The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American technology company that produces imaging products on a historical basis in photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated in New Jersey. Kodak provides packaging, functional printing, graphic communication, and professional services to businesses worldwide. Its main business segments are Print Systems, Corporate Inkjet Systems, 3D Printing and Packaging, Software and Solutions, and Consumers and Movies. Very famous for photography film products.
Kodak was founded by George Eastman and Henry A. Strong on September 4, 1888. For much of the 20th century, Kodak held a dominant position in photographic film. The existence of this company in such a way that its "Kodak moment" slogan enters the general lexicon to describe personal events that are required to be recorded for posterity. Kodak began to struggle financially in the late 1990s, as a result of the decline in photographic film sales and slowness in the transition to digital photography. As part of a turnaround strategy, Kodak began focusing on digital photography and digital printing, and sought to generate revenue through aggressive patent litigation.
In January 2012, Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In February 2012, Kodak announced that it would stop making digital cameras, pocket video cameras and digital photo frames and focus on the company's digital imaging market. In August 2012, Kodak announced its intention to sell its photography films, commercial scanners and kiosk operations, as a move to emerge from bankruptcy, but not film operations. In January 2013, the Court approved funding for Kodak to emerge from bankruptcy in mid-2013. Kodak sold many of its patents of approximately $ 525 million to a group of companies (including Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Samsung, Adobe Systems and HTC) with name of Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corporation. On September 3, 2013, the company emerged from bankruptcy for losing its huge legacy obligations and out of several businesses. Imaging Imaging and Personalized Documents are now part of Kodak Alaris, a separate company owned by the UK-based Kodak Pension Program.
Video Kodak
History
From the establishment of the company by George Eastman in 1888, Kodak followed a razor blade strategy and selling cheap cameras and made a large margin of consumables - film, chemicals and paper. By the end of 1976, Kodak had 90% of film sales and 85% of camera sales in the US.
Rivalry with Fujifilm
Fujifilm's Japanese competitors entered the US market (via Fuji Photo Film USA) with movies and low price supplies, but Kodak did not believe that American consumers would ever leave the brand. Kodak left the opportunity to become the official film of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; Fuji won the right of this sponsorship, which gave him a permanent footing in the market. Fuji opened a film factory in the US, and aggressive marketing and price cuts began to take market share from Kodak. Fuji switched from a 10% stake in the early 1990s to 17% in 1997. Fuji is also making headway in the professional market with special transparency films like Velvia and Provia, which successfully compete with Kodak's flagship Kodachrome professional product, but uses more machines economical and general E-6 processing which is the standard in most processing labs, rather than the special machines required by Kodachrome. The Fuji films soon also found a competitive advantage in negative films with higher speeds, with tighter grain structures.
In May 1995, Kodak petitioned the US Commerce Department under section 301 of the Trade Act on the grounds that its poor performance in the Japanese market was a direct result of the unfair practices adopted by Fuji. The complaint was filed by the United States with the World Trade Organization. On January 30, 1998, the WTO announced a "refusal to reject Kodak's complaints" about the film market in Japan. Kodak's financial results for the year ending December 1997 show that the company's revenue fell from $ 15.97 billion in 1996 to $ 14.36 billion in 1997, down more than 10%; its net profit rose from $ 1.29 billion to just $ 5 million for the same period. Kodak's market share declined from 80.1% to 74.7% in the United States, a one-year five percentage point decline that has observers showing that Kodak is slow to react to changes and belittle its competitors.
Although from the 1970s both Fuji and Kodak recognized the threat of upcoming digital photography, and although both seek diversification as a mitigation strategy, Fuji is more successful in diversification.
Change to digital
Although Kodak developed a digital camera in 1975, the first of its kind, the product fell for fear it would threaten Kodak's photography film business. In the 1990s, Kodak planned a decade of travel to move into digital technology. CEO George M. C. Fisher reaches out to Microsoft and other new consumer merchandisers. Apple's consumer digital camera QuickTake pioneer, introduced in 1994, has an Apple label but is manufactured by Kodak. The DC-20 and DC-25 were launched in 1996. Overall, though, there is little implementation of the new digital strategy. Kodak's core business does not face the pressures of competing technologies, and since Kodak executives can not understand the world without traditional films, there is little incentive to deviate from the course. Consumers are gradually turning to digital offerings from companies like Sony. In 2001, film sales declined, caused by Kodak due to financial shocks caused by the September 11 attacks. Executives hope Kodak may be able to slow the shift to digital through aggressive marketing.
