Back in May, Teiichi Goto, Fujifilm President and CEO, in response to a question about their inventory situation and plan, stated, “The most important point is how much brand strength to create and how to maintain it. Therefore, it would be quite unfortunate to manufacture too much and lower the price. What Fujifilm has been trying to do for a long time is finally coming true now. We intend to drive the entire imaging business, including Instax, while concentrating on building brand strength and not reducing the value of the properties purchased by our customers.” When asked if the current inventory situation is normal, Mr. Goto replied, “Yes.”
A lot of people interpreted that to mean that Fujifilm is purposefully causing market shortages. But they’re wrong, and I’m growing a bit tired of seeing this myth perpetuated over and over. I addressed it once, back in July, making a strong case that Fujifilm is not purposefully creating market shortages, but is simply getting better at “Lean” production. Unfortunately, based on what I keep seeing online, I think it needs to be said again, so here we go.
First, you have to understand that Mr. Goto spoke those words in Japanese, and they were later translated into English. Translating isn’t as easy as Google makes it seem. These two languages are very different. Fujifilm, for a number of years, translated “Daylight” White Balance as “Fine” in English. It’s as much an art as it is a science, and it is quite easy to get wrong, even subtly—small misinterpretations can cause big misunderstandings. This article that I’m typing right now might not fully translate well into Japanese, and could perhaps be misunderstood in that language. With that perspective, I think it’s important to read Mr. Goto’s words with a bit of grace and with a grain of salt.
In order for someone to come to the conclusion that Mr. Goto’s intended communication was “purposefully create market shortages” one must have zero grace for translation errors, plus make a mental pretzel, because nowhere is that sentiment overtly stated, only vaguely implied. If you squint your eyes just right, it’s right there in-between the lines. Yet people go around stating it as fact. It’s not fact, it’s simply a misunderstanding.
Which brings me to the second point. You cannot understand what Fujifilm said without a basic understanding of the Lean Business Philosophy. If you don’t have that understanding, your local library or book store has an excellent selection on this topic, I’m sure. Just as a teaser, you can read this Harvard Business Review article, which gives a very brief synopsis of what the Lean strategy is. Like a lot of Japanese companies, Fujifilm operates under this philosophy, so understanding it will provide you with the context in which to best understand Mr. Goto’s words.
I have read a book or two on the topic. My interpretation of Teiichi Goto’s statement is this:
– “Brand strength” = not overproducing, which devalues the products.
– “Maintaining brand strength” = better forecasting future market trends, so as to not overproduce.
– Overproducing is bad for both Fujifilm and Fujifilm’s customers.
– Fujifilm has always strived to not overproduce products, but not very successfully; however, they’re getting better at it.
– Getting better at not overproducing is a driving force for Fujifilm.
Now you might think, what’s so bad about overproducing? In the Lean Business Philosophy, overproducing—and overbuying, which is related—is a sin. It’s bad. It’s better to buy one too few parts than one too many. It’s better to produce one too few products than one too many. Overproducing and overbuying means you now have warehousing issues, which cause all sorts of headaches across multiple departments. In order to deal with that, the company will often sell the products at a nice discount in order to get it out of the warehouse. This is bad for the company, because they are likely taking a loss, and it’s bad for the consumer because it reduces the resell value of the product they spent a bunch of money on. Those looking for a bargain might desire overproduction, but the discounts come at a price.
In a perfect world, every company would manufacture just the right amount of every product, so that the demand would be perfectly met, and there would never be any over or under production. But, we don’t live in a perfect world. Demand is difficult to predict, and it is being predicted months and months in advance. It takes quite some time to secure all of the parts from various suppliers, assemble those parts into cameras, and get them onto store shelves. The camera that just came in stock at your local camera store likely began six months ago or more, as Fujifilm approached the various vendors to get the necessary parts to build it, and schedule the manufacturing to get it assembled. They predicted back in the summer that you would be buying the camera in December, and built it based on that prediction. If it was possible to make the exact number of a copies of all of their products to perfectly meet the demand, I’m 100% convinced that Fujifilm would do it. But, like The Price is Right, they don’t want to do that at the expense of going over (especially way over), which is the same as losing.
