It's official, Kodak is selling its film business.

[RattyMouse]

Employees were weighed at the star and end of a day! Bars were weighted and counted at every shift change!

PE

That's awesome PE! Kodak was clearly on top of their game. If only the CEO could be watched so!

 

[RattyMouse]

The bars probably weighed 1000 oz. All stores that made reinforced underwear were monitored. AFAIK in the 1980's Kodak was using 125 million ounces of silver per year.

Re-enforced underwear????

 

[Michael W]

One of the customers I have to visit a lot makes magnesium parts for the auto industry. While there I see truck after truck bringing in pallets of magnesium bars. I bet Kodak had the same thing, except with silver!! I wonder how much shrinkage there was with people grabbing bars of silver!!

[video=youtube;UJ6w1esVcoY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ6w1esVcoY[/video]

Have you seen this 1958 Kodak documentary?
At 6.40 it shows the goods train delivery of silver being unloaded. 14 tons a week of close to 100% pure silver. The video is in Dutch with English subtitles - a project done by APUG members a few years ago.

 

[cmacd123]

This one just pop into my Mail box.. KODAK is hanging on to film manufacturing! and is exploring other related products like Fuji and AGFA have done for years...

(I see that the Link I was going to post has a link to my personal info, so I will just copy the text)

Next Steps to our Future Success
by Kim Snyder

Last week, Kodak announced its next steps in emerging from Chapter 11 as a company primarily focused on commercial, packaging, and functional printing solutions as well as enterprise services. The company has now initiated a sales process for its market-leading Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging businesses.

So what does this mean for Entertainment Imaging and its motion picture film products and services? For clarity, I can assure you that Kodak's motion picture films are not part of this announcement and will remain with the company.

Kodak will continue to manufacture and distribute its quality line of motion picture film products. As a matter of fact, all film manufacturing will actually stay with Kodak, including that of consumer and professional still film. We will continue providing our entertainment customers with the products and support they have come to depend upon from Kodak.

In addition to manufacturing film, we are pursuing potential vertical markets that will utilize our film technologies for a variety of alternative and exciting products. This includes Functional Printing applications as well as Thin Film and Specialty Chemicals growth opportunities.

And speaking of new opportunities, based on market demand, we just announced a new color asset protection film and will be adding a black-and-white separation film to the portfolio later this year.

As I'm sure you know, Kodak has worked in partnership with Hollywood Studios for many years. We're very happy to see them show their confidence in the Kodak brand by recently signing multi year agreements with the company.

Kodak's plan for the future has a sharper focus now, and as part of that plan, our market-leading motion picture products will continue to provide the innovation and creative choices that the production and post community need.

I am happy to be able to share this news and to take this opportunity to thank all our motion picture customers who have remained so loyal throughout the last months. As Kodak continues to evolve, we are pleased to continue to offer the technology and the products that have supported this industry for over a century. As always, our global sales force is available to answer any questions you may have or to help meet your production needs.

Thank you.

Kim Snyder
President and General Manager
Entertainment and Commercial Films Group
Vice President of Eastman Kodak Company

 

[cmacd123]

OK this is the page from the Kodak site...

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294970036/index.htm

 

[Felinik]

Now this was indeed an interesting turn:

"As a matter of fact, all film manufacturing will actually stay with Kodak, including that of consumer and professional still film."

 

[Prof_Pixel]

OK this is the page from the Kodak site...

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/4294970036/index.htm

I've gone to that page and can't find a date the statement was made.

 

[Diapositivo]

I've gone to that page and can't find a date the statement was made.

You are right.

Anyway in the press release they say "last week..." (Kodak initiated the sale process of some of their assets) so it should have been issued one week later than the announcement in the OP. And I agree that this kind of stuff should be dated in any case.

It's interesting that this press release seems to focus exclusively on film (motion picture and still film) so it probably was released as a feed back to all the doubts and concerns that were raised by various users, APUG participants included.

 

[cmacd123]

It's interesting that this press release seems to focus exclusively on film (motion picture and still film) .

the source is the Motion Picture Mailing list and the Motion picture site. (http://kodak.com/go/motion )

The mail I got had a date header of Date: Thu, 06 Sep 2012 10:00:20 -0600 and was sent via a "contact Agency" (PR firm) From: "Kodak Entertainment Imaging Team" <kodak@reply.catalystinc.com>

 

[cmacd123]

The actual post is in a section of the Motion Picture site called " The Storyboard" - can't get more cinematic than that!

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/About/The_Storyboard/index.htm

 

[Ken Nadvornick]

Does this mean they had a similar problem as with the patent portfolios? Either no bidders, or bid values that were too low?

