maandag, januari 05, 2009
Kodak blijft investeren in film
The Ektar 100 comes in a little yellow box, like generations of Eastman Kodak Co. camera film before it.A fine-grain film aimed particularly at nature and travel photographers, Ektar 100 was launched in October, and batches of it are churned out regularly.
Little yellow boxes of camera film were long the building blocks of Kodak — which in turn was the major force in the Rochester area economy for much of the 20th century. But between 2004 and 2007, Kodak spent $2 billion in cash and took $3.3 billion in restructuring charges as it shed 27,000 jobs, demolished numerous manufacturing buildings and worked to remake itself into a digital imaging business.
Yet even as sales of Kodak's consumer and professional camera films continue their rapid spiral downward due to digital photography, the company continues to invest in new lines of films and the revamping of others. And the company remains steadfast that camera film will continue to be a part of its business, though admittedly increasingly a niche product.
"You come back in 10 years, there will be a film business here," said Joel T. Proegler, general manager of film capture and a vice president in Kodak's film, photofinishing and entertainment group. "It'll be smaller. Maybe there will be a bigger space between innovations."
Kodak's film business doesn't come cheap. The company would not say what kind of costs come with putting out a product such as the Ektar 100. But for the company's third quarter of 2008, ending Sept. 30, its film, photofinishing and entertainment group spent $11 million on research and development, as well as $93 million on operating that group.
Lees meer in de Democrat and Chronicle.
Little yellow boxes of camera film were long the building blocks of Kodak — which in turn was the major force in the Rochester area economy for much of the 20th century. But between 2004 and 2007, Kodak spent $2 billion in cash and took $3.3 billion in restructuring charges as it shed 27,000 jobs, demolished numerous manufacturing buildings and worked to remake itself into a digital imaging business.
Yet even as sales of Kodak's consumer and professional camera films continue their rapid spiral downward due to digital photography, the company continues to invest in new lines of films and the revamping of others. And the company remains steadfast that camera film will continue to be a part of its business, though admittedly increasingly a niche product.
"You come back in 10 years, there will be a film business here," said Joel T. Proegler, general manager of film capture and a vice president in Kodak's film, photofinishing and entertainment group. "It'll be smaller. Maybe there will be a bigger space between innovations."
Kodak's film business doesn't come cheap. The company would not say what kind of costs come with putting out a product such as the Ektar 100. But for the company's third quarter of 2008, ending Sept. 30, its film, photofinishing and entertainment group spent $11 million on research and development, as well as $93 million on operating that group.
Lees meer in de Democrat and Chronicle.
# posted by Jan-Edward : 23:34
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