Kodak Alaris for sale Again April 17 2023

[mshchem]

The Main Kodak Film Business is Up for Sale Again

It's unclear if this will affect film production.

petapixel.com

 

[BrianShaw]

I hope the sky isn’t falling!

Thanks for the heads up, PetaPixel.

 

[Wallendo]

The Main Kodak Film Business is Up for Sale Again

It's unclear if this will affect film production.

petapixel.com

The author of this article doesn’t really understand the situation. He doesn’t realize that KA markets, but does not manufacture, film.

KA has been for sale for a while. Is there anything new?

 

[mshchem]

This seems to originate from Sky News

 

[mshchem]

The author of this article doesn’t really understand the situation. He doesn’t realize that KA markets, but does not manufacture, film.

KA has been for sale for a while. Is there anything new?

Yeah, not sure what is going on. I've never seen a Kodak Moments kiosk, seems to be a completely different business than film.

 

[cmacd123]

Yes, the relatiionship between KA and EKC is not well understood.

the Kodak Limited pension plan was bailed out, and this appers that the Pension board is wanting to sell the main asset, which is the Kodak ALaris Business. If one were into specualtion, the situation may partly explain teh shortage of Kodak film. BT we don't do speculation here..

 

[cmacd123]

Yeah, not sure what is going on. I've never seen a Kodak Moments kiosk, seems to be a completely different business than film.

Seem to be in the States and europe. https://kiosklocator.kodakmoments.com/kiosk-locator
the "about US" on that page says

"
Kodak Alaris started with Kodak’s Personalized Imaging and Document Imaging businesses and was created on September 3, 2013.
Our plan is to maintain the Kodak brand’s rich, global heritage, and inject it with a new speed and agility. Today’s markets and technologies are constantly changing and at Kodak Alaris, we’re ready to meet those changes head-on.
The name ‘Alaris’ is all about speed and agility. It’s inspired by the Latin Alacritas, ‘lively’. In plain old English, alacrity also means cheerful, eager and willing. Which we think just about describes us and the way we approach everything, from research and development to each individual customer.
"

 

[Cholentpot]

If we all chip in we can buy it.

I'll go first. The cost of a Leica.

$10.

 

[Alex Benjamin]

The author of this article doesn’t really understand the situation. He doesn’t realize that KA markets, but does not manufacture, film.

KA has been for sale for a while. Is there anything new?

 

[Hassasin]

Reading between the lines it appears to say film pricing is not a solution to some inherent management problems.

Whether this will shift control to China for good is yet to be seen. Difficult to imagine Kodak brand disappearing altogether in a short term.

I also don’t see how that article shows ignorance on the subject. Seems to explain the short history of Alaris and its relation to still film side of Kodak.

Is this new news? Doesn’t really matter. It only strengthens the Idea of their inability to manage a product type that has otherwise been on substantial rise since take over.

 

[Kodachromeguy]

Yeah, not sure what is going on. I've never seen a Kodak Moments kiosk, seems to be a completely different business than film.

The Kodak Moments kiosk is the printing machine at some CVS drugstores. You can insert almost any type of memory card, CD, or link your phone, and the machine makes a very nice print. The one in my closest CVS even makes surprisingly good black and white prints. I fed it some huge Tiff files, and it accepted them and made prints. This one is about $10 per 8×10.

The machine has the Kodak logo, but there is no information about the corporate parent.

 

[mshchem]

Who makes the kiosks and dry labs for KA? Any idea how many employees (actual KA)?? What a mess.

Even if still film would come back to EK, the Alaris distribution people would (at least some) would need to stay on.

I was around when some of the big US and EU companies spun off their commodity plastics, paints, chemical etc businesses, it was a mess at times, but there were usually (mostly) the same people, just different ownership

 

[mshchem]

The Kodak Moments kiosk is the printing machine at some CVS drugstores. You can insert almost any type of memory card, CD, or link your phone, and the machine makes a very nice print. The one in my closest CVS even makes surprisingly good black and white prints. I fed it some huge Tiff files, and it accepted them and made prints. This one is about $10 per 8×10.

The machine has the Kodak logo, but there is no information about the corporate parent.

I wonder if the Kodak Moments name is just a license to another entity?

 

[Hassasin]

This is not about selling Kodak Moments though.

 

[MattKing]

I also don’t see how that article shows ignorance on the subject. Seems to explain the short history of Alaris and it’s relation to still film side of Kodak.

Well, it is full of references to Kodak Alaris manufacturing product, which they haven't really done since the closed the colour paper factory in Harrow.

