A classic from The Rokkor Files
Konica Minolta, a recent combination of the old Konica and Minolta Camera businesses, has decided to exit the photo industry, where it was losing money. The company's press release says that "In order to continue to have our customers use Maxxum/Dynax lenses, and to maximize possibilities of the optical, mechanical and electronics technologies accumulated through development of SLR cameras in the years to come, we came to the conclusion that it was best to transfer assets concerning camera business to Sony". Details are here.
The Konica silver-halide film and paper business, which goes back to 1904, is being closed, with the maintenance of Konica's minilab systems being taken over by Noritsu Koki Co Ltd. Details are here.
There are about 33,000 Konica Minolta Group employees, and around 3,700 will lose their jobs.
Minolta used to be one of the "big five" Japanese SLR camera brands, along with Nikon, Canon, Pentax and Olympus. Konica was the third largest surviving film manufacturer, after Kodak and Fuji.
Reuters has the story.