Fujifilm has guessed wrong many times in the past. Some cameras that were overproduced are the X-E3, X-H1, and X-T4. Those aren’t the only ones, but those are some recent examples. Fujifilm had to sell them at a discount, which reduced their resell value for those who purchased them new. It’s a lose-lose. So they’re working hard to not repeat that. It might mean the camera you want hasn’t been sitting on the shelf at your local camera store collecting dust as it is waiting to be sold, but that’s not a bad thing when you think about it.
But what about the never-available Fujifilm X100VI? That’s an extreme case. It’s not everyday that a camera goes viral, and no camera has ever gone as viral as the X100VI. It holds the record as the most preordered camera in the history of cameras, and the most in-demand camera of 2024, and probably ever. Nobody could have anticipated that, but people think they should have, and, despite manufacturing the X100VI at four-times the rate of the X100V, people accuse Fujifilm of purposefully producing too few in order to artificially inflate demand.
Let’s say that Fujifilm decided to increase production of the X100VI to 60,000 units per month (basically, doubling current numbers). It would take them months to acquire all the parts and get assembly scheduled, meaning that Fujifilm would be predicting that the global demand for the X100VI would be at least 60,000 units per month next summer. But let’s say the market flips between now and then, and demand for the X100VI plummets to only 10,000 units per month (which, incidentally, is closer to what the demand was for the X100V). Because Fujifilm has set into motion six months of 60,000 units, they will have over-manufactured 250,000 copies before the end of next year, a shocking number! Fujifilm has the tough position of trying to keep up with shifting demands while being careful not to overproduce, and predicting all of it months in advance.
Let’s cut Fujifilm a little slack, and have a bit of grace, as they navigate changing market conditions. I don’t envy them, as I’m sure it’s not easy. If Fujifilm is getting better at the Lean strategy, I think that’s good, and not something they should be criticized for. I’m all for maintaining brand strength, because it’s good for all of us.
I fully concur with you Ritchie!
And good resume of the Lean Business Philosophy 👍
Like about AF, Fujifilm as room to improve. And the learning curve is tricky.
Furthermore one needs also to understand different philosophies and mind thinking around the world.
And not being ego and geocentric too to it’s own part of the world…
Japan ways are not US or EU ways.
And in EU there are several different ways too between north & south countries and Western & Eastern ones, which makes for an international company things even worse to calculate and anticipate sales even with staff distributed around the world!
I’m not even talking about India and other markets…
We can see that easily with the huge success of X-A line had is Asia, and it’s complete lack of interest in US+EU market…
And also how Instax rised, is considered and used in the different world markets with a significant difference between Japan and the rest of the world (see for example the huge differences in packaging and Instax offrering).
We could talk also on the success or not of the X-T50 and the other mid-level and entry-level camera in the different countries of the world…
I’ve discussed those subjects extensively with Fujifilm sales department representatives of Belgium and France… Very interesting discussions and feedbacks.
Yes! We tend to look at it all through the prism of our own location, but not only is Fujifilm not in your country (unless you live in Japan), but they are attempting to appropriately adjust to each location that they sell in. It could be a fascinating topic, and I’m sure a whole book or podcast series could be made from this.
I’ve read that resellers are ordering thousands of X100VIs to sell at higher prices. This is also causing shortages for regular buyers. Fuji wants to prevent these shortages in the future by using intelligent, automated monitoring of its online shop.
But he also mentioned that they would like to build up a brand power similar to that of Leica and I don’t think that this was only a translation error. 😉
Look, no one is asking Fujifilm to overproduce but I don’t think that having to wait 6 or 8 months (if you get one at all) for a camera is normal either (and all this has nothing to do with lean management and Japanese philosophy).
