Hoya to sell Pentax Imaging Systems Business to Ricoh

Pentax Corporation was merged into Hoya on March 31, 2008. Hoya said the decision to split the Pentax Imaging Systems business was part of selecting and focusing its management resources, but it will continue to develop the other Pentax businesses including the production of digital camera modules, DVD pickup lenses, endoscopes, artificial bones, and voice synthesis.

Ricoh’s core business is office solutions focusing on MFPs und digital printing equipment. The company has also introduced many cameras to the market since its inception in 1936. In 1995, Ricoh was one of the first manufacturers to launch digital cameras With the takeover, Ricoh intends to significally strengthen its consumer business. As a first step to achieve this goal, Ricoh aims to expand its position i the camera market, saying it was an indispensable initiative to obtain the small and lightweight interchangeable lens camera technology, lens technology and sales channels held by the Pentax Imaging Systems Division to pave the way for further advancement and innovations in the digital camera market.

For the future, Ricoh intends to create value-added businesses for taken photographs (creation and development of value-added services that encourage seeing, storing and refinishing photographs and utilize photographs as communication tools), and to expand to other fields, uncluding the image archiving business using medium-format digital cameras and enhancement of security-related products.