 

[MattKing]

This is not about selling Kodak Moments though.

I think they already sold the kiosk business when they sold everything related to photofinishing to Sino Promise in 2020.
The only remnant of Kodak Moments they seem to still retain is the business relating to things like Kodak branded clothing and coffee cups and the like.
The article is chock full of inaccuracies. But it is true that Kodak Alaris' owner - which remains the Pension Fund, which is being operated by the UK Pension authorities - has been seeking to maximize the value they can obtain from their asset. They cashed out a significant portion of their asset when the portion of the business was sold to Sino Promise. And they apparently continue to analyze whether the Pension Fund will get maximum return from continuing to operate the business, or whether the return is greater from selling it and investing the proceeds.

 

[Hassasin]

Well, it is full of references to Kodak Alaris manufacturing product, which they haven't really done since the closed the colour paper factory in Harrow.

That I understand. Which really makes no difference to KA being the name behind still film. And not many would notice a difference if simply checking out Alaris’ website for film information. For general information available at the Alaris takeover Kodak film would have gone dead without it.

We could speculate why Pension Plan took the distribution responsibility, but it was not just the noble idea of making photographers happy and well fed.

 

[mshchem]

Well, it is full of references to Kodak Alaris manufacturing product, which they haven't really done since the closed the colour paper factory in Harrow.

Any idea where the drylab supplies come from? Ink media etc.

 

[Hassasin]

I think they already sold the kiosk business when they sold everything related to photofinishing to Sino Promise in 2020.
The only remnant of Kodak Moments they seem to still retain is the business relating to things like Kodak branded clothing and coffee cups and the like.
The article is chock full of inaccuracies. But it is true that Kodak Alaris' owner - which remains the Pension Fund, which is being operated by the UK Pension authorities - has been seeking to maximize the value they can obtain from their asset. They cashed out a significant portion of their asset when the portion of the business was sold to Sino Promise. And they apparently continue to analyze whether the Pension Fund will get maximum return from continuing to operate the business, or whether the return is greater from selling it and investing the proceeds.

It seemed like it stunk this way since the beginning.

 

[MattKing]

Any idea where the drylab supplies come from? Ink media etc.

Eastman Kodak I think - but I doubt they manufacture.

 

[MattKing]

It seemed like it stunk this way since the beginning.

Well, their doing it the way they did it meant that Eastman Kodak and Kodak film didn't disappear, the manufacturing facility in Rochester didn't have to be sold for scrap, thousands of people continued to be employed worldwide, an international distribution network staffed by experienced personnel was re-constituted instead of just disappearing and the Kodak Limited Pension Fund got more back than the $600,000,000.00 USD that they put into it.
I don't think that that equates to "stunk".

 

[mshchem]

Well, their doing it the way they did it meant that Eastman Kodak and Kodak film didn't disappear, the manufacturing facility in Rochester didn't have to be sold for scrap, thousands of people continued to be employed worldwide, an international distribution network staffed by experienced personnel was re-constituted instead of just disappearing and the Kodak Limited Pension Fund got more back than the $600,000,000.00 USD that they put into it.
I don't think that that equates to "stunk".

I would be happy if things stayed as it is now.

 

[mshchem]

Eastman Kodak I think - but I doubt they manufacture.

This is from Eastman Kodak website, digital printing huge machines, not sure what is "made" just like most things purchased parts, chemicals, some in-house fabrication, a lot of assembly and brain power.

Kodachrome (ink) LIVES!

KODACHROME Inks

Kodak has been pioneering inkjet print for more than fifty-five years, but with these incredible inks, you'll be seeing color like you've never seen it…

www.kodak.com

 

[foc]

This is from Eastman Kodak website, digital printing huge machines, not sure what is "made" just like most things purchased parts, chemicals, some in-house fabrication, a lot of assembly and brain power.

Kodachrome (ink) LIVES!

KODACHROME Inks

Kodak has been pioneering inkjet print for more than fifty-five years, but with these incredible inks, you'll be seeing color like you've never seen it…

www.kodak.com

The Kodachrome ink is I think, for the print industry (print on demand industry), together with the digital printing presses, etc.

Not sure who manufactures the dry lab for them but the kiosk type printers are sometimes dye sublimation . A lot of the inkjet dry labs (Fuji included) rely heavily on Epson printer technology.

 

[pentaxuser]

This seems to originate from Sky News

Is that the same Sky News that is defending itself against a "damages" claim from some company who installed vote counting machinery at the last POTUS election?

Thanks

pentaxuser