I’m by no means a Fujifilm insider but to me it seems that they (intentionally) created a certain panic amongst potential buyers by stopping the sale (without any obvious reason) of a (as far I understood) well selling camera like the X-E4 and I wouldn’t be too surprised if they did they same with the X100VI. Now people know that if they want to buy Fujifilm camera they have to do it literally one second after launch or run the risk of not getting one… Can you imagine what will happen the day they launch the new X-Pro? (If there will ever be a new X-Pro.)
I could be interested in buying the new X-Pro but knowing that (most likely) there will be no way to buy it in a “normal” way is really holding me back… it’s a camera, not a fashion product…
I think what is best understood of the Leica statement is that Leica cameras tend to hold their value. If you buy a Q3 and use it for two years, you can resell it for a reasonable price and not be out a bunch of money. Fujifilm wants that for their customers, too. If you buy an X-T5, Fujifilm doesn’t want the resell value of it to drop sharply, because that is unfair to their customers, and points to the company’s own shortcomings. I don’t understand how that is controversial.
I have no idea what camera, aside from the X100VI, has a 6-8 month wait. I’ve not had an issue buying any camera, or finding it in stock with a little effort. I’ve been to many camera stores across America this year, and found a lot of items in stock. I cannot speak for the situation worldwide, only my experience in the USA.
The X-E4 is an interesting case. Fujifilm based their manufacturing schedule on what the actual demand was for the X-E3 (which they had greatly overestimated and over-manufactured, and were attempting to avoid with the X-E4). When the X-E4 suddenly became in-demand nearly two years after its release, Fujifilm had not secured the parts to keep up with demand. I believe that they bet the demand was a fluke and would be short-lived, so when they ran out of parts, they discontinued the camera, instead of securing parts and scheduling manufacturing of more units. They bet wrong, unfortunately—forecasting correctly is tough… just ask the weatherman.
I don’t think the issue you are describing is unique to Fujifilm. I remember years ago reading on Ken Rockwell how he was able to get some Canikony brand model (I don’t recall which one) when seemingly nobody else could because it was backordered since it was announced many months earlier. His answer was that he preordered the second it was available. For in-demand products, no matter the brand, that is the game you have to play if you don’t want to wait. Fujifilm has historically been fairly immune from this, but as their popularity has increased, this is more of a problem. Basically, Fujifilm’s customers are now faced with the same challenges that customers of other brands (camera and not camera related) have had to deal with for awhile now. Again, the X100VI is a unique case in the camera world, but if you go to the gaming world you can find some parallels perhaps.
Let’s hope that you’re right and that buying an X-Pro will not be more complicated than hitting the lottery jackpot (I’m not that optimistic though; but if I was to win the lottery I could also buy the Leica…😂)
I think you will want to preorder the moment that you can, or you can anticipate at least a little wait. My guess is that the X-Pro4 will come either late-2025 or early-2026, and will be the first X-Trans VI camera (that’s only a guess).
That’s exactly what I was referring to… that I have to preorder… I prefer to go to my local camera store and first take a look at the camera before actually buying it… but I guess this will be impossible.
It’s like an amusement park. The more popular a ride is, the longer the line will be. If you really want to ride it, it’s best to get in line early and not wait until it’s two hours long. With Fujifilm becoming more popular, the lines are a lot longer than they used to be for some of their most in-demand cameras.
With all due respect but you can’t compare a camera with a ride in an amusement park. I’m not buying a camera because it’s a cool toy or because it’s cool to have but because I want to take photos with it, and before spending more than €2,000 on a camera (I’m pretty sure that the new X-Pro will cost this or more) I would at least like to have the possibility to “play around” with it in a (physical) camera store, even when it’s only for 5 minutes. Again, I hope that you’re correct and that only the X100VI had delivery problems, and that the new X-Pro will have normal availability but I have my doubts… let’s see what happens.
I wish I was wrong but my impression is that Fujifilm is moving or has moved already to a different target client group, more the content creators (who possibly don’t mind buying cameras this way) and less photographers. Just watch their promotional videos on YT… where are all their brand ambassadors from a few years ago?
