What might happen to Kodak and its film and film-related businesses is pretty much total speculation at this point. The only thing we know is that if the current Kodak managment remains in office Kodak will be out of the film business. The only question is when. And with the division that includes film racking up losses it's my guess they'll be out of it sooner rather than later.
In the long run it might be good for film users if Kodak's film business was discontinued or sold to a company like Ilford or Fuji. That would allow film sales to be concentrated in the hands of fewer companies, thereby strengthening them and allowing them to continue producing film while film use continues to dwindle.
Brian Ellis
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
a mile away and you'll have their shoes.
Package up that emotion and write a screen play. It may do you some good there.
The world of business is the domain we are in. Company executives have been sticking their wet fingers in hot light sockets for perpetuity and will continue to do so. Add a myopic "we are smarter than the rest of you" culture to the mix and you produce a recipe for disaster. When it is a product that you enjoy using it can be very painful.
I ascribe to the fact that it is better for all parties to leave the labels and the history of the name on the packaging to yesterday's news and consume what photographic products do the best job of producing your best images and leave it at that.
not everything kodak made was made here in the states, just like with fuji, not everything was made overseas
at one point K made some of the film + paper overseas ( or in south america / canada ).
like with fuji ... a lot of their consumer films were made here in the states
( the film base in rhode island, coating + assembly in south carolina. )
===
unfortunately k isn't ready for a small market. they are used to making
hundreds of miles of film, rather than 1 mile of film. so there is
a lot of waste and they are drowning in it.
if they could somehow rig their machines for small runs, maybe they would have a chance.
or if they sold master rolls to someone like photo warehouse and have
them cut/package it for resale. when i asked K about them doing that a year or two ago, they
they said word from the top said "NO", even though it would assure people with odd-size film needs would
be happy, their re-distributer would be happy, and they would be able to sell
their materials in HUGE quantities.
its kind of like that monty python skit at this point
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwsKg6LwAuY
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
A really astonishing event in all of this is the appearance of the book:
"Making Kodak Film" by Robert Shanebrook
http://www.makingkodakfilm.com
The book appears to have a wealth of technical information on Kodak's manufacturing technology including photographs of their process equipment. Kodak cooperated with the author in preparation of the book.
I have a number of years technical experience in a related industry, manufacturing metal (silver among them) powders and metal salt powders (the silver in photographic emulsions is as precipitated silver halide powders). There is as much art as there is science in making such powders. Our manufacturing methods and process equipment were closely protected intellectual property.
It is difficult to imagine why Kodak has allowed release of this information if film manufacture is a business they plan to continue in the future.
If you look you'll find numerous US reports about the Kodak Directors being some of the worst in the US, some are accused of overseeing Kodak's downfall.
They appointed Perez, at a time Kodak was an extremely cash rich company, they've bled it dry, just look at the bonuses Perez has been paid while Kodak's been loosing money.
Eastman & Mees must be turning in their graves at the way the companies been stripped bare.
Ian
In spite of all your bitching and moaning EKCo still makes the widest variety and the highest quality films, it's hard to compare pock-marked crap from England and the rest of the Third World to our stuff.
If you want Kodak to disappear, then keep on doing what you you're doing... dissing the company that pioneered and helped make photography what it is today. Go ahead and use the cheap stuff, or cling to your freezers of ten-year old stock, so the don't sell as much. Kill it faster and say goodbye to decent large format color....
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