Hoya to assimilate Pentax
Hoya and Pentax have announced plans to merge
Just before Christmas, Hoya and Pentax quietly announced plans to merge their companies into a new entity to be called Hoya Pentax HD Corporation. The deal--which the official announcement is calling "a management integration of the two companies"--is expected to be completed on October 1, 2007. Fumio Urano, currently president and CEO of Pentax, will become chairman of the board of Hoya Pentax HD, while Hiroshi Suzuki, currently president and CEO of Hoya, will be the new company's president and CEO.
In the USA, Hoya is best known for its filters for SLR and video camera lenses, while Pentax has a large presence with its cameras, lenses, camera accessories, and binoculars. However, like Pentax, Hoya also manufactures medical equipment, as well as some of the parts used to make hard disk drives. For now, it looks like both companies' products will continue to be available under their respective brands.
