HOYA about Pentax: “We will not shut down this business.”

HOYA Chief Operating Officer, Hiroshi Hamada, said in an interview October 23 that the Pentax (which HOYA bought for about $1 billion) division will have to seek a partner in order to compete with larger rivals in the digital-camera market. “I don’t know whether we’ll go with Samsung or somebody else, but I can say that we’ll have a deeper relationship with some electronics guys,” Hamada said. “There will be consolidation in the camera business and a small player like us will be like a small boat on a rough sea. But let me be clear: we will not shut down this business.”