Film-Tech Cinema Systems
Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE


  
my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home
  next oldest topic   next newest topic
» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Kodak May Not Survive 2012 (Page 1)

 
This topic comprises 5 pages: 1  2  3  4  5 
 
Author Topic: Kodak May Not Survive 2012
Robert E. Allen
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1078
From: Checotah, Oklahoma
Registered: Jul 2002


 - posted 12-30-2011 10:09 PM      Profile for Robert E. Allen   Email Robert E. Allen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Kodak is struggling to survive. Article here:

Kodak

 |  IP: Logged

Tony Bandiera Jr
Film God

Posts: 3067
From: Moreland Idaho
Registered: Apr 2004


 - posted 12-30-2011 11:01 PM      Profile for Tony Bandiera Jr   Email Tony Bandiera Jr   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Article Quoted here as Yahoo! is famous for dropping links in a few days...

quote:
(Reuters) - The third director in a week has resigned from Eastman Kodak Co as the former film giant struggles to survive the dominance of digital photography.

Laura Tyson, a professor and White House advisor, told Kodak on Thursday she was resigning from its board, the company said on Friday in a Securities and Exchange filing.

Kodak, which was once synonymous with photography, is looking to sell patents to shore up its shrinking cash position and stay in business after failing to turn an annual profit since 1997.

Last month, the Rochester, New York-based company warned that unless it could raise $500 million in new debt or sell some patents in its portfolio, it might not survive 2012.

Tyson, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, is a professor at the Walter A. Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

She has also served as a member of President Barack Obama's Economic Recovery Advisory Board and in the 1990s advised the Clinton administration on the economy.

Earlier this week, Kodak said directors Adam Clammer and Herald Chen had resigned.

Clammer and Chen were representatives of private equity firm KKR & Co and had joined Kodak's board in 2009, after KKR bought $300 million of Kodak's senior secured notes and warrants to buy 40 million of the company's shares.

Kodak's shares edged lower in extended trade to 63 cents after closing marginally down at 65 cents.

(Reporting by Noel Randewich in San Francisco; Additional reporting by Sinead Carew in New York; Editing by Gary Hill and Gunna Dickson)


 |  IP: Logged

Tom Sauter
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 163
From: Buffalo, NY, USA
Registered: Sep 2000


 - posted 01-01-2012 03:00 PM      Profile for Tom Sauter   Author's Homepage   Email Tom Sauter   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
They are obviously quite starved for cash and business. It hasn't been reported widely, even in the local media, but they have already abandoned much of Kodak Park, which was at one time one of the largest industrial complexes in the world. They have also drastically reduced health benefits to tens of thousands of retirees and are cuttin even more next year.

 |  IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-05-2012 10:01 AM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Kodak's entire problem is mis-guided management. It must be run by Republikins! You can't run a company with 20K employees on the basis of just selling printers. Kodak is holding an auction soon to sell off some of it's patents which are valued at close to 1.5 billion. If that doesn't work then Kodak will file chapter 11. It ain't over yet folks [Cool] . Now's the time to buy Kodak Stock! ~.42 a share!!

 |  IP: Logged

Mike Blakesley
Film God

Posts: 12767
From: Forsyth, Montana
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-05-2012 11:07 AM      Profile for Mike Blakesley   Author's Homepage   Email Mike Blakesley   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No, their problem is they're trying to sell PRINTERS. Hardly anybody prints pictures anymore, don't they realize that? It's not like everyone's going to wake up one day and say "OMG, I've got to buy a Kodak printer so I can print out those 20,000 pictures I uploaded to Facebook!"

And, other companies are better known for printers. I would just instinctively shop for an HP or a Canon printer before I even thought about a Kodak.

Here's an idea: They could come out with a REALLY REALLY GOOD printer where the ink didn't cost over $3,000 an ounce. Just make one really really good printer and promote the crap out of it. That I might buy.

 |  IP: Logged

Sam Graham
AKA: "The Evil Sam Graham". Wackiness ensues.

Posts: 1431
From: Waukee, IA
Registered: Dec 2004


 - posted 01-05-2012 11:32 AM      Profile for Sam Graham   Author's Homepage   Email Sam Graham   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
They also sell point-and-shoot digital cameras (mine is a Kodak V1253) and typical accessories (digital frames, memory cards, batteries), but people are even moving away from those as camera phone technology improves to the point of producing images of acceptable quality to the masses.

I disagree about this being a management issue. I think it's simply a matter of Kodak being synonymous with dying product lines. I don't think Kodak would survive even if they produced the absolute best of their chosen products.

I'll always have fond memories of the brand, though.

(PS...This conversation probably belongs in Film-Yak...)

 |  IP: Logged

Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999


 - posted 01-05-2012 12:23 PM      Profile for Steve Guttag   Email Steve Guttag   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Mike,

Oddly enough...that IS Kodak's selling point on their printers...they have cheap ink as compared to others.

As to the point-n-shoot cameras...it isn't the same with digital as with film. Everybody is in that camera market, including most cell phones (and they are getting pretty good at quickie pictures). In the film biz, Kodak's P-N-S cameras were cheap and easy for one reason...to SELL FILM AND PROCESSING! With digital, that is all gone...the camera has to stand on its own.