(Btw, here in Spain where I live some other Fujifilm camera models are also complicated to buy, not only the X100VI).
My point is simply this: the more people want something, the longer the line is going to be to get it. If there is a line, either you jump in front or you wait. That’s nobody’s fault, it is just the reality of it. If you don’t want to wait and there’s going to be a line, you should jump in the line before it gets long. If you’d rather not be at the front of the line, then you have to understand that there is a wait. Of course, we’re speaking of high-demand products, no matter the company. This isn’t strictly a Fujifilm problem, or even only camera-related (look at the Playstation 5, for example). The X100VI was just a historically in-demand camera, and no other camera by any brand has come close.
Fujifilm cycles through brand ambassadors, so more people have a chance at being one. This was a policy implemented a few years back, that’s why there has been a large turnover: it’s by design to be more fair, give more people a turn at it.
I fully agree, there’s nothing wrong with replacing brand ambassadors from time to time, but it’s the type of new brand ambassadors that calls my intention and could be a clear signal regarding the new target client group Fujifilm would like to focus on.
Here’s the full list of current X-Photographers:
https://fujifilm-x.com/global/photographers/photographer/
I’m not sure what you are noticing about this crowd. They all seem quite talented to me.
Thank you Ritchie! I know this Website but I was referring more to those who appear in their promotional videos on YT. Maybe they’re not called brand ambassadors.
https://www.youtube.com/@fujifilmxseries4081
The ones there are not all brand ambassadors. Some are simply photographers or videographers who tried out the gear and Fujifilm made a video about it. Some of them don’t use Fujifilm as their primary brand of gear, but most do. Which ones do you not like?
These are a couple of my personal favorites:
https://youtu.be/6_cigk8EPYk?si=GxNSqQw7jw9MJHSZ
Ok, I didn’t know this. But just to be clear, my point was not about their talent.
I think the resellers are a problem, for certain. I looked on eBay, and there are well over 100 brand-new Fujifilm X100VI cameras for sale right now. Not all of those are shady resellers, but a lot of them are.
Great insight into Lean business model. Another issue which seems to get missed is the profile of demand for a new product. Demand is usually highest when a product is first launched, in a wave of advertising and media hype. However, the cost of tooling and facilities to meet peak demand is too high, because usually peak demand lasts a relatively short period in the product life cycle. So the best a company can do, is to get the initial forecast for demand as accurate as possible, then to efficiently manage peak demand as best as possible…..not easy. Peak demand is also when the company is still building manufacturing capability and processes.
This problem affects all manufacturing businesses, not just cameras.
Peter
That’s an excellent point. It’s usually starting from behind and playing catch-up, while being careful not to overplay it. I’m sure it is super complicated, and only so many people worldwide are truly good at forecasting that correctly.
I think that problem comes from the fact that one penalty of modern manufacturing is that it is based on capital.
I’m unaware of how to get around that, unfortunately.
Well basically reindeers are being phased out this year because of the introduction of electric sleighs, and there aren’t enough charging points globally.. that and HR forced Santa to hire too many unskilled elves. So in the end production is down and logistics are shot. It’s a mess this Christmas!
Bizarrely, instead of utilizing universal charging equipment, the North Pole decided to introduce a unique design, which further exasperates the issue. If only they could use the Tesla charging stations, they might be alright….
I waited 22 months for a X100V, then the X100VI was released and I cancelled my order. I will not even try to get a X100VI.
While they carefully try to preserve their precious brand strength, I start looking for other brands which are willing to sell me their gear.
For the first 2 1/2 years of the X100V, you could get it rather easily. It was late-summer/early-fall of 2022 that the camera “wen’t viral” on TikTok and was out of stock everywhere, with long waitlists (six-to-nine months, from the camera stores I talked to, not 22 months…). Before that, you could walk into most camera stores and have a good chance of finding one. Mine was a birthday gift, but my wife literally purchased it by walking into a camera store and finding it in-stock.
