Kodak pulling its distributor out of Canada?

[Rob Skeoch]

I agree with Braxus. Thats what I found when I tried to deal with Kodak and sell sheet film. They're not interested in servicing small accounts and put you in touch with a middleman.
Of course now the pricing becomes so high it's not worth having inventory.
I've had much better luck selling Ilford products and Kentmere black and white papers.
Personally I liked the Kodak films and chemicals but I've totally switched to Ilford. They just seem more committed somehow.

 

[jd callow]

Sorry, I understand better what this thread is about.

Well that sucks. Kodak needs to learn how to scale their local distribution to the demand. I had heard of the minimums and know that that kept many stores from carrying a wider variety.

 

[braxus]

I'll comment on minimums. Our lab sells Kodak film and we use Kodak products. When I order rolls of Gold 100, I have to order a minimum 10 rolls. When I want to order some Portra films, I have to order a minimum of 20. Granted that is not a great amount if you factor in selling to different people, but our lab cannot get rid of 20 rolls of professional film like that. I would buy say 5 which means 15 have to be sold to other people. If I was trying to get a good selection of films, I could see this all adding up and ending up with a huge amount of film. Since some places go through a distributor, the minimum order may be even more then just 20 rolls.

 

[Harrigan]

I agree with Braxus. Thats what I found when I tried to deal with Kodak and sell sheet film. They're not interested in servicing small accounts and put you in touch with a middleman.
Of course now the pricing becomes so high it's not worth having inventory.
I've had much better luck selling Ilford products and Kentmere black and white papers.
Personally I liked the Kodak films and chemicals but I've totally switched to Ilford. They just seem more committed somehow.

Kodak put in place many years ago a higher yearly account minimum. I forget what it is but as a lab if you dont spend XXXXX grand a year then you can not buy direct. Again I dont know what the amount it but if you don't spend it then you have to pay the "small dealer" price which is basically so close to retail its a waste of time to stock the stuff. The employees used to get the small dealer price for film and I know it was pretty much the retail price at many stores.

 

[Dave Wooten]

scott.disabato@kodak.com


Just a bump....I emailed Scott, he is the Marketing Manager, Professional Film Photographer Trade Relations for Eastman Kodak Company...He is a very positive voice for film and represented Kodak at the recent PMA show in Las Vegas. He is aware of APUG, hopefully he can be a voice and shed some light on pertinent questions.

 

[Daniel_OB]

RobLewis
You can spend your money for whatever you want, even for Kodak "photo" materials. Honesly, one of the reason I never used Kodak is that I never in my life beleived in Am business. I do not have Am car also. Just always try to avoid it. I made one time mistake and lost $16000 (nice business). Well it just proved my atitude is right (for me at least), so and the price is.
What I care when buy and spend my money is ratio BUSINESS/LOVE (PASSION).
This ratio is veeeery different in England, Germany, ..., and US. It is not blaming people in US, for they have not many things in common with US big business condition.
Here is one example for you: In japan many will die for the company, which is completely opposite to Americans. We know it from stories, from what really happened, from experince. That is how Fuji Film came to be so sucessful (not to talk about other industies in Japan). So it is that ratio I talk about. I like people with passion for what they do and I trust them and buy what they make. It should be even emphased when artists are in the game.

If you still like to buy Kodak materials good luck with that people.

www.Leica-R.com

 

[RobLewis]

Daniel OB-
I tend to be very skeptical about not only American businesses, but all profit-driven entities.
Not to hijack this forum- it is after all about Kodak and Canada distributers...
but I think we all have that feeling that we'd rather spend our money on 'companies that care'... but our actions don't always follow that course.
Example- Exxon Mobil. Remember the Valdez? Have they even began to pay their share of the clean-up costs? Yet, every quarter they report record earnings, etc... We have a very short memory on a lot of issues.

I would be cautious in saying that this is an American business phenomenon. Anywhere in the world that a corporation has to answer to shareholders, who expect maximum profit, this type of thing can and does happen.

Now be nice- or Bush will bring Democracy to Canada

 

[braxus]

I also found out by this lab TMAX films in 120 were discontinued as well. So add that to the list.

Ignore this. The lab was incorrect in this info as I called Kodak and they said its not the case and is still available.