Their handling of film and film accessories has been horrible...they knew this time was coming and their only solution has been to discontinue things. They should have been downsizing but in a smart way. Don't make film harder to use/process, make it easier...keep the varieties up and move their system from mass-produce to niche market...produce what you need of a product based on annual projection, whatever that may be and keep it available and promote it.

At the end of the day though...they are the biggest player in a pond that is all but dried up. They can't be what they were. In the other industries they have tried to be in, they are but a player. That is not the same as what they were in film.

 |  IP: Logged

Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-05-2012 12:30 PM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Am aware of the cheap Kodak ink and their printers are actually very good. However that's a large part of their sustainability problem. Non the less a guy I saw from Kodak that was interviewed said you can't support 20K employees on just printers and ink and this is their major product at the moment. Look at HP and how expensive their ink is... Again just the printer and ink sales at HP wouldn't sustain them, they are also the largest manufactuirer of servers in the world among other things. They spun off the the test equipment division but they still distribute some of it. Used to be that way for Kodak in the filum days where printers were just a side line and not the main stay product.

The issue with point and shoot cameras are that they are being obsoleted by the Smart Phone. Some Smart Phone cameras are actually much better than the seperate point and shoot cameras are. The camera in my Samsung Infuse is amazing. Point and Shoot cameras were one of the list of 25 things that will completely vanish within the next 5 years... along with the CD and DVD.

At any rate now is the time to buy Kodak stock if you don't mind a little risk. I think they will actually be around for quite some time.

Mark

 |  IP: Logged

Sam D. Chavez
Film God

Posts: 2153
From: Martinez, CA USA
Registered: Aug 2003


 - posted 01-05-2012 12:38 PM      Profile for Sam D. Chavez   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Someone very wise said "all business failures are management failures". This as it should be considering what management of US companies are paying themselves these days.

Steve is correct, they failed to adjust. Still, it's very sad, a unique American industry on the rocks.

 |  IP: Logged

Jonathan Goeldner
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1360
From: Washington, District of Columbia
Registered: Jun 2008


 - posted 01-05-2012 01:14 PM      Profile for Jonathan Goeldner   Email Jonathan Goeldner   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
so what does this mean in regards to the Kodak/IMAX deal?

 |  IP: Logged

Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-05-2012 03:07 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Well fuji and gevart still make print film and funny but ferrania in italy has gone back to making it smaller companies probably will flourish in niche markets

 |  IP: Logged

Phil Ranucci
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 236
From: Carpinteria,CA, United States
Registered: May 2006


 - posted 01-05-2012 11:30 PM      Profile for Phil Ranucci   Email Phil Ranucci   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Six or so years ago we installed a Kodak server with a Barco. They should have OWNED digital cinema. If Sony thinks that "Sony 4K' gets people excited, "Kodak Digital" on the marquee would've been a winner. Sad, also about Strong. I was there in August 2010 and there was very little activity in the machine shop, but they had lots of parts on shelves.

 |  IP: Logged

Ian Parfrey
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1049
From: Imbil Australia 26 deg 27' 42.66" S 152 deg 42' 23.40" E
Registered: Feb 2009


 - posted 01-06-2012 03:31 AM      Profile for Ian Parfrey   Email Ian Parfrey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
In addition to those mentioned by Gordon, there is 'Filmotek GmbH' in Germany who is in current production. Not too sure about SVEMA, ORWO or Tasma.

 |  IP: Logged

Mark Hajducki
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 500
From: Edinburgh, UK
Registered: May 2003


 - posted 01-06-2012 07:45 AM      Profile for Mark Hajducki   Email Mark Hajducki   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I wonder if Kodak (or their successor) will end up as a brand licensing company, selling their name to be used on other companies products.

They already do this to some extent with batteries which do not compare with the quality brands. In the UK these are only found at Poundland a discount store (although they also sell Agfa batteries at a lower price and Sony slightly higher).

 |  IP: Logged

Randy Stankey
Film God

Posts: 6539
From: Erie, Pennsylvania
Registered: Jun 99


 - posted 01-06-2012 08:05 AM      Profile for Randy Stankey   Email Randy Stankey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
quote: Mark Hajducki
I wonder if Kodak (or their successor) will end up as a brand licensing company, selling their name to be used on other companies products.
This is what I think Kodak's problem might be already. Kodak actually manufactures very few of the products they sell.

They sold off their film chemistry business in 2006. If you buy a package of D-76 or Kodafix it isn't made by Kodak. It's made by Chamion Chemical. They just recently sold their gelatin making business. So, even if you buy Kodak film it's not made entirely by Kodak anymore.

Even if you look at their digital products, very little of it is made by Kodak. Kodak inkjet photo paper is made in Germany. I'm pretty certain that their inkjet printers and EasyShare cameras are all made overseas, too.

There are times when this makes sense. I don't think Kodak has a lot of electronics manufacturing capability. In that case, it's better to farm the job out. Still, they need to manufacture some products on their own home turf.

If the management at Kodak isn't careful they are going to end up like Polaroid and Agfa-Gevaert. They are both holding companies which make no products and only license their names to others. (Agfa spun off their film business in the early 2000's and it went bankrupt a short time later.)

 |  IP: Logged



All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
This topic comprises 5 pages: 1  2  3  4  5 
 
   Close Topic    Move Topic    Delete Topic    next oldest topic   next newest topic
 - Printer-friendly view of this topic
Hop To:



Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM 6.3.1.2

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.

© 1999-2020 Film-Tech Cinema Systems, LLC. All rights reserved.