Some camera stores (Moment comes to mind) put those on the X100V waitlist in the front of the line for the X100VI. So if you had been on their waitlist for the X100V and had not cancelled the order, you likely would have an X100VI right now. This already existing demand just carried over to the new model, which had its own unique demand, compounding the problem.
Fujifilm isn’t the only camera maker with the backorder issue. The Sony A7 III, for example, was backordered pretty significantly after launch. The Ricoh GR cameras have been tough to find lately. Most Fujifilm models aren’t difficult to get. The X100VI is just the most preordered camera in the history of cameras, so it started out with an historically long line. That’s not Fujifilm’s fault, and I think they’re trying hard to resolve it, producing four-times as many units per month as they did the X100V.
Taking the most extreme case in the history of cameras and projecting that to the entirety of the brand is a bit unfair, in my opinion. With that said, do what makes you happy, nobody is holding you back from that.
You make a ggood point about the complexities of supply chains and how they can be misinterpreted. Frustration over camera shortages to lead to conspiracy theories, but as the article highlights, global logistics and unforeseen challenges like component shortages are much more plausible explanations. Fujifilm has a vested interest in selling cameras, not withholding them.
I appreciate your response.
Well, obviously, they cannot withhold their cameras forever but selling less than what you can sell is also a good strategy to push demand even further which then could be beneficial for them in the longer run… To prematurely discontinue the X-E4 created a very similar effect, so I’m not sure if all this might not also just be some clever (or not so clever, depending on your interest) marketing strategy, especially when maybe the more traditional photographer is no longer their main target client (at least not for this segment). And this has nothing to do with a conspiracy theory. I find it much more suspicious to say that poor Fujifilm is a victim of everything, global supply chain issues, TikTokers, scalpers, Japanese business culture etc. And don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that these problems don’t exist but companies tend to react to these situations.
To be honest, I do not even care about the X100VI. For me the biggest issue with Fujifilm is that they tend to discontinue at least some of their models long before the launch of the successor model. As far as I know, they don’t do this with the X-T line of cameras and that’s why you can buy the X-T5 without having to wait for months. I therefore suspect that the problem with the rangefinder-style cameras is not only unfortunate circumstances but to some extent also created by their own marketing strategy. If I were Fujifilm I would not want to rely only on TikTok demand for the X100VI…
I don’t believe what you are accusing them of doing is what they are actually doing. It requires a cynical take, assuming the worst while ignoring the best. I don’t believe it is based in any sort of reality.
The Fujifilm X-E4 is an interesting case study that I’ve discussed several times on this website. Fujifilm significantly overestimated the demand for the X-E3, and as a result overproduced it, which resulted in at times selling the camera for a loss. That was obviously bad for the company, but it was also bad for consumers, because the value of their cameras dropped. Attempting to avoid repeating the same error, Fujifilm used the actual demand numbers of the X-E3 to predict the demand of the X-E4, which for awhile proved accurate. However, with the sudden demand spike of the X100V in the fall of 2022 (which caused shortages of that model), the X-E4 was considered one of the top alternatives, which caused an unexpected spike in demand for that camera, and soon it, too, was out of stock and backordered. The problem was that Fujifilm had already predicted that the X-E4 was nearing the end of its lifecycle and had not secured more parts to manufacture more copies, nor had schedule the assembly line for it (but had other gear scheduled instead). In other words, its discontinuation was already put in motion before the spike in demand happened. I believe that Fujifilm thought the spike would be short lived, as social media trends generally shift quickly. They guessed wrong, but by then it was too late. If they could go back in time, I bet that they would do it differently. Hindsight is 20/20, as they say. They ended up leaving money on the table, and I don’t think that is any sort of strategy (that assertion is absolutely absurd when scrutinized even a little, but you see it often repeated on the internet by people who have obviously not put much thought into it).
