More demand confirmation: digital camera sales up
Reuters, 07/6/2000 21:06
Konica (TOKYO:4902) to double digital camera sales to HP
TOKYO, July 7 (Reuters) - Konica Corp, Japan's second biggest photo film maker, said on Friday it had agreed with Hewlett-Packard Co (NYSE:HWP) to double its supply of digital still cameras to the U.S. computer maker to 700,000 units in the year to March 2001.
Konica, which had a late start in the digital camera business, aims to catch up with industry leaders such as Olympus Optical Co Ltd (TOKYO:7733) and Fuji Photo Film (TOKYO:4901) with the deal.
Demand for digital still cameras in the United States has been rising since last summer.
Hewlett-Packard has sold Konica-made digital still cameras in the United States and Europe under Hewlett-Packard's brand name since 1997. Konica supplied 350,000 units last business year, a Konica spokesman said.
Konica currently supplies two models of digital still camera to the U.S. company on an original equipment manufacturer-basis (OEM) and will add a new model for the U.S. firm later this year, he said.
Konica, which sells its own brand digital cameras in Japan with volume of about 30,000 units a year, plans to introduce three or four new models in February or March next year, the spokesman said.
By 0033 GMT, Konica's shares were at 1,010 yen, unchanged from Thursday's close.
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