NatureScapes.net Forums

Wow!  The need to reduce costs must be tremendous as the photography products become more and more complicated.  Nikon has always produced leading edge cameras, but as a camera company only they don't have the myriad of other products like TVs and copiers that Sony and Canon have to provide cash flow and balance sheet cushion.  Interesting that the machine translation said the Thailand plant "will continue to produce high-performance, high-precision parts required for [camera] products".  Hopefully they really meant that to say continue to produce high performance and high precision cameras.

Nikon’s disadvantage is largely tied to the absence of technical synergies compared to what a diverse company like Canon can harvest.  Canon or Sony solve a problem in another product line and apply it to their camera production.  Sony creates a machine vision based assembly tool, and “Bam!”  it can be used for lens assembly.  Canon discovers a better lubricant for printer mechanisms and it can be useful in zoom lens too.  In gets  deeper when Sony combines capabilties in two product businesses to create unique technology in camera assembly.  It also applies to product distribution capabilities.  Nikon cannot match this by going to a cheaper labor market.  Seen that in my time in R&D.

Paul Schmitt