As far as discontinuing models before there is a successor… I agree that they shouldn’t. I have two suspicions, though. First, when the X-E4 was discontinued, I don’t believe there were any plans at that time for an X-E5, so a successor wasn’t even in the works. I think the demand of the X-E4 on the used market has caused Fujifilm to re-evaluate, and make the X-E5 a reality next year supposedly. With that said, I do think it would have been worthwhile for them to have secured parts and manufacturing for the X-E4 for another 10-15K units, making it available from summer 2023 through 2024. I think in hindsight Fujifilm wishes that they had done it, they just didn’t believe in late-2022 that the demand would still exist like it currently does. They simply misjudged it, erring on the side of caution. As for the X-Pro series, I think it has more to do with the rear screen cable not being robust enough, and some users experiencing trouble with that. If that problem did not exist (or was less wide-spread), I suspect they would still be manufacturing the X-Pro3 today.
I think it is unfair to say that Fujifilm is relying on “TikTok demand” for the X100VI. Yes, there is “TikTok demand” but I don’t think Fujifilm planned for it to happen, it just happened. There is a series in Bloomberg Businessweek that covers viral products, and one article is about the X100VI specifically. None of the companies plan to catch lightning in a jar, and when it comes, it brings all sorts of unexpected challenges. Backseat drivers with no expertise on the subject or skin in the game think they know best, though, and like to state it as if they have some authority. It makes for a scathing comment on the internet, at the very least—a good way to bring attention to oneself.
Nice conversation, Ritchie, but unfortunately too complicated through this comment section.
To be honest, I have no idea what is going on in inside Fujifilm (you must certainly know much better), I just have my thoughts like you have yours which is absolutely fine. Again, I wish you were right and that soon everything is back to normal because one thing is clear, whatever caused the current situation, potential buyers will not wait forever and at some point might decide to walk away from Fujifilm and never come back.
I remember Ken Rockwell stated years ago, when asked how he was able to get some camera that was long-backordered and most couldn’t get their hands on it but he did, that, if you want to be the first you’ve got to preorder the first moment it is available, or otherwise there may be a wait, sometimes a long wait. He wasn’t referring to Fujifilm. It’s not a uniquely Fujifilm problem. It’s not even unique to the camera industry. If there is a big demand for something, there is likely to be a long line for it. The X100VI had historic demand, so it should be unsurprising that the line was historically long for it. I have no idea how much demand there will or won’t be for the next X-Pro, but my guess is that it will be out of stock initially after release, but if it will only be shortly (like most cameras) or long (like the X100VI) is hard to know.
Let’s not overcomplicate this whole story. Your argument is mainly based on the assumption that Fujifilm was not able to predict the high demand for the X100VI and maybe it was indeed higher than what they expected but after what happened with the X-E4 and the X100V and with all the money companies (especially in the consumer goods industry) spend on market research they should have known better. Actually, I think they knew better but still decided to not increase (at least significantly vs demand) production capacities although the risk in this particular case would have been relatively low (and companies have to take some risk if they want to offer their shareholders a decent return). One can only speculate about the motive. It could be lack of financial resources, it could be some strange marketing strategy (creating some Leica-like exclusivity) or maybe these cameras at this price point are just not profitable enough. I obviously hope for the best but I agree with you that it is to be feared that with the X-E5 next year (and the future X-Pro) the situation will be exactly the same (production < demand). I can understand that a high-demand product is difficult to buy during the first two or three months after launch but I cannot think of any good or obvious reason as to why Fujifilm should not be able to offer sufficient units so that after some time the situation returns to normal. Maybe they should think of producing on demand like the car manufacturers. We would then still have to wait quite a long time for our desired camera but at least we'd know for sure that we get it at some point (instead of waiting forever only to find out one day that the camera has been discontinued before my turn).
I don’t think any company could have predicted the historic demand. It’s obviously absolutely absurd to think they should have. No camera by anyone has ever had that much demand, it shattered preorder records. How could anyone predict that? It’s lightning in a bottle. It’s fully unfair to assume that they should have predicted that—not logical at all.
