Kodak films direct from Eastman Kodak (was: Kodacolor 100. New)

[loccdor]

Would all this be expected to have an impact on the prices?

 

[Nopo]

The old owners were actually a large UK government fund with the legislative mandate to make good on any pension shortfalls in certain defined private pension plans - and the projected/potential Kodak Limited pension fund shortfall was forecasted to be the largest claim ever on that fund.
Kodak Alaris was created in an attempt to make enough profit over the years to reduce or eliminate that shortfall, because the alternative was to seize and sell the Kodak Limited assets that the government had a priority claim over, and if that had happened, less would have been realized, and Eastman Kodak would have been forced to cease operations and be liquidated.
I'm concerned that if Kodak Alaris is out of the amateur film business, everybody outside of the USA will only be able to buy from USA retail sources. If that happens, I doubt the professional film lines - including Ektachrome and all the black and white films - will be no more.
Eastman Kodak has no international distribution infrastructure capable of supporting still film.

Alaris never had a presence in Argentina beyond the Kodak Moments website; the film was 100% gray market and was disappearing. The agreement with Cinestil changed everything, and in the short time since this publication, there are more Kodak films and Kodak products marketed by Cinestil than were seen in the Alaris era. Time will tell if I'm wrong, but I think we'll be better off here without Alaris on the market.

 

[MattKing]

Alaris never had a presence in Argentina beyond the Kodak Moments website; the film was 100% gray market and was disappearing. The agreement with Cinestil changed everything, and in the short time since this publication, there are more Kodak films and Kodak products marketed by Cinestil than were seen in the Alaris era. Time will tell if I'm wrong, but I think we'll be better off here without Alaris on the market.

Cinestill is probably set up to be a local distributor in Argentina and if they are selling the still films, they probably have been buying from KA. KA has only ever sold to local distributors - never to retailers or individuals.
Of course Cinestill is the worldwide distributor for the very new maker of the Kodak branded photo-chemicals, but that is a very new situation.

 

[polaromar]

I don't think we need to be too kind to Alaris here. Kodak had a responsibility to the UK government and Alaris was perhaps the lesser of two evils, but I think it is also hard to argue that Alaris was anything more than a vehicle for extracting value from Kodak's remains.

Keep in mind, this is Kodak, the photographic giant we are talking about. EK already has a massive distribution network due to their motion picture business and they've set up still distribution before, it's not like Filmotec who were basically the remnants of ORWO's R&D department. I don't think there's much to worry about here.

Thanks very much. I either forgot that or never saw it. That explains the longevity of Alaris' use of the brand name. Not sure if that implies exclusivity or has much to do with either exlusivity or perpetuality of their film distribution. Apparently not, though.

No problem! You're exactly on point - the wording is confusing and very general. Which may explain the break they've been able to achieve here.

Would all this be expected to have an impact on the prices?

I doubt it will lower the prices, but it might keep them more stable. For sure EK will get more profit selling direct which will keep them stable, and hopefully, open the doors for more film in the future. Additionally this might tariff-proof Kodak film since it is MiUSA and being shipped from Rochester, instead of being routed through the UK via Alaris HQ.

...which, come to think of it, might be the new owner's strategy. This would track with EK being allowed to sell direct in North America only.

 

[thinkbrown]

Additionally this might tariff-proof Kodak film since it is MiUSA and being shipped from Rochester, instead of being routed through the UK via Alaris HQ.

...which, come to think of it, might be the new owner's strategy. This would track with EK being allowed to sell direct in North America only.

Honestly, this is the most plausible explaination I've heard yet.

 

[MattKing]

Keep in mind, this is Kodak, the photographic giant we are talking about. EK already has a massive distribution network due to their motion picture business and they've set up still distribution before, it's not like Filmotec who were basically the remnants of ORWO's R&D department. I don't think there's much to worry about here.

The motion picture distribution infrastructure was essentially a skeleton of its former self by the time the bankruptcy happened, and even when it was at its zenith, it was dwarfed by the distribution network for C41 and RA4 chemicals and and RA4 paper, and the still film distribution infrastructure.
Essentially, it was the cost burden imposed by that infrastructure that made Kodak bankrupt.
Kodak Alaris took on some of the employee obligations for some of the people formerly working in the sales and marketing and distribution parts of EK, which definitely help EK emerge from bankruptcy, but the relatively very small number of people left to deal with the motion picture business were essentially a statistical blip.
Even back in its prime, in western Canada, the sales, marketing and distribution group - which my Dad was a part of - only had one or two people with responsibilities for the commercial motion picture business. A much greater number worked on the rest of the product lines.
I would guess that I encountered more people (through my Dad) in the microfilm and office technology parts of Kodak Canada then motion picture people.

 

[MattKing]

Additionally this might tariff-proof Kodak film since it is MiUSA and being shipped from Rochester, instead of being routed through the UK via Alaris HQ.

...which, come to think of it, might be the new owner's strategy. This would track with EK being allowed to sell direct in North America only.

The head business office for Kodak Alaris' Kodak film business has always been in Rochester New York up to now, and as far as I'm aware all Kodak still film that is shipped through Kodak Alaris originates through there - it certainly is manufactured there.
Kodak Alaris was until recently merely been owned by UK interests - day to day management of the film business as well as its earlier Kodak paper and photo-chemical businesses - was always US based.
Historically, for a while, some of the Kodak Alaris contracted for Kodak branded photo-chemicals were manufactured in Germany, but Tetenal's bankruptcy put an end to that.

 

[Hassasin]

I seriously doubt in this day and age, expanding distributor list is difficult, time consuming, or costly. Frankly all EK has to do is make a deal with Amazon and most of the world is covered. It likely will have more to do with actual plans EK has.