Exchange of ideas for salvaging Eastman Kodak

[RattyMouse]

Interesting thread. Not surprisingly, no one has come up with a solution for Kodak. I wish we could understand how Fujifilm transitioned into a non film company yet still produce film. Film used to be 90+% of their revenue, now its 2%. How did they do it? Did they destroy their plants, build new, smaller ones? If not, how can they keep the big plants running with such a dramatic drop in production?

If there are any answers to Kodak's problem, they lie somewhere in the story of Fujifilm.

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

Interesting thread. Not surprisingly, no one has come up with a solution for Kodak. I wish we could understand how Fujifilm transitioned into a non film company yet still produce film. Film used to be 90+% of their revenue, now its 2%. How did they do it? Did they destroy their plants, build new, smaller ones? If not, how can they keep the big plants running with such a dramatic drop in production?

If there are any answers to Kodak's problem, they lie somewhere in the story of Fujifilm.

Where did you get that figure of 2% revenue from film?
Somewhere last September or October I read it was stable at 16%... here on APUG, or elsewhere??

 

[RattyMouse]

Where did you get that figure of 2% revenue from film?
Somewhere last September or October I read it was stable at 16%... here on APUG, or elsewhere??

I read this in an interview with Fujifilm's CEO sometime last year. The entire digital camera business is barely 10% revenue so there is no way film is anywhere near 16%. I am not speaking of their chemicals or paper business, just the rolls of film. The CEO said that the film business was 1 or 2% of revenue. I could not remember which it was so went with the higher number, just to be optimistic.

 

[RattyMouse]

"Today we make perhaps 1% of our sales with traditional photographic film."

http://the.me/interview-with-fujifi...omori-redefining-the-business-of-photography/

That's from an interview with the CEO of Fujifilm. Pretty darned small revenue for sure.

Now why can't Kodak shrink like that?

 

[removed account4]

berkshire hathaway should do a hostile take-over,
demolish the whole site, remove the soil down to 10 feet, burn it, and put the new kodak inside a jordan's furniture super store
you know, with animatronic robots coating glass plates or albuminizing paper or putting silver bricks into acid baths ....
and doing olde tyme photography for shoppers like at a carnival, with a dress-up station to make it look all edwardian and photoparlor-y .. head clamps, flash powder the whole 9 yards.

THEN when they make enough $$ that way, they could buy a single coating machine and coat film and paper in smaller quantities.

 

[waynecrider]

Doesn't Salvaging mean taking things apart and selling off pieces? Isn't that whats happening now?

 

[BrianShaw]

Doesn't Salvaging mean taking things apart and selling off pieces? Isn't that whats happening now?

... and pulling a wreck up from the murky depths.

 

[zsas]

Kodabromide had an unferrotyped shine of another kind. Beautiful papers. Ilfobrom was whiter, but Kodabromide gave a selenium purple tone that made detail pop. Kodak, can you find it in your diminished fiscal capacity to re-offer Kodabromide F to the filtered list of worldwide materials?

Gosh, I'm too green to have had the pleasure Kodabromide. I've also never tried the Agfa Brovira, Ilford or Kentemere bromides. But I feel your pain! I've recently taken a liking to Slavich Unibrom, which is, I think the worlds last bromide only paper. It's not readily avail in the states anymore, save for Laser Reflections of WA, but maybe it could help? Re Kodak, I hope their future analog-suitor is a consortium of folks like us who bring back the paper you mention, AZO, Kodachrome, Plus-X and all the other ones we wish for, hey we can dream

 

[henry finley]

In whatever re-incarnate name exists today for Ilfobrom from the 1980's back is the one you want to be using. Speaking from the possible ignorance of 30 years since I last bought any, I did not care for Agfa Brovira. It had an un-ferrotyped finish like Kodak N-surface with Krylon Clear sprayed on. It WAS clear, and a bit warm-toned compared to Ilfobrom. Kodabromide was very neutral in color, and had a slightly cloudy un-ferrotyped sheen that was still pleasing, but put it in some very weak selenium and it would go totally neutral violet-black. In other words, it POPPED. Great stuff. But truthfully, weren't they chlorobromides and not pure bromide papers? And one thing else--when Kodak took a paper and made a "rapid" version, I did not like that at all. Polycontrast-Rapid--yecch. Boil down all the world's print paper and give me Kodabromide or Ilfobrome F2, and the world has all it needs in print papers.