Under Daniel Carp, Fisher's successor as CEO, Kodak made his move in the digital camera market, with the EasyShare family of digital cameras. Kodak spends tremendous resources studying customer behavior, finding that women particularly like to take digital photos but are frustrated in transferring them to their computers. Unmet consumer needs this becomes a great opportunity. After Kodak got his product development engine started, he released a wide range of products that made it easy to share photos via PC. One of their major innovations is the dock printer, where consumers can plug their cameras into this compact device, push buttons, and watch their photos launch. In 2005, Kodak was No. 1. 1 in the US in digital camera sales that jumped 40% to $ 5.7 billion.
Despite the high growth, Kodak failed to anticipate how fast the digital camera became a commodity, with low profit margins, as more companies entered the market in the mid-2000s. In 2001 Kodak held the number 2 spot in US digital camera sales (behind Sony) but lost $ 60 on every camera sold, while there were also disputes between employees of the digital division and the film. The film business, where Kodak enjoys high profit margins, fell by 18% in 2005. The combination of these two factors generates a disappointing overall profit. The digital cameras are soon undermined by Asian competitors who can make their offer cheaper. Kodak had 27% of the leading market share in 1999, which shrank to 15% in 2003. In 2007 Kodak was No. 4 in US digital camera sales with a share of 9.6%, and in 2010 held 7% in seventh place in behind Canon, Sony, Nikon and others, according to research firm IDC. Also a smaller percentage of digital images were taken on special digital cameras, which were gradually replaced in the late 2000s by cameras on phones, smartphones, and tablets.
New strategy
Kodak then started a strategic shift: Previously Kodak had done everything on its own, but CEO Antonio PÃÆ' Â © rez shut down the film factories and eliminated 27,000 jobs for outsourcing the manufacturer. PÃÆ' Â © rez invests heavily in new digital technologies and services that leverage technological innovations to improve profit margins. He also spent hundreds of millions of dollars to build a high-margin printer ink business to replace the shrill film sales. Kodak's ink strategy rejects the business model of razors and knives used by Hewlett-Packard's dominant market leader in Kodak printers is expensive but cheaper ink. In 2011, this new line of inkjet printers is said to be on the verge of making a profit, although some analysts are skeptical because the mold has been gradually replaced by electronic copies on computers, tablets and smartphones. Home photo printers, high-speed commercial printing machines, workflow software, and packaging are seen as the company's new core business, with sales from those four businesses projected to double to nearly $ 2 billion in revenue by 2013 and reaching 25% all sales.. However, while Kodak named the home printer as its core business until the end of August 2012, at the end of September sales declined forcing Kodak to announce it out of the consumer inkjet market.
Kodak has also switched to litigation to generate revenue. In 2010, received $ 838 million from a patent license that included completion with LG.
In 2011, despite a turnaround, Kodak quickly used its cash reserves, triggering bankruptcy worries; it had $ 957 million in cash in June 2011, down from $ 1.6 billion in January 2001. In 2011, Kodak reportedly explored sales or licensed its extensive patent portfolio to prevent bankruptcy. In January 2012, analysts suggested that the company could enter bankruptcy followed by its patent auction, as it reportedly will hold talks with Citigroup to provide debtor-in-possession financing. This was confirmed on January 19, 2012, when the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and earned $ 950 million, an 18-month credit facility from Citigroup to enable it to continue operations. Under the terms of bankruptcy protection, Kodak has a deadline of February 15, 2013 to produce a reorganization plan.
In April 2013, Kodak showed its first Micro Four Thirds camera, which will be produced by JK Imaging.
On September 3, 2013, Kodak announced that it emerged from bankruptcy as a technology company focused on imaging for business. Its main business segment is Digital Printing & amp; Companies and Graphics, Entertainment & amp; Commercial Movies.
On March 12, 2014, Kodak announced that Jeffrey J. Clarke had been appointed chief executive officer and board member.
Kodak provides packaging, functional printing, graphic communication, and professional services to businesses worldwide. Its main business segments are Print Systems, Corporate Inkjet Systems, 3D Printing and Packaging, Software and Solutions, and Consumers and Movies.
In January 2018, Kodak announced plans to launch KodakCoin, a cryptocurrency blockchain that is oriented towards photographers.
Digital and enterprise printing
Kodak provides high-speed, high-volume commercial inkjet, and color and black-and-white electrophotography printing equipment and related equipment and services. It has an installed base of more than 5,000 units.
Prosper's platform uses Inkjet Stream technology, which generates continuous ink flow that allows constant and consistent operation, with uniform size and accurate placement, even at very high print speeds. Applications for Prosper include publishing, commercial printing, direct mail, and packaging. The business also includes Kodak VersaMark product subscriber base.
