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Archive 2012 · Kodak to continue making film.

  
 
cineski
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p.1 #1 · Kodak to continue making film.


I know some of the people on here are anxiously awaiting the demise of film for some odd reason (along with digital medium format). Kodak has thankfully announced today that it will continue making film products. Straight from the horses mouth:

http://www.kodak.com/ek/US/en/Kodak_Focuses_Consumer_Business_On_More_Profitable_Growth_Opportunities.htm

Text with part about film at bottom:

Kodak Focuses Consumer Business On More Profitable Growth Opportunities
Plans to phase out dedicated capture devices business

Christopher Veronda
Eastman Kodak Company
[email protected]
+1 585-724-2622
ROCHESTER, N.Y., February 09 --
Eastman Kodak Company (the “Company”) (OTB: EKDKQ.PK) announced today that, as a result of its ongoing strategic review process and commitment to drive sustainable profitability through its most valuable business lines, it plans to phase out its dedicated capture devices business – comprising digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames – in the first half of 2012. Kodak will instead expand its current brand licensing program, and seek licensees in these categories. Following this decision, Kodak’s Consumer Business will include online and retail-based photo printing, as well as desktop inkjet printing.

Kodak has contacted its retail partners, and is working closely with them to ensure an orderly transition. Kodak will continue to honor all related product warranties, and provide technical support and service for its cameras, pocket video cameras and digital picture frames.

“For some time, Kodak’s strategy has been to improve margins in the capture device business by narrowing our participation in terms of product portfolio, geographies and retail outlets. Today’s announcement is the logical extension of that process, given our analysis of the industry trends,” said Pradeep Jotwani, President, Consumer Businesses, and Kodak Chief Marketing Officer.

Upon completion of the phase out, Kodak expects to achieve annual operating savings of more than $100 million. Kodak expects to incur a charge related to separation benefits of approximately $30 million resulting from the exit of the business.

In addition to its Consumer Businesses segment, Kodak has a Commercial Businesses segment that includes the Digital and Functional Printing, Enterprise Services and Solutions, and Graphics, Entertainment and Commercial Films units. Kodak’s digital businesses now comprise approximately three-fourths of total revenues.

Kodak continues to have a strong position in the personal imaging market. While photos are increasingly taken on multi-function mobile devices, Kodak technology makes it easy for consumers to produce a broad range of photo products, anywhere, anytime – from prints to photobooks, photo greeting cards and personalized calendars. These items can be made on Kodak products, with Kodak quality at retail, at home, and ordered for delivery to home.

Kodak’s continuing consumer products and services will include:

Retail-based photo kiosks and digital dry lab systems, a market in which Kodak is the clear worldwide leader. Kodak pioneered the retail-based kiosk market, and the company now has more than 100,000 kiosks and order stations for dry lab systems around the world, with some 30,000 of those units connected to the most popular photo-sharing sites.
Consumer inkjet printers, where Kodak has outpaced overall market growth for several years. Kodak consumer inkjet printers provide consumers with high-quality output and the lowest total ink replacement cost. Consumers can send documents and photos to Kodak printers from anywhere, using any web-connected device.
Kodak apps for Facebook, which make it easy for consumers to obtain photo products using photos from their Facebook albums.
Kodak Gallery (www.kodakgallery.com), a leading online digital photo products service. Kodak Gallery enables consumers to share their photos, and offers product and creation tools that enable people to do more with their photos.
The Kodak camera accessories and batteries businesses. These products are universally compatible with all camera brands, and extend into other consumer product segments such as charging units for smartphones.
The traditional film capture and photographic paper business, which continues to provide high-quality and innovative products and solutions to consumers, photographers, retailers, photofinishers and professional labs.



Feb 09, 2012 at 11:42 AM
deepbluejh
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p.1 #2 · Kodak to continue making film.


Looks like they made the right move. They dumped their digital camera business (which was a complete joke anyway) and focused on the one niche which they are still good at (film).


Feb 09, 2012 at 11:44 AM
cineski
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p.1 #3 · Kodak to continue making film.


Absolutely. Their film stocks are quite wonderful and I was actually biting my nails about this after investing in several film cameras and a good scanner. The hybrid workflow is quite nice. If anything, Kodak can always re-enter the digital realm.


Feb 09, 2012 at 11:53 AM
Cliff L.
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p.1 #4 · Kodak to continue making film.


I received a newsletter from Freestyle Photo the other day, and in it they mentioned that Kodak's film business is still doing relatively well, with sales in the film division increasing 20% last year. I don't think I would ever go back to scanning film myself, but it's nice to know the industry still has some life left in it.


Feb 09, 2012 at 01:47 PM
Trevor Sowers
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p.1 #5 · Kodak to continue making film.


Kodak makes the sensor in the Leica M9 so I don't think their digital division sucks


Feb 09, 2012 at 02:27 PM
Ralph Conway
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p.1 #6 · Kodak to continue making film.


Trevor Sowers wrote:
Kodak makes the sensor in the Leica M9 so I don't think their digital division sucks


In the Leica M9? It sucks!



Feb 09, 2012 at 02:47 PM
timpdx
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p.1 #7 · Kodak to continue making film.


Their high end camera (sensors, both MF and other) is quite good, their consumer stuff is junk, and they should not be in that part of the biz, anyways.

Glad to hear about film sticking around, even though I have moved on, I can see myself picking up a dirt cheap 120 body and messing around, scanning is such an expensive PITA, though.



Feb 09, 2012 at 02:49 PM
kakomu
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p.1 #8 · Kodak to continue making film.


Bear in mind that most movies are still made on film. Digital cameras have not taken over the film making business yet. Even films that are heavy in special effects use film, such as the most recent Harry Potter movie (according to IMDB, they used Kodak Vision2 200T 5217, Vision2 500T 5218). Once production of movies moves over to digital cameras in large part, Kodak may start phasing out film.


