Kodak Concedes Difficulty in Drawing Lead Bidder for Patents

Photo Engineer · Aug 14, 2012

I made this point earlier!

If you look at Kodak as a chemical company, they sold off all core divisions and now have to buy things from outside. They do operate some R&D, but outsource some.

PE

M. Lointain · Aug 14, 2012

Could you imagine if Kodak bought Apple when it had the chance? It boggles the mind. No IPod, IPhones: probably no Apple.

I agree that the management is more concerned with their pockets than saving the company. They are making one monumental blunder after another. I don't use Kodak film and never have, but for the good of photography I hope someone has the foresight to wrestle the coating division away from those morons so Kodak film will continue.

Prof_Pixel · Aug 14, 2012

M. Lointain said:
I agree that the management is more concerned with their pockets than saving the company. They are making one monumental blunder after another.

I saw the problems starting in the later '60s with the rise in MBAs with no product experience in management positions. As I've said many times, "Two things have led to the downfall of US Corporations: the MBA and the spreadsheet." With the computer spreadsheet, the MBAs were able to 'fiddle' with the figures and go for short term gains at the expense of long term gains.

Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business by Bob Lutz talks about the issue in the auto business, and I certainly saw it at Kodak.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 14, 2012

Prof_Pixel said:
"Two things have led to the downfall of US Corporations: the MBA and the spreadsheet."

Oh my... This absolutely demands a repeat posting...

The sea change in the American corporate mindset over the last couple of decades has almost succeeded in destroying us all.

Ken

Brian C. Miller · Aug 15, 2012

Does Kodak have a business plan that has anything to do with reality? They've been selling off and spinning off everything, and all they're left with is a huge coating machine which makes some money, and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't. There's a report that Kodak has just released a business plan, but the report didn't say what Kodak actually plans to do in the future.

There's also mention in the news that since Kodak is having a hard time selling its patents, it might mean bad news for Nokia's and RIM's patent sales. I wonder how long Kodak will extend the bidding.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 15, 2012

So what, then, is the deal with this? Now I'm really confused. What Kodak facility is located in Kingsport, Tennessee? Must not be a film-related facility, right?

Eastman Kodak Is Hiring

Note the Ph.D. Polymer Applications Research Scientist position at the bottom.

Ken

MattKing · Aug 15, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
So what, then, is the deal with this? Now I'm really confused. What Kodak facility is located in Kingsport, Tennessee? Must not be a film-related facility, right?

Eastman Kodak Is Hiring

Note the Ph.D. Polymer Applications Research Scientist position at the bottom.

Ken

I'm sure those are actually jobs for Eastman Chemical - some of them actually say that.

Prof_Pixel · Aug 15, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
So what, then, is the deal with this? Now I'm really confused. What Kodak facility is located in Kingsport, Tennessee? Must not be a film-related facility, right?

The page is confusing because it mentions the Eastman Kodak Co on the left. However, all the listed jobs are with Eastman Chemicals which was split off from Eastman Kodak in 1993. Eastman Chemicals has been doing nicely.

One of former CEOs Kay Whitmore's many mistakes.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 15, 2012

Ahh, I see. Two of the nine do say that. Of course, two of those I didn't open...

Thanks, Matt. (And Prof_Pixel.)

Ken

lxdude · Aug 15, 2012

BrianShaw said:
I'd settle for an Aston Martian.

A sexier British version of the Curiosity Rover?

lxdude · Aug 15, 2012

Photo Engineer said:
Kodak's core competency from the start was Chemistry.

Coating was ancillary to make things possible.

PE

Oh now, don't you remember that one CEO declared that Kodak was an imaging company? So of course stuff like Eastman Chemical was cut loose.

Photo Engineer · Aug 15, 2012

I am well aware of both of those instances. Whitmore thought that chemicals came in little bottles with EK on them and were made on Ridge Road in Rochester. Our Estar (PET) and RC (PE) Pellets came from TE and our HQ came from Texas Eastman.

These came in freight cars, so maybe he overlooked them.

Without PET and PE we would have nothing to coat on.

