Kodak Retires Kodachrome Film

[clayne]

Isn't the best thing to do, when you have a cash cow, is to feed it and care for it and keep it healthy. I think that Kodak really should sell off the profitable parts of the digital side, and dump the rest of the digital stuff in the nearest dust bin, to concentrate on it's film business. Pretty much what Ilford did when it sold off it's foray into Ink papers and colour materials, to concentrate on it's core business, B&W imaging materials.

YES

Ah bad, there's something inside me that seems to like forgetting about the good actions of kodak.
What seems true is that, here, I see more green boxes than yellow.

With a username like "Prest_400" (Neopan Presto 400) I think your standpoint might just be a bit biased, dude.

[E76]

A good start would be to have "http://kodak.com/film".

Kodak has many URLs like that already. For example, http://kodak.com/go/bwfilms and http://kodak.com/go/professional. There's a full list here: http://kodak.com/go.

[Ektagraphic]

You must remember that Fuji has a plant in the US

What do they manufacture over here?

[TerryM]

You must remember that Fuji has a plant in the US, but Kodak has no plant in Japan. They are forbidden to own a plant there. This is the same in many countries BTW. Nationals must own the major portion of the company and there can be no "secret" formulas or technology. That impacts on sales in some countries which have trade agreements with different world-wide manufacturing companies.

Ron, are you sure that this is true? If so, why doesn't the Congress retaliate to protect American companies. I guess this would also apply to the Big Auto Three in their failed efforts to penetrate the Japanese market.

... The leader is used as long as possible if left uncoated, but consider this... In continuous production, which is the best of all possible worlds, the "leader" is the support for the last product and the trailer is the support for the next product. ...

How is the leader and trailer attached to the Film Base to be coated?

[Photo Engineer]

What do they manufacture over here?

IDK anymore.

Sorry.

PE

[Photo Engineer]

Ron, are you sure that this is true? If so, why doesn't the Congress retaliate to protect American companies. I guess this would also apply to the Big Auto Three in their failed efforts to penetrate the Japanese market.


How is the leader and trailer attached to the Film Base to be coated?

Yes, Fuji has a plant here, and yes, Japan and other countries require 60%+ ownership by nationals of any joint venture or production facility. And, no, Congress has done nothing as it is part of Japanese law and our law.

The leader is attached by a method called splicing and it uses a material called splicing tape. OMG! Terry, tell me that this is not so. Splicing has been known since the early days of motion picture. I remember watching my dad splice Kodachrome motion picure in the 40s.

You have a serious lack of knowledge in the art of photography. I am sorry to have to say this, but that question was beyond the pale. Please forgive me Terry, but they use that in Theaters today to fix broken film. It is so pervasive that I am surprised you don't know of this.

Kodak uses the same method basically. They use a yellow colored (IIRC) splicing tape.

PE

[clayne]

PE, Terry might have been aware of splicing tape or had the idea but was simply asking so as not to be presumptuous. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt. :-)

[PHOTOTONE]

And Harman has stated on here numerous times that they only make film for Ilford (And now Kentmere) branded products.

I don't think private label manufacture is on the radar in the foreseeable future, unless Kodak made them a very very very tempting offer

Sorry, but that is not "quite" what Ilford/Harman has said. They have said they would never again private label Ilford brand films and papers. In other words, they have never stated they would not make unique products for others, just that they would not be identical to those products sold under the "Ilford" flagship brand, and indeed they DO make other product, such as the current Bergger photo papers. Now Kentmere photo papers and 35mm film also.

[Sirius Glass]

Why are some posting in this thread so sure that Kodak's management never had an original idea in their lives? Do those posters realize that while these people do not always make the right decision, that they are smart and they have probably talked about all these ideas and more? They have limitations in the market place, finance, physical state of the plants and properties and more. If they could come up with a way to increase any of their sales they would.

Steve

[TerryM]

... The leader is attached by a method called splicing and it uses a material called splicing tape. OMG! Terry, tell me that this is not so. Splicing has been known since the early days of motion picture. I remember watching my dad splice Kodachrome motion picure in the 40s.
You have a serious lack of knowledge in the art of photography. I am sorry to have to say this, but that question was beyond the pale. Please forgive me Terry, but they use that in Theaters today to fix broken film. It is so pervasive that I am surprised you don't know of this. ...

It's late and I guess you're tired -- so you're forgiven. Yes I have splicing tape and cutters etc. for my Super8. Since 3-1/2 x 5000 feet of Film would be rather heavy and demanding to "pull", I am surprised that tape is reliable and strong enough. Pardon me.
Thanks Clayne!

There is a solution for Kodak, without replacing plants at an amazing level of capital expense, simply do what almost all other manufacturers in the US have done, farm out production over seas. ...

Paul, profit problems aren't related to Kodak's hard-working, skilled and devoted employees being overpaid. Digital is their money-loser, and selling the Healthcare Unit was a disaster. Their Films do make a profit, but could be more profitable if they were universally available to consumers. They've had this problem of non-availability in Stores for over a decade. I remember telling them 10 years ago about their Films not being available in the former Bi-Way Store.
For low-selling Films, the pre-paid ordering system I suggested would pay for the Master Roll before it were made, and so they would not have to invest any capital to produce the Roll. Sounds like a good idea to me, but what do I know. I don't want to go beyond the pale again. :rolleyes:

... The film, IIRC, was "The Spy Who Loved Me".

Yes, starring the beloved Sir Roger Moore. The song is "Nobody Does It Better" (1977) -- my favourite Bond Theme Song. I can write out all the words if anyone wishes. Many of you probably won't believe me, but I don't care because it's true. I'm the one who got Roger his Knighthood back in 2003. I had originally recommended him back in 2001, but nothing was happening. So I enquired in January 2003 with the Ceremonial Secretariat Richard Roscoe, and was told there is a five year grace period between two consecutive honours. Roger was made a CBE (check your dictionary if you don't know what that is) in 1999, and so wasn't eligible until 2004. I asked if they could please waive that five year period, and they did and the Knighthood was announced in June 2003. Now, a defeatist would have accepted the original explanation, and Sir Roger would have had to wait another year. Where there's a will there's a way! Nobody does it better than Kodachrome!