 

[Daniel_OB]

R.Lewis
I said:
"... with US big business condition
When omit BIG it means no "shareholders". And it is a point. No BIG business within any art form is possible ever (no statistic, no predictible results). Kodak went wrong way for reasons.... and got big. They pay the bill now but as I know when money loose comes own childrens are out of question....
Now you see who are you are supporting. Even from your post I can concude you do what you do not like, you feed bloody sharesholders that have nothing in common with our photography any more.
www.Leica-R.com

 

[film_guy]

I don't see Fuji doing the same things and making the same mistakes as Kodak, and yet both companies are huge players in the photography world, especially in film-based markets. Anyone care to tell me what's the difference?

 

[Dave Wooten]

I don't see Fuji doing the same things and making the same mistakes as Kodak, and yet both companies are huge players in the photography world, especially in film-based markets. Anyone care to tell me what's the difference?

Also, Fugi Photo Film Co., Ltd. is ranked number 227 by revenues in Global Fortune 500 directory....23.6 billion.

"Mistakes" of course are a matter of interpretation
..Kodak is on its announced course and plan of action and market strategy....it is delivering what is said it would...

Bloomberg Reports/Kodak reports first profits in nine quarters from revenue from photo kiosks and savings from cutting jobs. Sales fell 9%..Digital revenue fell.

Kodak installed kiosks that print d@#% photos in all Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. and eliminated more than 23,000 jobs...

Kodak is the biggest US seller of d*&^% cameras, docks, printers,...

Job cuts include 10,900 in manufacturing and 6200 in photo finishing...

(digital revenues fell)



http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/31/bloomberg/bxkodak.php

 

[aldevo]

Also, Fugi Photo Film Co., Ltd. is ranked number 227 by revenues in Global Fortune 500 directory....23.6 billion.

"Mistakes" of course are a matter of interpretation
..Kodak is on its announced course and plan of action and market strategy....it is delivering what is said it would...

Bloomberg Reports/Kodak reports first profits in nine quarters from revenue from photo kiosks and savings from cutting jobs. Sales fell 9%..Digital revenue fell.

Kodak installed kiosks that print d@#% photos in all Wal-Mart stores in the U.S. and eliminated more than 23,000 jobs...

Kodak is the biggest US seller of d*&^% cameras, docks, printers,...

Job cuts include 10,900 in manufacturing and 6200 in photo finishing...

(digital revenues fell)



http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/31/bloomberg/bxkodak.php

Fuji is laying off not thousands but TENS of thousands now world-wide.

Isn't it just possible that Kodak is getting picked on because as a publicly-traded entity in the USA it is obliged to publish this information in the English-speaking press?

FujiFilm does not often make press releases in the English-speaking press.

Also, I spent SIX years doing materials science research for Japanese corporate sponsors in grad school and my first several years in the workforce ('94- late '99) and you have got things aboslutely f***ed with regard to what the motivation is of any Japanese corporation.

Like any other corporate entity it exists solely for the purpose of satisfying stockholders. There is nary a speck of idealism. None.

 

[aldevo]

Fuji is laying off not thousands but TENS of thousands now world-wide.

Isn't it just possible that Kodak is getting picked on because as a publicly-traded entity in the USA it is obliged to publish this information in the English-speaking press?

FujiFilm does not often make press releases in the English-speaking press.

Also, I spent SIX years doing materials science research for Japanese corporate sponsors in grad school and my first several years in the workforce ('94- late '99) and you have got things aboslutely f***ed with regard to what the motivation is of any Japanese corporation.

Like any other corporate entity it exists solely for the purpose of satisfying stockholders. There is nary a speck of idealism. None.

Dave - my apologies for attirbuting Daniels' sentiments to yours. Mea culpa...

Disengaging socio-political mode now

 

[Dave Wooten]

they do what they gotta do

 

[MattKing]

R.Lewis
I said:
"... with US big business condition
When omit BIG it means no "shareholders". And it is a point. No BIG business within any art form is possible ever (no statistic, no predictible results). Kodak went wrong way for reasons.... and got big. They pay the bill now but as I know when money loose comes own childrens are out of question....
Now you see who are you are supporting. Even from your post I can concude you do what you do not like, you feed bloody sharesholders that have nothing in common with our photography any more.
www.Leica-R.com

Daniel:

I think you might be surprised at how many rank and file employees of Kodak are/were shareholders of Kodak. They used to have a very active employee share purchase plan. They may still have such a plan, but I don't know, because my information is somewhat dated.

