Kodak on 10 Brands that will Disappear in 2010 List

[CameraQuest]

Will Kodak disappear in 2010?
I hope not, but some think so.
damn.


http://247wallst.com/2009/12/02/the-ten-brands-that-will-disappear-in-2010/

Stephen

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I think almost certainly. You can't see double digit declines in revenue quarter after quarter for very long and stay in business. Simple economics.

But Fujifilm is experiencing serious declines in film sales, so I suspect they will dump film within the few years at most, regardless of Kodak's failure.

 

[Andy Kibber]

In marginally related news, I found out today that one of the two downtown prolabs in my city is closing. It's the one with Kodak branding. The other one is Fuji!

 

[dcsang]

Time to stock up while you can - empty a freezer or buy a new one 🙂

Dave

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Nah, Dave. Don't you read the forum threads? Film will be around for hundreds of more years. 😉

 

[Melvin]

This is a good story on how private equity firms operate. Good bye Tri-X!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120391729

 

[Ronald_H]

If Kodak and Fuji quit film, they'll probably sell equipment to others. If the end is really close, I actually will buy a big freezer and stock it full of film. But we're not really quite there yet.

 

[Melvin]

I'm almost afraid to ask, but how's Ilford doing?

 

[dcsang]

Nah, Dave. Don't you read the forum threads? Film will be around for hundreds of more years. 😉

Oh.. I know.. those threads lack the following though:

"Film will be around for hundreds of more years in your freezers because all the big makers of film will have given up on the medium by 2015 due to a lack of profitability in that sector."

😀

Cheers,
Dave

 

[bmasonoh]

Well this is just depressing. I'd like to hope that they'll sell their film division rather than just shut it down. I'd also like to hope that the Eastern European companies keep making film. There time may yet come.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

"I'd like to hope that they'll sell their film division rather than just shut it down."

I dunno. Let's look at the possible scenario. Kodak can't profitably make film so they have quit producing it. Fujifilm is close behind. Hey, I think I'll buy the equipment and start making film. Surely I could make a fortune that way! 😀

 

[sepiareverb]

Ilford gains a lot if Kodak goes under, and Ilford has stated many times they are in it for the long haul. Being much more nimble, and owned by the employees Ilford seems positioned to be the last man standing. Kodak, as a company owned by shareholders has no interest in anything but profit, be that in memory cards, shrinkwrap film or whatever. It is certainly not in the products that made them famous in large enough volumes to satisfy the owners who care nothing about photography. And they've demonstrated again and again they have no desire to be in the silver photography business. First paper, then Kodachrome, then a bunch of the chemistry. They're making it harder and harder for people who used to use nothing but Kodak products to bother with any of them. I use nothing made by Kodak anymore except for Selenium Toner and Glacial Acetic Acid.

 

[nikku]

Yes, film is disappearing...so everyone panic and dump your old gear for super cheap on ebay! Preferably Olympus OM and Leica gear. Thanks.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Nikku, if both Kodak and Fuji gave up on film, I think you would see just that. So, save those pennies!

 

[Jamie123]

Well, the day they stop making Kodak Portra films will be the day I put my film gear and scanner up for sale.

 

[btgc]

Come on....half of world is still using film. Sure, emulsions may become simpler, though lots and lots of people can't afford $100 digicam, I'm not mentioning fine several-grands-without-lens machines.

Sure, there are ways how to get them hooked - I still wonder why no one has considered to make low cost digicams. Say, sellers will give out gigicams for minimal price (depends on country, minimal income level) with first free 100 shots and after that people will buy renewal codes for next shots. Isn't this potential market?

 

[bmattock]

I own Kodak stock, so I certainly don't want to see it go down, but I'm up more than double what I paid for it, so this might give me the opportunity to buy some more if news like this forces an artificial dip in stock price.

I find it rather amusing, some of the attitudes that prevail. I haven't seen the "who cares, Kodak sucks, let them die" post yet, but I presume someone will make it shortly.

I also haven't seen the posts from the folks who argued just a few short months ago that Kodak was making money on film, and only losing money because they foolishly tried to get into the digital camera market. I presume they'll be along shortly too.

We also have not heard from those who believe that since Kodak supplies most of the movie industry with film, and the movie industry has been in no huge hurry to convert to digital, that film *must* survive, and therefore it *will* survive, with Kodak making it of course.

And finally, where are the people who continually claim that as long as there is demand, there will be supply? Even though that canard is patently untrue, they sure like to say it. They never turn up at the wake to repeat their statement when the doors close, though. Wonder why?

I would not be surprised to see Kodak spin off their film division, perhaps an employee buy out, etc, but I suspect it would be in the nature of the Agfa Gevaert spin off of AgfaPhoto, which was done so that AgfaPhoto would quickly die without harming Agfa Gevaert:

http://www.agfa.com/en/co/news_even...s/press_releases/CO20100114_AgfaPhoto_ICC.jsp

ICC International Court of Arbitration renders final judgment in an arbitration between Agfa-Gevaert and AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH

* Press release
* Mortsel, Belgium
* January 14, 2010 11:30

The ICC International Court of Arbitration has rendered a final judgment in an arbitration proceeding between Agfa-Gevaert and AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH.

The Court has dismissed all claims of AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH relating to alleged damages suffered as a result of alleged misconduct of Agfa-Gevaert in connection with the sale of the Consumer Imaging division and the insolvency of AgfaPhoto GmbH.

 

[bmattock]

Yes, film is disappearing...so everyone panic and dump your old gear for super cheap on ebay! Preferably Olympus OM and Leica gear. Thanks.

I'm not panicking, but I'm selling any and all film-related cameras that I do not use often and which will almost certainly have no value soon. It is time to wrap these things up in an orderly fashion. I will retain some medium format and large format as well as anything that also has utility with digital camera bodies.

 

[bmattock]

Come on....half of world is still using film.

No, it isn't. As I predicted several years ago, most emerging nations are engaging in technology jumping, whereby they skip older technologies that they never had and go straight to the latest, greatest. Thus, many emerging nations aren't bothering installing infrastructure for land-line phones, but instead are just going right to cell phones. No glass TV screens, but straight to LCD. No VCR, but straight to DVD and now Blu-Ray. And they're skipping film cameras and going right to digital. Sorry, half the world is not using film, in fact, they're ignoring it.

 

[dcsang]

Who cares, Kodak sucks, let them die.


(There Bill.. now you can officially say that you were right) 😀

Dave