Kodak done?

[mshchem]

If junk film keeps my cameras fed then so be it. We can't all shoot Portra or Tmax. I shoot what I can get my paws on.



My '90 Corolla keeps on ticking. The dealer wants a look at it but I don't trust 'em. I think they want it for the showroom.

Sure thing! I gave up my 03 Forester in 2013 to a buddy of mine. His kid is still driving it last I checked

 

[gbroadbridge]

Either way, it's mostly all outsourced junk. Who wants junk film too?

One mans trash is another mans treasure.

I'm sure that there is room (and demand) for both.

 

[Model71]

Evidently Kodak put a statement out on X roughly two hours ago.. regarding misleading media statements.

https://x.com/kodak/status/1955796193398714550?s=61

 

[BrianShaw]

That EDIT: MESSAGE FROM KODAK was quite clear. Now if folks EDIT: WHO LIKE TO SPECULATE WITHOUT READING ORIGINAL SOURCE MATERIAL would actually read it.

Thanks very much for posting the link! EDIT: I SINCERELY APPRECIATE IT AS I WOULDN’T HAVE SEEN IT OTHERWISE

 

[Model71]

That was quite clear. Now if folks would actually read it.

Thanks very much for posting the link!

Unless I’m misunderstanding, the context for the X link above relates to this very thread topic.

 

[BrianShaw]

You appear to be completely misunderstanding, Captain. I’ll edit to help you out…

 

[0x001688936CA08]

None of which are actually needed any longer. The whole world moved to eCommerce mediated sales. Companies like B&H, Freestyle, Amazon, Target, Zoro, Walmart, Sam's Club, eBay, etc. could be used as channels to market and Kodak could run a drop ship warehouse for a whole lot less than what they are likely paying now for a distribution network or even outsource that to a 3PL of some kind. They could focus on product innovation and support by getting rid of the obsolete distribution model they are currently using. I wonder how many end point retailers even see a Kodak rep anymore.

The world changed, Kodak's leadership has not (or not enough). Either that, or they are trying to figure out how to unburden themselves of the Alaris albatross with all this kerfuffle. (In which case I take it all back.)

This fundamentally misunderstands the value of distributors and the complexity of B2B commerce in the real world.

Manufacturers and vendors use distributors to avoid things that are not their core business. It's infinitely easier for Kodak in Rochester to focus on making film and stuffing it into containers than it is to make film AND manage a global sales and distribution network servicing 30,000+ retailers across 50+ countries, each with incredibly heterogeneous regulatory requirements, payment terms, and cultural norms.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as "just take orders and ship it out" when you're talking about getting product into every major city globally.

If direct ecommerce were truly superior to distributors, Coca-Cola would have done it decades ago with their near infinite resources and market domination.

 

[Model71]

You appear to be completely misunderstanding, Captain. I’ll edit to help you out…

Yup, I miss understood, thanks - Captain out.

 

[dcy]

The Eastman Kodak pension plan investment has a surplus, which they are trying to access, while the pensioners are resisting.
Which may be what is actually behind this announcement.

I once heard it say that Eastman Kodak is basically a pension plan with a side business in chemistry and film.

 

[djdister]

Evidently Kodak put a statement out on X roughly two hours ago.. regarding misleading media statements.

https://x.com/kodak/status/1955796193398714550?s=61

For those who don't want to go to X to read Kodak's statement, here it is on their website:

Statement Regarding Misleading Media Reports

 

[dcy]

The reality was that there's nothing the Kodak management could do. Absolutely nothing. You are forgetting how huge Kodak was at their peak: over $200 billion (!) in annual revenue (adjusted for inflation), which is about as much as Microsoft made in 2024. And Microsoft is a $3.9 trillion (!) company.

...

TLDR: Kodak management wasn't nearly as incompetent as most people think, and the most successful survived parts of their business simply aren't as known because they no longer use the brand.

Exactly. People vastly overestimate what is feasible and physically possible. You mention the sheer size of the company back then. On top of that, there's a mismatch of expertise and equipment. You can't instantly pivot from making a very specific type of photo-chemistry and coating it on gelatin to suddenly making the world's best digital sensors.

 

[mshchem]

So I guess with the extra 500 million we get Kodachrome back! 135, 127, 620 and 828!! Rock on!

 

[Craig]

P.S. If it were up to me, every single Bachelor's degree would have the usual 4 year requirement PLUS another 2 years of internship in the field of interest before the degree was granted. Apprenticing has a long and rewarding history in the trades and this should be carried into the university setting.

In order to become a Professional Engineer in Canada you need the university degree and 4 years experience under another P. Eng. - basically an apprenticeship.

 

[Cholentpot]

This fundamentally misunderstands the value of distributors and the complexity of B2B commerce in the real world.

Manufacturers and vendors use distributors to avoid things that are not their core business. It's infinitely easier for Kodak in Rochester to focus on making film and stuffing it into containers than it is to make film AND manage a global sales and distribution network servicing 30,000+ retailers across 50+ countries, each with incredibly heterogeneous regulatory requirements, payment terms, and cultural norms.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as "just take orders and ship it out" when you're talking about getting product into every major city globally.

If direct ecommerce were truly superior to distributors, Coca-Cola would have done it decades ago with their near infinite resources and market domination.

Coca Cola started by contracting bottlers but eventually made a huge push to buy them all out. There are nowhere near as many independent bottlers as there used to be.

 

[MattKing]

I once heard it say that Eastman Kodak is basically a pension plan with a side business in chemistry and film.

A better statement about Eastman Kodak historically would be to describe it as a large, multi-national marketing and distribution entity, employing thousands and thousands of well trained and well paid employees, with excellent benefits, including a well funded employer paid pension structure. In support of that entity, they also had much smaller numbers of employees involved in R&D and manufacturing.
When an entity like that collapses or nearly collapses, the well funded pension plan stays around.
The biggest problem with the numerous Kodak pension funds is that the employees of Eastman Kodak's oldest and largest international subsidiary, UK based Kodak Limited, have/had the maddening tendency to live longer than actuarial projections would indicate - probably because the health benefits were so good.
My father worked for Canadian Kodak/Kodak Canada for 36 years, and then collected his pension and enjoyed his additional benefits for another 33 years. The pension benefits were never in doubt, even through the bankruptcy. There was some uncertainty about some of the additional benefits during and after the time of the bankruptcy, but they never stopped during his lifetime.

 

[BrianShaw]

So who’s to blame (or thank) for longevity, the actuarial staff or socialized medicine.

 

[MattKing]

So who’s to blame (or thank) for longevity, the actuarial staff or socialized medicine.

Well, the benefits I referenced are additional benefits, above the comprehensive benefits available to the public at large. Things like extended health benefits and fairly generous holiday time.
And as far as the ability of the actuaries to predict (in terms of statistical likelihood) the lifetimes of the workforce:
1) actuaries are a somewhat depressing lot; and
2) I refer you to that other thread about how long-lived photographers are. Like many Kodak employees, my Dad enjoyed a lifetime of photography, and was able to continue enjoying it until his eyesight started to fail him in his 90s.