 

[zsas]

Yeah I guess it was a chlorobromide but that doesn't make it any less beautiful. Thanks for the info, I'll have to keep my eye it for some to give it a whirl while garage-sale'n this summer, sounds like good stuff. Fwiw, I found this site o old papers...neat to see all the selection "back in the day", seems that PAS (paper acquisition syndrome) must've been huge when there was lots of selection?

I am almost grateful to be new to the printing game so as to not be so sad all the papers I grew to enjoy...died off. Glad we still have what we do have, we shall persevere! And maybe, just maybe a consortium will buy up the Kodak name and start up an annual run'a the goods you've lost....

http://unblinkingeye.com/Articles/AntiqueP/antiquep.html

 

[Athiril]

"Today we make perhaps 1% of our sales with traditional photographic film."

http://the.me/interview-with-fujifi...omori-redefining-the-business-of-photography/

That's from an interview with the CEO of Fujifilm. Pretty darned small revenue for sure.

Now why can't Kodak shrink like that?

I've got detailed info about the analogue market in Aus, and Fuji, Kodak and other companie's revenue, profit and losses, from business analyst experts


Anyway
http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2012/01/how-fujifilm-survived

 

[henry finley]

bump. C'mon people, don't let these people up there in Rochester lose their company. I don't want to live in a world that has no Eastman Kodak Company. Ideas--let's hear them. Put on those thinking caps, and try to attach some fiscal thought to your ideas.

 

[onepuff]

There is a current poll on slashdot.org at the moment asking people what their current favourite still image camera type is. Interestingly over 4% have voted for 35mm or smaller film and, I think even more so, over 3% voted for larger than 35mm film. At the time of writing there were 902 votes for film out of 10577, that's over 8.5%. Given that slashdot is targeted at programmers and those interested in the latest in technology, I think this is a healthy vote in favour of film. Even more so since manufacturers such as Kodak do very little in the way of mass marketing of film products now and film camera manufacture is sparse to say the least. Some of the comments on the poll express a 'coolness' and 'quality' which you can't get from digital - something users of this forum know about but it's nice to see it expressed elsewhere. Unfortunately, Kodak hasn't exploited this coolness with clever marketing and instead followed the herd at full pace into the digital photography and printer market which is now maturing (saturating) and causing weaker manufacturers, including Kodak, to fall by the wayside. Kodak has a unique fall-back in their film products and should be using that to survive through actively promoting film as fun and 'cool'. I suspect that small(ish) batch manufacture is the way forward for the remaining film manufacturers as film is unlikely ever to reach the peak volume it attained but it is still heartening that, as the poll indicates, there is still a healthy demand out there.

 

[waynecrider]

Turn all the buildings (or what's left) into a technology school of the highest order. Robotics might be a good way to go. A Robot with a mini-lab inside would be cool. I'd like the E-6 model please. Oh wait, they don't make E6. Hmmmm. If it could process and shit C41 prints I'm game.

Right now I don't even know where they stand as to what their selling and not selling. All I know is their stock price is $0.21 according to this mornings (Feb 2) NY Times.

I believe one thing that could help, to whatever degree, is to see more people employed. People with coin burning a hole in their pocket will spend it on anything. Hopefully it would be on film and film cameras. Since the status quo seems to be, (This is the new reality), I'm thankful for what we have. Think I'll order some extra film just in case.

 

[zsas]

Ok Henry how about this idea, the still film line rights are sold as shares to the public, much like the Green Bay Pakers (US football team for the international folks, and I mean American definition of 'football'). Then the "fan" owned company enters into major licensing agreements with all the film distribution/camera manufacturing companies (eg, Formulary, Lomo, Holga - eg roll or two of Tri-X bundled with each purchase)....

See the section "Public Company" below re the Packers....it can be done....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers