Hi fellow techies,
Just some thoughts from a really, really non-commercial Technicsplayer.
It is told that the profits for the company fall short.
I wonder:
- why did Technics could not made a reliable prophesy of the demand of their products?
- which producer stops with a very good product?
- every 2 year they launched a new type KN and I suppose there could be made a kind of predictability in sales?
- did their marketingdivision failed???
- how many KN7 would be sold worldwide?? 1000, 2000, 10.000 or more??
- suppose they earn €500 on each keyboard and suppose they sold 2000: they should have a return of € 1.000.000. Suppose they sold worldwide 10.000 keyboards (wooww) ....? Or did they really sold so less keyboards worldwide?
- could it be a factory-strategy? The KN-types has reached it's 'technical and/or marketing-attractive' end?
- another view: I could imagine that the company has decided to stop the series, inspired of the inheritance to develop upwards compatible series, more or less obliged to their customers.?
- I read that Technics offers a last opportunity to order a new KN7; this looks to me too a (legimate) salesstrategy
- I should not be surprised that Technics wants to make a totally new concept and whishes to end to present range of KN's.
- Normally at the end of this year there should be a KN8000 (this was about the rhythm in production over the past years for a new KN-type).
- Shall we see the Technics 'AAAXXXAXXX' at the end of this year????
- ....??? Future will tell....
Just my two euros,
Best greetings,
Cees

keyboards have been a total declining market for several years as can be seen by the national amalgamated trade sales figure trends for all manufacturers, so the prophesy was there. Good distribution ensured market leadership in their market sectors in some countries, and bad distribution poor market penetration in other countries. When franchises ended in Spain and Sweden they were not replaced. Music Instrument division was a tiny part of Matsushita, probably a fraction of a percent turnover of the battery division. The return on investment for new product (which is expensive and requires skill and expertise) did not satisfy the corporate accountants. You only have to look at the rest of the keyboard market to see that investment and 'new' product introduction has slowed in recent years, as opposed to just launching a different plastic box with alternative coloured buttons every now and then. Panasonic are closing their tv factory in Wales.

I just read an interesting item.
As you know, in the past few years many large corporations all over the world have been cutting back by closing divisions of the company or by closing the company itself.
The point was made that there have been continuing layoffs of workers and loss of employment.
To overcome this loss of employment, the trend has been to start smaller self owned businesses. The stastictics indicate that by 2025 approximately 50% of the workforce here in the United states will be self employed.
An interesting concept.
Walt

it is an interesting statistic which does mirror the trend in the richest nations, but do you wonder where the wealth creation will come from? Self employed as a very broad generalisation are service industries; where are the replacements of the foreign earnings and investment that the disappearing large manufacturing corporations bring into the country? After all it would be pretty difficult for me to get together with a few friends, start a company, and manufacture a KN7000...