The end for Kodak?

[alanrockwood]

Here is a humble suggestion to all those who don't want to read or discuss this topic any further. Please avoid these threads and quit reading and commenting on the topic, and leave it to the rest of us who are interested in the topic to continue the discussion.

[BrianShaw]

It is like the car wreck that none of us really wants to see, but we keep staring nonetheless.

[Rudeofus]

Tom, I hope very much that what you wrote about Ilford vs. Kodak is correct, since dwindling movie film sales would only mean that those specific coating lines are going to be shut down while the lines for photographic film can continue to operate. Unfortunately, though, did PE not exactly create that impression when he posted about declining movie film sales and the resulting problems for us still shooters a few months ago, so it appears rather that Kodak uses at least their color film coating lines for multiple film types.

[alanrockwood]

I wonder if five years from now it will be possible to buy C41 or E6 film. I hope so, but if/when Kodak falls it won't leave very many alternative suppliers... Fuji, if they can manage to keep the film business alive. What about Ferrani? I don't even know if they are still manufacturing film. Any others?

[PKM-25]

Toured the coating facility at Kodak under NDA in June of 2009, it has been re-tooled to able to coat many different kinds of film on the same line, even more than one in a single day and smaller runs are possible. But it is still a big building, with vibration reducing concrete going straight down to Rochester bedrock some 40 feet below. We don't want to lose this facility...it provides the basis for the highest quality possible.

As far as I understand the situation, the ILFORD facility was built in the early 1980s when there was much more use of black & white photographic materials for commercial and industrial purposes (e.g. newspapers and HP5). I suspect one key to the success of ILFORD Photo has been a coating line than can cope with defined runs of a particular product, and then be cleaned and changed over to coat for a different product. In comparison to Kodak building machines that are capable of coating Tri-X continuously for example.

Tom

[R.Gould]

As long as their is profit in C41 or E6 I firmly believe that they will exist in some form in five years, if Kodak does go under then if those who use the film will switch to Fuji, who will have a virtual monopoly on color film of all type, but maybe a new player will emerge, from a completly new direction, who will take up the slack that kodak will leave, I want kodak to survive as a film producer, I love their films, and grew up with Trix as my mainstay, and will continue to use it as long as I can, but who knows what the future holds, and I think we just have to wait and see, and make our plans for the future the way the cards are dealt, what else can any of us do, other than to fall on our collective swords, and throw in the towel, and I for one have no intention of so doing, if in 5 years the only film still available is Adox/foma Etc then so be it, I will use that, I would rather it be Kodak but I am not giving up my photography until either I cannot get film or I am six feet under, so I still day we must wait and see what happens, but enjoy using the film while we can.
Richard

[BrianL]

In today's Toronto Star in the business section, there is a decent article on the pending Kodak bankruptcy and a case study summary about the company. A good read for university students in buainess programs. Not in-depth but, concise enoguh to understand. I suspect Kodak will soon become a mandatory case study for business courses as well as other courses.

[jerry lebens]

It's certainly true that Ilford/Harman use the same line to coat everything from film through to digital inkjet papers (and, as such, they're at the forefront of nano coating technology). But I don't know if what Tom says is true of the Kodak facility - although it wouldn't surprise me if it was true. Perhaps PhotoEngineer could confirm...?

I do know that when I've discussed the subject with people at Harman, they were confident that they could 'recreate' Tri-X without too much difficulty, if they wished to.

[mn57]

They're toast. There's simply no way to recover. After selling off 1000's of valuable patents and theier future-looking business units, there's nothing left to grow on.

[thomas l]

...because the quality stinks. And it's old outdated stuff.

This is nonsense. The products of Fotoimpex/Adox are not outdated and the quality is very very good. Just try Adox MCP or Adox MCC Paper. And there will be the new APX 100 and 400 with same quality as Agfa has been.

Thomas