The future is looking green!

[reuben_c]

Anyone else old enough to remember that famous NY Daily News

headline, "Ford to City: Drop Dead"?

<p>

Well, here's an article form an upstate paper that might easily be

headlined, "EK to AG: Drop Dead":

<p>

<a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?

AID=/20050512/BUSINESS/505120369/1001">New CEO pledges faster digital

pace - Perez warns that Kodak's 'time to act is short'</a>

<p>

It's chock full of gut-wrenchers like "continue curbing its historic

film business", and references to the new honcho's "killer instinct".

<p>

One employee said she was surprised; that she "hadn't thought Carp

was going to step down. I don't think he's that old."

<p>

Well, I guess not, since he's two years younger than the "killer

instinct" that he brought into the company, took under his wing, and

then... well, you get the picture. It's all there in black and white,

go read the article.

<p>

So, it seems like the future of traditional photography is looking

greener by the day. ("Green" is just a symbolic corporate color, of

course. I expect Ilford, Agfa, Maco, etc. are probably viewing this

stuff as good news too, along with Fuji.)

<p>

Dang, I'm really going to miss Kodachrome. And Microdol-X. I think

they've pretty much killed off the rest of my faves already.

<p>

I'll leave the last laugh to Monty Python, and hope that someone

tells it to that lady from Accounting who didn't "think he's that

old":

<b>

<i>Nobody</I> expects the Spanish Inquisition!</b>

[juergenf]

Quote "We will have to accelerate the pace of our move into digital." - Antonio M. Perez

 

I can understand that EK doesn't want to fall behind on their rivals. But it still remains a sad story, all these great emulsions that are being killed off in favor of chips and sensors. I wonder how long before they seal the faith by killing off Tri-X......

[cfimages]

Quote "We will have to accelerate the pace of our move into digital." - Antonio M. Perez

 

That's an interesting quote, considering that I read in the newspaper a couple of days ago that Kodak had the biggest share of the digital market (although Canon were closing in fast). Sorry, I can't provide a link to the story - I read it in an actual paper, not online, and can't find it on the newspapers website. I think the story was syndicated from AP though, but I'm too lazy to try and search the online AP archives.

 

But, even though I shoot DSLR mostly these days, I still hope that it doesn't mean the end of any Kodak film. When shooting slides, I prefer Velvia or Provia, but I like to have the choice that Fuji and Kodak comepeting allows me. As for b/w, well, I don't really shoot it anymore, but if I had a darkroom (or shot b/w and gave it to a lab), I'd be shooting Tri-X

[andrew_pike1]

Damn. I was really hoping they'd bring in someone who recognizes that there is still value in film, and would slow the phasing out of many films, not speed it up. It's not a monkey to get off their back. I wish they'd get someone who would consider the needs of all photographers, not just the ones who are buying their megabucks DSC bodies.

 

But then again, it's really not about photography to them, is it?

 

Bas*@&ds.

[john_shriver]

Right, it's about returning shareholder value.

 

On the other hand, they have quite a few more years that they will be carrying depreciation on their new B&W film factory, so they presumably will keep running it.

 

It's already clear that the capital investment isn't going into film design anymore. But that makes it even more of a cash cow. We may see more of the film manufactured outside the USA and shipped back. (Sad as that is for Kodak's US employees of long standing.) This strikes me as most likely in C-41 films, where Wal-Mart is clearly pushing hard to sell them film at the "China Price".

[g._armour_van_horn]

I'd sure like to see them invest some engineering talent (of which I believe they have generous amounts) in rapid-change processes for their film lines. I may be all wet here, but my recollection is that EK used to make a lot more emulsions thirty years ago than they do today. Not only the regular pro and consumer films, but astronomical and scientific films. Ron Mowrey has hinted that it takes a lot of time to switch from one emulsion to another.

 

Current engineering, cost accounting, and CRM software should make them able to increase their range and lower costs. Perhaps they should have hired someone from 3M instead of HP. Like Kodak, 3M is based on coating advanced chemicals onto flexible webs and packaging them under a zillion SKUs to a host of different markets. HP hasn't had the engineering mindset for quite a few years now.

 

Van

[ilkka_nissila]

I can't really imagine that Kodak would be getting something "good" from a HP exec. I mean, what good are managers who worked for a company that used to be good?