Matt

 

[film_guy]

aldevo, although Fuji might be laying off tons more workers than Kodak, they don't seem to be abandoning or treating their loyal customers like Kodak. And that speaks volumes of their customer service and customer appreciation. I don't see Kodak starting up websites like choose-film.com to woo their customers.

 

[fotch]

I don't see anyone else send out FREE FILM except KODAK.

 

[gr82bart]

Hey Sean,

Where's the "I want to see Kodak go bankrupt" area of the forum? Seems that's what APUGers want. It's no wonder the Kodak management I've talked to in person has this perception of APUG. So do I.

Regards, Art.

 

[Uncle Bill]

I don't see anyone else send out FREE FILM except KODAK.

A US only promotion I would like to remind. For those of us in Canada and other parts of planet earth were not allowed the opportunity to participate in the promotion.

I love kodak product, D76, Hc110, Tri-x, Plus-X, Kodachrome 64, E100VS and GX film. No comment on the sales and marketing philsophy in dealing with smaller dealers, I think enough has been said.

Bill

 

[Sirius Glass]

Hey Sean,

Where's the "I want to see Kodak go bankrupt" area of the forum? Seems that's what APUGers want. It's no wonder the Kodak management I've talked to in person has this perception of APUG. So do I.

Regards, Art.

The "I want to see Kodak go bankrupt" attitude is taken from the play book pages labeled "Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory" and "Shooting Oneself in the Head".

We should definitely open a "Self Destructive" section of APUG for those people. Then we could drop them from APUG so that we can stop their damage to the film users and film industry.

Steve

 

[fotch]

These bashers Love to Hate. Like a drunk in the bar, they are loud and obnoxious while most others quietly endure. Kodak has more fans than anyone else however, there always some that cannot stand another’s success.

These bashers should start their own little forum where they can go into convulsions with their tantrums.

It’s a shame that the rest of us have to be tortured by these Love to Hate bashers. Unfortunately, these few feed on one another and it just goes on and on. Its not constructive criticism, it’s more the ranting of lunatics.

Who said “If you can’t say something nice, shut up?

 

[jd callow]

Hey Sean,

Where's the "I want to see Kodak go bankrupt" area of the forum? Seems that's what APUGers want. It's no wonder the Kodak management I've talked to in person has this perception of APUG. So do I.

Regards, Art.

Art,
I find the mind set of many on APUG regarding Kodak to be such hypocrisy. This same group also suffers from selective memory, ignorance and a fair lack of maturity. Agfa is gone in large part to mismanagement -- where's the anger over this? Fuji is a brutal competitor with no higher ethics than any large US corp. They get that halo because the sheep are buying the PR.

Ilford gets a halo and as far as I can tell they actually deserve it.

Kodak produces more film and a larger variety than any other manufacturer. Their product line, which was pretty damn good, has been improved. Did I mis the countless posts and threads thanking Kodak?

I don't mean to say that Kodak is perfect or that they do and say some really stupid things, but I don't see the value in the magnification. What are these folks going to do when Kodak stops producing film? I can hear them say "I told you so", when they should be saying (in a child's voice), "And I help'd!"

 

[PHOTOTONE]

For those of us that still use 4x5 color transparency film in quantity, like I do, I am very grateful that Kodak still offers a variety of choices in that format. I will have shot 150 sheets of 4x5 EPP this month on a job, and I can get more overnight anytime I want it....Thank you Kodak. There are only 2 (count them) 2 manufacturers of transparency film in the whole world. Fuji and Kodak, and I gratefully use products from both companies.

 

[agGNOME]

Jd, as usual a clear perspective...always well spoken.

We need them all folks!

 

[Craig]

My local camera store (the biggest in town by volume I think) has said that they will stop carrying Kodak B&W film because the minimum order is now 1000 rolls per type. They said that they have trouble selling that much film before it's out of date.

It may just be a local anomoly, but their volumes of Ilford sales are much higher than Kodaks.

They do stock a great selection of Kodak and Ilford chemistry and I can get pretty much anything I want off the shelf, including Ilfochrome chemistry. I have not heard of any minimum orders of chemistry, just film.