Fujifilm did increase production. Initially it was double that of the X100V. Fujifilm had predicted that demand for the X100VI would be double that of the X100V, which seems reasonable to me. But with the historic demand it wasn’t, so Fujifilm doubled production again (now 4x that of the X100V!). That’s a huge risk Fujifilm is taking, because if the bubble pops (and it could any moment), it could sink the whole camera department. Since there is a 6-8 month lead time for securing parts and scheduling manufacturing, if the demand for the X100VI suddenly falls to that of the X100V (before it went viral), which it very well could, they’re on the hook for about 135,000 to 180,000 overproduced copies. Yikes! The demand for the X100VI was historic, so it should not surprise anyone that the line for it is also historic. That’s the only Fujifilm camera in production that’s hard to get right now.
The idea that not producing enough copies of the X100VI is on purpose and a market strategy is ignorant, and frankly dumb. I reject the premise, and I don’t believe there is any compelling evidence that it is happening. It just makes zero sense, and people really need to let it go.
I’m not very active on social media but where ever I read something about Fujifilm lately there seems to be no one not interested in the next X-Pro. Are you really saying that Fujifilm cannot predict that demand for the next X-Pro will most likely also be record high? What is their sales department doing then?
Btw, you seem to have very detailed information about internal processes at Fujifilm. May I ask who is your source of information?
People say all sorts of things on the internet, but when it comes to putting their money where their mouth is… that’s another story.
Fujifilm isn’t Nostadamus, and predicting the future is impossible—just ask the weatherman, sports betters, and politicians running for elections. All Fujifilm can do is take a guess based on the data that they have available to them, and sometimes they’re going to be pretty close, sometimes they’re not (which could be an overestimate or an underestimate). I don’t think Fujifilm will catch lightning in a jar twice (with both the X100 and X-Pro cameras), that would be unlikely, but (like I said) nobody knows the future, so it could happen. There are statisticians that could probably calculate the odds, but there are always cases where the odds were wrong (Casinos could speak to that).
As far as my sources of information: because of this website and what I do, I’ve become pretty well connected within the community and industry. I’ve talked to a lot of people. I do know some within Fujifilm, but more than that I know people who know people (are more well-connected than I am). Just two days ago I had conversations with one of the most recognizable names in photography and with an Avenger who uses Fujifilm. So it’s just talking with people who know things.
Unfortunately, Fujifilm’s seems to be caught in a trend bubble dilemma. Right now, it seems that all the hype for the brand (at least outside of Instax) surrounds their models that resemble (in size and form factor) the X100 line.
Searching online and in local stores, I am able to find all of the current XT and XH line of cameras in stock, and at reasonable market prices. I can purchase used XT or XH line cameras at a reasonably reduced price for the value they represent.
Now, the small, rectangular cameras? Out of stock everywhere, or priced so high that it would be foolish to purchase them, given their age and the alternatives available. There are currently 12mp pocket cameras from 2014 selling for $500-700. That same money could get you an XT-2 and a lens if you looked around. But, it’s not really about specs, its about the look, and that top-bump on the XT line is a style “no-no” right now.
Also, one could look at the issue getting the Fujifilm “pancake” lenses at a reasonable price. It seems that the viral trend among Gen Z to own, compact, retro-styled, and rectangular cameras that can fit in a handbag or pocket is driving most of the price hikes and supply issues.
As to what to do about it, I’m not sure. If Fuji tried to play into the bubble, they risk it bursting, and people moving on from the trend. They also don’t want to get the reputation of being the “fashion” brand, as this would drive away many of the more serious photographers.
It’s a tough position, for sure. I think Fujifilm expected the bubble to burst back in 2023. Now we’re nearly 2025 and it hasn’t popped yet, only grown. But it certainly will deflate someday. If they play into it too much, they’ll eventually be caught with their pants down. I think they’re trying to ride a fine line of increasing production because of the bubble, but not so much that if it bursts they’re screwed. We’ll see if they are ultimately successful with it.