Colleen??

Ken

 

[RattyMouse]

So is the film division for sale or not? This press release makes a mess out of everything. Kodak has to do everything (management wise) half a$$ed.

 

[Diapositivo]

I go by memory, Kodak needs some $m700 to get out of Chapter 11, patents sale at the moment is not guaranteed to bring more than $m500, so Kodak to be sure (or to appease creditors, whatever) must find some additional money.

Patent sale alone might take Kodak out of Chapter 11 if they were sold for more than $m700 but at the moment the maximum offer is $m500 on the table. Please don't ask me the source. The source is my memory.

If patents are not sold, Kodak must sell some business so as to reach $m700. That might mean selling the still film business (brand, marketing, distribution, "enterprise side") while retaining manufacturing (which would be "outsourced" by the buyer). "Retaining manufacturing" seems to be a clear objective given the last press release.

On the whole I think this would be the best of both worlds. Kodak leverages its expertise in manufacturing, while small, nimble firms market the product in a more effective way.

If things are as this poor self perceives them, Kodak is not very far from success.

The problem is what comes after. Will the motion picture industry go on buying Kodak film in sufficient volume? Will photographer in the world sustain film (or Kodak film) consumption at current levels? Will the Print-on-Demand industry yield nice profits for Kodak? (Kodak seems to have bet a lot on the success of their new PoD technology. I wish them every good).

We will know within a few hundred rolls...

 

[Felinik]

So is the film division for sale or not? This press release makes a mess out of everything. Kodak has to do everything (management wise) half a$$ed.

"Kodak will continue to manufacture and distribute its quality line of motion picture film products. As a matter of fact, all film manufacturing will actually stay with Kodak, including that of consumer and professional still film. "

At least they will continue to manufacture and distribute film...

 

[Prof_Pixel]

She said: "As a matter of fact, all film manufacturing will actually stay with Kodak, including that of consumer and professional still film."

I'm not sure I believe her, but that would appear to mean that Kodak is attempting to sell of the consumer and professional business (presumably with the name Kodak) but will make the actual film (like they did for xray film).

Only time will tell.

 

[nickrapak]

From what I am getting, the packaging, distribution, and marketing of Kodak still film is what's for sale. EK will still coat the film and slit it into rolls or sheets under contract from (the hypothetical) Eastman Photo. Eastman Photo will then roll the film onto spools, put them in boxes, and ship the boxes to wholesalers and retailers. That way, EK will make its money all at once, whereas Eastman Photo will be making income in smaller increments. It is for this reason that I think Kodak's sale of their film division is strictly cash flow related; Even if they don't sell it for that much, Perez & Co. can show investors what massive cash flow they have, even if some of it is an intermittent flow.

 

[Felinik]

Just give us the bulk rolls, that'll do fine.

 

[ric_kb]

so, IT will be APUG TRIX or B&H PORTRA

aka, formerly know as...

 

[tony lockerbie]

I think I will buy it and bring back Panatomic-x and Kodachrome 25, oh, and Verichrome Pan as well....start queuing now.

 

[MattKing]

It seems to me that what Kodak is trying to do is get out of any part of the business that directly interfaces with the retail market - at least with respect to film.

Sort of the reverse of what they did with their photo chemistry.

I hope someone has effectively archived their technical publications.

 

[ic-racer]

Thread: It's offcial, Kodak is selling it's film business.
Can we get the title of this thread changed? I can't seem to find an official statement in this thread or on the internet to verify the title of this thread to be true.

Maybe I'll start a thread:"Its Official, Kodak is keeping its film business."

+1

 

[DREW WILEY]

What is "official" information today might be officially obsolete news tomorrow. There's no guarantee
the rumor roller-coaster is over yet. These things can change like the weather.

 

[SkipA]

What about Kodak paper products? According to previous announcements, paper and professional and consumer still film were all part of the Personal Imaging business.

I wish Kodak would come clean and make a clear, non-conflicting statement about exactly what it is keeping and what it is selling.

 

[MattKing]

What about Kodak paper products? According to previous announcements, paper and professional and consumer still film were all part of the Personal Imaging business.

I wish Kodak would come clean and make a clear, non-conflicting statement about exactly what it is keeping and what it is selling.

Or to put it another way ...

"I wish Kodak would come clean and make a clear, non-conflicting statement about exactly what it intends to do in the future, and what it expects other entities to do."

 

[BrianShaw]

They will.... in time. I trust that they will. I'll bet a lot of options are still on the table.