discussion. >>>> >>>> >>> Remember Rob. This is America, where one has the freedom to suppress >>> other's freedom of speech if they don't like it. And the one who shouts >>> longest and hardest wins. >>> >>> It is a Pentax list and Pentax is being discussed. Nobody has ever >>> suggested dumping Pentax gear except the guys that are also saying >>> >> they're >> >>> not going to dump it. >>> >>> I wasn't ever going to say this, but I guess I will now. For all those >>> >> that >> >>> have been ridiculing the so-called Chicken Littles on the list who are >>> supposedly claiming the sky is falling by discussing Pentax's financial >>> condition in comparison with the industry... >>> >>> Well, guess what? The sky IS falling. Two or more years ago those >>> >> taunts >> >>> were voiced when Herb (who has in depth knowledge of the camera industry >>> financials), Rob Studdert, and myself were discussing Pentax's future. >>> >> At >> >>> that time we suggested the outlook wasn't good and if things didn't >>> >> change, >> >>> Pentax was possibly headed the same way as companies like Contax, Ricoh, >>> >> or >> >>> Minolta. We suggested that they good possibly either cease to exist or >>> >> that >> >>> they may be acquired or taken over. None of us knew what was going to >>> happen and none of us outright predicted what would happen. There was no >>> prescience. >>> >>> So a scenario quite similar to what we were talking about two years ago >>> >> is >> >>> now taking place, has been in progress for the last 6 months or so, and >>> >> is >> >>> in the front page Japanese financial news. And what's happening? >>> >> There's >> >>> still folks on this list that are spouting the same "Chicken Little", >>> >> "Sky >> >>> is falling" rhetoric as they were two years ago (hoping to sqaush >>> discussion) before Pentax penned a deal with Samsung, and before rumors >>> >> and >> >>> news of a Hoya/Pentax merger. >>> >>> I rest my case. >>> >>> Tom C. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> -- >> All dogs have four legs; my cat has four legs. Therefore, my cat is a dog. >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> > > > > -- All dogs have four legs; my cat has four legs. Therefore, my cat is a dog. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net