As the owner of several fuji cameras, I am glad that the company is focussed on brand. Keeping resale value is important. I currently have X-Pro3, X-T5, GFX100S and GFX50R cameras.
I’ve been on pre-order lists for the X100VI for 4 months now, and hope someday to get one. I clearly have other alternatives, but the idea of a smaller/compact fuji for convenience shooting appealed to me, but not enough to pay over list.
My X-T5 took 4 months after order date to arrive, that is despite a pre-order going in 4 hours after their web-site opened, even pre-orders seem to require being there in the first few minutes. My GFX100S was also out of stock for some time before I got mine, so it has happened on multiple of my fuji cameras.
The back and forth over difficulty that fuji has in forecasting their customers vs the poor impression that potential customers have doesn’t look to have an easy answer, clearly two opposing views are there.
What I don’t understand (but may well be the case in the camera manufacturing area), is why fuji have to make a whole 6 month commitment to increase production for a model (X100VI) to address a bubble in backorders. I don’t see why they need to commit to an addition 200k+ units, why can’t they increase production 8x X100V production for 2 months, and then return to normal? I’m sure there are reasons, but this really looks like a combination of several things:
1) Poor initial forecasting (can’t continue to be surprised here)
2) Poor manufacturing flexibility (not aligning to lean production best practices)
3) Poor consideration for future customers in other markets if they can’t launch/support users properly.
I’m clearly a fuji fan, have 4 cameras and >15 XF and GF lenses, I just wish I could have got my hands on the lower-end light weight convenience camera to complete my set.
Hoping they work out their deficiencies going forwards.
I preordered my X-T5 from Amazon when it was announced, but Amazon jumped the gun and allowed preorders early, so Fujifilm punished them, and did not supply them with any cameras for a few weeks. I canceled that order, walked into a local camera store the day it was released, and purchased a copy they had in stock. No wait at all. I’m not sure if I was just really lucky, but I don’t think a four-month wait was common for the X-T5. I bet you could have canceled your order and got one rather quickly from another store.
As for your manufacturing idea, the reason it doesn’t work that way is it requires acquiring all of the necessary parts to be manufactured and secured—that alone is reason enough—but also build an assembly line, hire and train workers, then fire those workers after a few months. It falls apart rather quickly when you think about it.
Fujifilm poorly guessed the demand for the X100VI (they guessed twice as popular as the X100V, which seems reasonable, but was way off). I don’t think they’ve underestimated the other models. It is quite typical industry-wide to have a surge in initial demand that fades. A few month wait is not terribly uncommon for any camera from any brand. If that is what Fujifilm is experiencing, they’re likely forecasting well, but I think for most Fujifilm models, it’s not even that much of a wait. It’s really only one model that has been an issue, and it’s because it is the most in-demand camera in the entire 200-year history of cameras. Still, it’s my understanding that if you want a black version of the X100VI, it’s a bit easier to get than the silver, as there is a little less demand for the black version.
I’m an industrial engineer/manager who has been involved in Lean processing for over a decade. Your interpretation of what Lean means is heavily skewed and (mis)interpreted to make a defense for Fujifilm. There’s no “reading between the lines” or room for mistranslation when an interviewer asks “is this normal?” and the person being interviewed says “yes.” Not getting enough product to your customers isn’t Lean.
You would have to agree that lean does not involve overbuying and overproducing; that is quite literally the antithesis of lean. (Otherwise, that would seem to be an admission that you are not representing yourself honestly). Fujifilm simply stated that they are getting better at not overproducing products. I don’t think any other interpretation makes sense or is honest. Not overproducing products is the new normal for Fujifilm: Yes. That is what was being said. And the reason why is because they were not good at it in the past (not good at lean), which is harmful to both the brand and the customers. Certainly, if you are indeed an industrial engineer/manager involved in lean processing for over 10 years, that should be quite obvious. Anyone can anonymously claim to be anything on the internet—trolls do that all of the time.