Original Message: ----------------- From: Douglas Sharp douglas=2Esharp@gmx=2Ede Date: Thu, 24 Nov 2005 09:47:46 +0100 To: lug@leica-users=2Eorg, leicareflex@freelists=2Eorg, lug@leica-users=2E= org Subject: [LRflex] Leica - new report this morning who cares anymore=3F I've bought a Zeiss lens 21mm=2E If you're over ten y= ears of age,=20 you will not survive Leica" s rebirth;=20 Good morning everyone, The local paper has an article on the business page about what Herr=20 Spichting has been saying about the future of Leica=2E Just a quick-and-dirty translation of the main points=2E The headline is "Leica will be making a profit in 2007" sub-head "Staff reduction and digital technologies: The camera=20 manufacturer is planning a radical renewal" Spichting: " Our most important target has changed from short-term=20 survival to medium and long-term successful repositioning" Spichting declined to comment on how many jobs are in danger, but=20 mentioned that discussions are being held with the workers=20 representative councel=2E Investor protection representatives demanded that Leica should=20 concentrate on correcting the errors of the past=2E Leica didn't wake up to the realities of digital photography (directly=20 translated : they slept through it) and were running a long way behind=20 the market (and not catching up)=2E Spichting admitted: "I must note that, in the past, Leica did not make=20= sensible use of all the chances offered by digital technologies" Leica will now be strengthening their market position with new digital=20 products=2E Strategic partnerships with other companies will be reinforced= =20 and expanded=2E A new advertising campaign will underline the distinctive features of=20 the brand "Leica"=2E Emphasis will also be laid on the "Sport Optics"=20 division (binoculars)=2E Leica will be creating an "employment and qualification group" (My=20 definition: this is part of the social net to help relocate redundant=20 employees, since the 80s this has been a part of most redundancy=20 packages - the sequence runs: redundancy warning, discussions with the=20 workers council, agreement on severance payments (based on years of=20 employment, age, marital status, number of children etc=2E) and then=20 seminars for outsourcing, re-education for other jobs, how to write job=20= applications,and everything else involved with becoming unemployed -=20 except giving them new jobs - I've been through it all nearly 3 years=20 ago, the severance money was good, but the rest is a load of time=20 consuming rubbish which is very profitable for the outsourcers who run it)= =2E Leica is expecting to reach an agreement with the workers reps some time=20= in December (funny, they always do it just before Christmas) Although Leica had a Q1 and Q2 increase in turnover for he current=20 financial year (1st April 2005 to 31st March 2006)Leica is still in the re= d=2E Income rose by 6=2E7% to 48M euro, the figures after tax after 6 months=20= were still minus 4=2E6M euro=2E Leica employs 996 staff worldwide, 400 of these are in Solms=2E ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www3=2Etelus=2Enet/~telyt/lrflex=2Ehtm Archives are at: www=2Efreelists=2Eorg/archives/leicareflex/ -------------------------------------------------------------------- mail2web - Check your email from the web at http://mail2web=2Ecom/ =2E ------ Unsubscribe or change to/from Digest Mode at: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt/lrflex.htm Archives are at: www.freelists.org/archives/leicareflex/