Feb 09, 2012 at 02:55 PM
cineski
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p.1 #9 · Kodak to continue making film.


Yes, scanning is an expensive PITA. Kodak (or someone else) needs to come out with a really good dedicated 120/35mm film scanner that's around $1500. The reviews on the Primefilm 120 aren't that great. The Nikon 9000 creates amazing scans but $$$. There needs to be a currently manufactured scanner that's amazing (maybe Nikon will start up again ;-). Heck, I'd buy a micro processing and scanning unit. I've done a lot of scans with labs in the realistic price range and the quality even from the best labs pales in comparison to scanning your own negs.


Feb 09, 2012 at 03:01 PM
Ralph Conway
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p.1 #10 · Kodak to continue making film.


timpdx wrote:
Their high end camera (sensors, both MF and other) is quite good, their consumer stuff is junk, and they should not be in that part of the biz, anyways.

Glad to hear about film sticking around, even though I have moved on, I can see myself picking up a dirt cheap 120 body and messing around, scanning is such an expensive PITA, though.


Yes. Sorry. I should not laugh about. They exist, because there is a need for. And to be honest: I would like to have one. I am just not able to pay for it.



Feb 09, 2012 at 03:12 PM
jlandaue
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p.1 #11 · Kodak to continue making film.


The problem is not the film, the problem is the local film developers that do a crappy job.


Feb 09, 2012 at 09:14 PM
LDRider
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p.1 #12 · Kodak to continue making film.


jlandaue wrote:
The problem is not the film, the problem is the local film developers that do a crappy job.


+1 That's always been the issue

JP



Feb 09, 2012 at 10:06 PM
retrofocus
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p.1 #13 · Kodak to continue making film.


Normal business - the good name Kodak will be kept. Likely another company soon will buy what is left of Kodak and keeps the brand name in the film business (similar to BASF CrO4 magnetic tapes - business was sold to an Asian company when technology moved towards other recording media, but the old brand name continued).


Feb 09, 2012 at 10:26 PM
jaybird555
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p.1 #14 · Kodak to continue making film.


What is film


Feb 09, 2012 at 10:39 PM
chez
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p.1 #15 · Kodak to continue making film.


jaybird555 wrote:
What is film


For you my man, it is that haze on the glasses when they come out of the dish washer.



Feb 09, 2012 at 10:51 PM
campyone
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p.1 #16 · Kodak to continue making film.


I didn't know there was any serious question about Kodak making some kind of film in some format at some price for the foreseeable future. While the former Group that included film hasn't been very profitable, it's generally done better than a lot of Kodak's products and the gross revenues are still quite high. The problem with film from Kodak's standpoint is that film revenues have been decreasing at an average rate of about 15%-20% every year for about the last 10 years and there's no end in sight.

Obviously that can't continue forever. So while it's nice to hear that Kodak isn't discontinuing all "film," it remains to be seen what films it continues to make, how it plans to sell the film (e.g. some large format films remain available only through large group orders), at what prices, and for how long. I'm not going to take a lot of satisfaction out of Kodak continuing to make "film" if it turns out that the only film they make is 35mm color film sold in disposable cameras.






Feb 10, 2012 at 10:15 AM
anthonygh
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p.1 #17 · Kodak to continue making film.


'an average rate of about 15%-20% every year for about the last 10 years'........lets see...100% is the start figure yr1....subtract 15%

Remaining 85% is start figure yr2.....subtract 15%

Remaining 73% is start figure yr 3....subtract 15%

Remaining 62% is start figure yr 4...subtract 15%

Remaining 53% is start figure yr 5...subtract 15%

Remaining 44% is start figure yr 6....subtract 15%

I'm bored now.....but even at your lower figure it looks like Kodak are not making any film at all...but Kodak is still the world's biggest producer of photographic film according to an article I read a few weeks ago.....



Feb 10, 2012 at 11:53 AM
dirb9
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p.1 #18 · Kodak to continue making film.


Trevor Sowers wrote:
Kodak makes the sensor in the Leica M9 so I don't think their digital division sucks


They sold their sensor division a little while ago.



Feb 10, 2012 at 01:02 PM
David Baldwin
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p.1 #19 · Kodak to continue making film.


Does that mean Kodachrome is coming back


Feb 10, 2012 at 02:27 PM
campyone
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p.1 #20 · Kodak to continue making film.


anthonygh wrote:
'an average rate of about 15%-20% every year for about the last 10 years'........lets see...100% is the start figure yr1....subtract 15%

Remaining 85% is start figure yr2.....subtract 15%

Remaining 73% is start figure yr 3....subtract 15%

Remaining 62% is start figure yr 4...subtract 15%

Remaining 53% is start figure yr 5...subtract 15%

Remaining 44% is start figure yr 6....subtract 15%

I'm bored now.....but even at your lower figure it looks like Kodak are not making any film at all...but Kodak is still the world's biggest producer of photographic film according to an article I read a few weeks ago.....


That's not how you compute a decline in revenues in one year as a percentage of revenues in a previous year. Since you seem to like math, here's the actual revenues (in millions) from Kodaks Film Photofinishing and Entertainment Group since 2004 (like you, I got bored and didn't go back farther than that)

2004 - $7,051
2005 - $5,325, a decline of 24% from 2004
2006 - $4,156, a decline of 22% from 2005
2007 - $3,632, a decline of 13% from 2006
2008 - $2,987, a decline of 18% from 2007
2009 - $2,257, a decline of 24% from 2008
2010 - $1,767, a decline of 22% from 2009

You can do the exact math if you like, I did it very quickly, but it looks like an average of about 20% a year to me.



Feb 10, 2012 at 04:30 PM
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