PE

Prof_Pixel · Aug 15, 2012

Just heard them say on Rochester TV (about 8:20 EDT, 15 Aug) that Kodak has set up an employee meeting for tomorrow. More later.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 15, 2012

Been there, done that. I have attended these hastily called meetings before. Sometimes it worked out, sometimes it didn't. Fingers crossed for all of the remaining employees.

Ken

Prof_Pixel · Aug 15, 2012

Saw this earlier in the evening: Dead Link Removed

So film should be around until 2015

SkipA · Aug 15, 2012

Motion picture film will be around until 2015.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 15, 2012

Kodak motion picture film will be around until 2015.

Poisson Du Jour · Aug 16, 2012

My Facebook page has a referred-on link to Kodak Comeback where it said announcement of the successful lead bidder for the patents "is imminent", but the link is now not going anywhere.

pbromaghin · Aug 16, 2012

A lot will depend on how successful the studios will be at strong-arming the theaters into switching to all-digital projection.

dr5chrome · Aug 16, 2012

The Problem with KODAK is they have let all the good people go - or they did not listen to them when they had them there. Case in point - Scott Disabato's predecessor, Ed Warner.
When I stated up the dr5 service and went to the PHOTO+Expo show in NYC in the mid 90's, I stopped at the KODAK booth just to get an opinion. When I opened the shop in NY several years later, Ed came to the shop - unannounced. He took interest in what we were doing, gave his support, and became even more interested by the process after he saw the operation/process in action. This certainly all ended when he left.

dw

RattyMouse said:
Kodak NEEDS a Steve Jobs. Desperately. I firmly believe (dont shoot me), that Kodak's CEO is just extracting cash out of Kodak as he winds it down. He hasnt made a good decision. AT. ALL. No long term strategy is visible now that anyone can even remotely hope for. Perez's move into Printers has been thrashed here relentlessly.
Imagine what Steve Jobs could have done with Kodak's talent? It boggles the mind.

Prof_Pixel · Aug 16, 2012

dr5chrome said:
When I stated up the dr5 service and went to the PHOTO+Expo show in NYC in the mid 90's, I stopped at the KODAK booth just to get an opinion. When I opened the shop in NY several years later, Ed came to the shop - unannounced. He took interest in what we were doing, gave his support, and became even more interested by the process after he saw the operation/process in action.

That's what the old Kodak TSRs (Technical Sales Representatives) were supposed to do; help customers. They understood the technology and knew their customers very well. When the TSRs needed help, they could call on people like me back in Rochester for support.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 16, 2012

That level of support (TSR) is an anachronism in today's digital/high-turnover/throw-away corporate world. The products change so quickly that support is an afterthought. If that. The consumer is on their own. An APUG poster from a while back once stated to the effect that the consumer's job is to consume, nothing else.

No technology-oriented company is going to waste money on a robust support structure. Geez, Louise. All those people calling in asking us for help because our stuff doesn't work? They're killing us. Just tell them to shut up and buy the newest upgrade. It'll be out tomorrow. It'll solve all their problems. Really, it will. Trust us.

We need them to buy—over and over again in the shortest cycle possible—what WE want them to buy. Not what they want to buy. Or think they want to buy. They have no idea what they want to buy. But lucky for them, we do know what we want them to want to buy. So just start consuming, damn it. And quit pestering us already.

This is part of that sea change I mentioned earlier.

Ken

Prof_Pixel · Aug 16, 2012

Ken Nadvornick said:
That level of support (TSR) is an anachronism in today's digital/high-turnover/throw-away corporate world.

Don't blame it on 'digital'; Kodak had excellent TSR support on all its initial digital products!

The problem (as I've mentioned elsewhere) is the reliance on MBAs with no product experience in management positions. All they care about is short term profitability.

Ken Nadvornick · Aug 16, 2012

Prof_Pixel said:
Don't blame it on 'digital'; Kodak had excellent TSR support on all its initial digital products!

Yes. And look where it got them...

Ken

lxdude · Aug 16, 2012

Prof_Pixel said:
The problem (as I've mentioned elsewhere) is the reliance on MBAs with no product experience in management positions. All they care about is short term profitability.

This is so true. I have had to deal with those who say "My business is business". To which I have replied, "We don't sell 'business'."

Kodak Concedes Difficulty in Drawing Lead Bidder for Patents

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