Kodak Buys Imaging Business

[bmattock]

Kodak Buys Imaging Business - News Story

LATEST NEWS
9:19 AM EDT Tuesday
Kodak buys imaging business
Eastman Kodak Corp., which employees about 600 people in Kettering, bought the imaging business of National Semiconductor for an undisclosed price, the company announced Tuesday.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based unit makes semiconductors used in imaging equipment. Kodak plans to hire 50 new employees at the segment.

The deal furthers Kodak's move away from traditional photography and toward digital imaging.

Locally, the company operates Kodak Versamark, which develops and manufactures digital inkjet printers in Kettering.

Rochester, N.Y.-based Kodak stock closed Monday at $29.94 per share, while National Semiconductor closed at $14.18 per share.

© 2004 American City Business Journals Inc.

Not unexpected, I would guess - but still interesting news.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[GeneW]

Thanks for the news post, Bill. In an age where consumers have voted with their wallets, it's digital or bust for all these companies. Kodak needs to be a major player in digital to survive. I think they're doing the right thing.

As long as they continue to manufacture Tri-X !!!

Gene

 

[Todd.Hanz]

They are a major player, have you ever seen the Kodak DSLR 14n?

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092304kodakdcs14n.asp

Todd

 

[Todd.Hanz]

and the newest version: http://www.kodak.com/global/en/professional/products/cameras/proSLR/proSLRIndex.jhtml

Todd

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Is that the same camera whose review in PopPhoto was riddled with innacuracies? I was happy to see it come down in flames... terribly noisy at ISO 400. For a digital SLR, that's a death sentence.

 

[Rich Silfver]

Hasselblad's holding company just bought Imacon a few weeks ago.

 

[rover]

Kodak has a number of problems. I had a discussion with a man who is a management consultant working for Kodak. According to him, unfortunately their corporate structure and manufacturing process is as antiquated as the technology of the product which made them famous. He described a number of inefficiencies regarding what they outsource and produce inhouse which simply cannot continue. Let's face it, yes there are new films which are better than they were years ago, but the process of making photographic film is a 100 year old technology and has largely been done the old way at Kodak. Kodak has to remake their company to remain viable. Let's hope that they were big enough as a result of our beloved film that they can survive the change necessary for them to be a successful digital imaging company too.