Re: [Leica] Hexar RF...Good News...Bad News

["John Black" <jblack@ambio.net>]

I have to make a comparison here between Leica and Harley Davidson.  Before
youall get over your spasms at this seemingly absurd scenario, allow me to
elaborate.

Harley recently took what amounts to obsolete, 1936 technology sold at
premium prices and built a success story from it.  Harley was by all
accounts on the ropes as a company in the late 70s when AMF owned them.
Some of the company officers that had good ideas and faith in the product
proposed a buyout and AMF agreed.  The principles then went to the
government and convinced them to negotiate an import moratorium on large
Japanese bikes for several years.  They then applied some very sound
management, design and marketing techniques and, after going public in the
early 80s, made a huge success out of what are still obsolete products at
premium prices.  So it can be done!

Perhaps Harley and Leica could look into a joint venture?
Hmmmm.......rangefinder body with a V twin engine........

JB
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Erfurth <m6rf@yahoo.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, November 11, 1999 12:29 AM
Subject: [Leica] Hexar RF...Good News...Bad News


>
> So, this guy walks into Herr Cohn's office and says,
> "Herr Cohn, I have bad news for you".
>
> Herr Cohn looks at him and says, "So, what's new"?
> ............................................
>
> Without going into detail, the introduction of the
> Hexar RF is going to have a dramatic impact on Leica
> Camera.
>
> First of all, Leica no longer has "the only game in
> town".  For the first time in maybe 20 years,
> consumers now will have a choice of quality
> rangefinder cameras. This is going to significantly
> effect sales.  On the bright side, it will hopefully
> cause a change in attitude within the Leica
> organization.
>
> Second, the Hexar is sold as a kit with one body and
> three lenses.  Now when Joe Photographer buys one of
> these kits, in many cases Joe will sell off the Konica
> lenses on e-bay and use the Leica lenses that he
> already has.  This will put a glut of inexpensive
> 28mm, 50mm, and 90mm lenses in the market place, and
> thus cut into Leica's lens sales of these products.
> On the Bright side, this will bring down the price of
> all Leica compatible lenses in the secondary market.
>
> Third, if Joe Photographer likes his new Hexar, he
> will in many cases sell off his Leica M6 (or what
> ever) thus adding a lot of good used Leica's to the
> marketplace.  Here again this will negatively effect
> Leica's M body sales.  On the Bright side, this will
> lower the price of most M cameras because of the
> increased supply.
>
> Now, if the rumored report from the British Photo
> magazine about a Nikon rangefinder is correct (I'm
> betting that it is) Leica could easily end up being
> third in a three man race.
>
> Is Leica, as we know it,  doomed?  Well, maybe...maybe
> not.  It all depends on Herr Cohn's leadership.
>
> My background was in the electronic parts business
> (transistors, IC's, resistors, etc).  As such, I hung
> around with the guys in Silly-Cone-Valley, where 12 to
> 15 hour days, six day weeks, and cold pizza were the
> norm.  I know countless people who started with
> nothing, worked their BUNNS off to MAKE THINGS HAPPEN,
> and became very wealthy because of it.
>
> That is exactly what Herr Cohn is going to have to do,
> MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.  And, mark my words, he can't do
> it by himself.  He needs to bring in someone who can
> produce SHORT TERM RESULTS in sales, marketing and
> product development.  Money (in the form of increased
> sales) talks, and that's what the people in the
> investment community want to hear in order to give
> Leica's stock the boost that it needs.
>
> In reality, this is probably Herr Cohns last chance to
> turn this thing around.  The longer he waits, the
> harder it is to do...and make no mistake about it,
> there is a point of no return.  The best indicator of
> how well Herr Cohn is doing will be the price of
> Leica's stock.  If the stock continues to fall...the
> fat lady will sing...guaranteed.
>
> As much as I have followed this, and as interested as
> I am in Leica, I have no idea of which way it will go.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Bill Erfurth
> m6rf@yahoo.com
>
>
>
>
>
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