Kodak Endura Premiere in cut sheets a possibility

[Greg Davis]

Many of us cried out when Kodak announced that Supra Endura would only be available in rolls and not cut sheets anymore. I had even written a letter to the CEO, from which I received a phone call from the head of the paper division to try to find a solution, though for just myneeds as an educator. We all assumed the reason was low volume sheet sales and Kodak did not want to bother with us anymore, and Kodak never gave us a reason. A few weeks ago, the Society for Photographic Education held its annual conference and it was attended by a few Kodak reps. We discussed this with them and they explained exactly what had happened.

Kodak and Fuji were outsourcing their cutting operations to one company in North Carolina. I use the word company loosely, because it was actually just one man cutting all the paper and packaging it. He quit. Apparently he tried to sell his business, but nobody bought it,so when he stopped offering his service to them, there was nobody left to do it. Fuji was still set up to cut in-house, but Kodak was not. They have been displeased with the qualities of the Supra Endura VC, thus leading to the optically printable Endura Premiere and they are looking for ways to get it cut and packaged in cut sheets. They recognize our part in supporting them financially by buying their stuff, which we can't do if they don't cut it and package it. There was no word on when it may happen, or even if it was definite, but it is encouraging that they are looking for solutions.

[MattKing]

Thanks Greg.

Boy does this ever give a good indication of how small the market had become.

I wonder if Ilford could do it for them? Maybe they could trade for time on the 220 finishing machine .

I think I'm going to pm Simon.

[Ken Nadvornick]

I wonder if Ilford could do it for them? Maybe they could trade for time on the 220 finishing machine .

I like it!



Ken

[labyrinth photo]

ilford have been cutting paper in europe, but not for kodak and unfortunately the best qualty stock. it would be good to see kodak cut sheet back on the shelves.

[Roger Cole]

This is potentially great news!

Thanks Greg.

Boy does this ever give a good indication of how small the market had become.

I wonder if Ilford could do it for them? Maybe they could trade for time on the 220 finishing machine .

I think I'm going to pm Simon.

Eh, good as that sounds, shipping it to England and then back, for something relatively large and heavy per value like paper, would add way too much to the cost, I think. But one can dream at least!

[MattKing]

This is potentially great news!



Eh, good as that sounds, shipping it to England and then back, for something relatively large and heavy per value like paper, would add way too much to the cost, I think. But one can dream at least!

Ilford ship containers of merchandise to their US distributors regularly.

And I may be wrong, but I think the UK is one location that may still have a Kodak coating line (for colour paper?).

[pentaxuser]

[QUOTE=MattKing;1331911]Ilford ship containers of merchandise to their US distributors regularly.

Not only does Ilford manage that but apparently manages to still sell the paper cheaper than they do to the U.K. customers where the paper is cut and packaged

Paper like other goods can still be sent around the world and sold at a profit. Maybe the one man operation in the U.S. who was Kodak's sole cutter was the sole cutter when Kodak paper was still being sold as cut sheets in the U.K.

If Fuji is the only company to supply cut sheets and most mini-labs in the U.K. use Fuji paper anyway which wasn't the case a few years ago, then there is only one outcome i.e. Fuji wins and has the monopoly. I wonder what happens to prices when there is only one supplier???

Maybe Kodak once thought it could shrug its shoulders when faced with the loss of the RA4 paper market but hopefully realises that it is now a market worth fighting for.


pentaxuser

[DREW WILEY]

Rolls are easier to store and safer to ship, and account for most pro lab usage. Even Fuji has reduced their selection of cut sheets while maintaining virtually all roll products. During the recession
all kinds of mfg companies tried to cut back on "redundant" packaging options. Schools and amateurs
want cut sheet, so have largely turned to Fuji, who has kept it up to 20X24 in standard papers only.
Not nice for guys like me who want 30X40 in polyester stock, but that's why I have my own big
cutting table set up. The big digital printing machines generally have automated XY cutters on board.
Somone could probably pick up one of these slitters used for a few grand and go into business!

[Roger Cole]

Well yeah, Ilford ships paper over here. But in this case, if it's coated in the US, it would have to make two trips more across the pond that it doesn't now. I'm not sure how much that would add to the cost, and I bet they can get it done over here anyway. Of course for Europe it has to go over anyway in rolls, and wouldn't have to come back. It was a thought, but might not add that much to the price. Color paper is already way cheaper than B&W anyway. I could live with it adding, say, 10% to the cost if it meant I could buy Kodak prints-well-optically RA4 paper in sheets again.

[Sal Santamaura]

...Kodak and Fuji were outsourcing their cutting operations to one...man cutting all the paper and packaging it...when he stopped offering his service to them, there was nobody left to do it. Fuji was still set up to cut in-house, but Kodak was not...

Another fine example of corporate management doing stupid things to satisfy Wall Street. A repeat of the Quickload/ReadyLoad situation. Kodak had outsourced ReadyLoad production to Polaroid. When Polaroid disappeared, Kodak no longer had an in-house capability to make ReadyLoads, so they were discontinued. Fuji kept selling Quickloads.

I hate outsourcing. I love vertical integration. Hopefully, this

http://news.yahoo.com/citigroup-shar...ews-deals.html

marks the start of a revolution.