The NexPress platform is used for printing short-term personalized print applications for purposes such as direct mail, books, marketing guarantees and photo products. The Digimaster platform uses monochrome electrophotographic printing technology to create high quality report prints, short-term books, company documentation, manuals and direct mail.
Flexo Printing
Kodak designs and manufactures products for flexography printing. Flexcel's line of flexo printing systems enables label printers to manufacture their own digital plates for custom flexo printing and flexible printed packaging.
Functional printing
The company currently has a strategic relationship with touch panel sensor leaders around the world, such as partnerships with UniPixel announced on April 16, 2013 and Kingsbury Corp. was launched on June 27, 2013.
Professional company services
The company's professional services offer printed and managed print services, brand protection solutions and services, and document management services to enterprise customers, including government, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, consumer and luxury goods, retail and finance.
Digital printing solution
In 1997, Heidelberg Printing Machines AG and Eastman Kodak Co. has created a joint venture Nexpress Solutions LLC to develop digital color printing machines for high-end market segments. Heidelberg acquires Eastman Kodak Co. Office Imaging black and white digital printing activities in 1999. In 2000, they have launched Digimaster 9110 - Black & amp; White Production Printer and NexPress 2100 Press Digital Color.
In March 2004, Heidelberg transferred its Digital Print division to Eastman Kodak Co. based on mutual agreement. Kodak continues to research and develop Digital Printing Systems and introduce more products.
Currently, Kodak has a commercial Web-fed emphasis, commercial printing system - Prosper, VersaMark and commercial sheet-fed - NexPress digital color press production, DIGIMASTER HD digital and white digital printers.
Consumer inkjet ink cartridge
Kodak entered a consumer inkjet photo printer in a joint venture with a Lexmark manufacturer in 1999 with Kodak Personal Image Builder.
In February 2007, Kodak re-entered the market with a new product line of All-In-One (AiO) inkjet printers using several technologies marketed as Kodacolor Technology. Ads emphasize low prices for ink cartridges rather than for the printer itself.
Kodak announced plans to stop selling inkjet printers in 2013 due to its focus on commercial printing, but will still sell ink.
Graphics, Entertainment and Commercial Movies (GECF)
Graph
The Kodak graphics business consists of computer peripheral (CTP), which was first launched by Kodak in 1995 when the company introduced its first thermal CTP to the market. In CTP, the output device exposes a digital image using SQUAREspot laser imaging technology directly onto the aluminum surface (platen), which is then mounted onto the printing press to reproduce the image. Kodak's Graphics portfolio includes front-end controllers, production workflow software, CTP output devices, and digital plates.
Global Technical Service
The Kodak Global Technical Service ("GTS") for Commercial Imaging is focused on sales of service contracts for Kodak products, including the following service categories: field services, customer support services, educational services, and professional services.
Entertainment Imaging and Commercial Movies
Kodak Kodak Entertainment and Commercial Imaging Group ("E & amp; CF") includes its film movie business, which provides motion imaging products (negative, medium, print and archive film cameras), services and technology for professional film and exhibition industries.
E & amp; CF also offers Air and Industrial Films including KODAK Circuit Board films, and provides external sales for the company's component business: Polyester Film, Specialty Chemicals, Inks and Dispersions as well as Solvent Recovery.
Motion picture and TV production
The Kodak company plays a role in the discovery and development of the film industry. Many movies and TV productions were taken on Kodak movie stocks.
The company helped set the standard 35mm film, and introduced a 16mm film format for the use of home movies and a lower budget film production.
8mm and Super 8 home-market-oriented formats are also developed by Kodak. Kodak also entered the professional video production video recording market, briefly in the mid-1980s, under the name of Eastman Professional Video Tape Products product portfolio. In 1990, Kodak launched a Worldwide Student Program working with university faculty around the world to help foster future generations of filmmakers. Kodak established an Education Advisory Board in the US, Europe, and Asia comprising deans and chairs from some of the most prestigious film schools worldwide to help guide their program development.
Kodak previously had the visual effects of post-production films of Cinesite facilities in Los Angeles and London as well as LaserPacific in Los Angeles. Kodak sells Cinesite to Endless LLP, an independent British private equity house.
Kodak previously sold LaserPacific and its subsidiaries Laser-Edit, Inc., and Pacific Video, Inc., in April 2010 for an undisclosed amount to TeleCorps Holdings, Inc.
Kodak also sells Pro-Tek Media Preservation Services, a film storage company in Burbank, California, in October 2013.
On-site technical and service support
In addition to phone technical support for its products, Kodak offers on-site services to other devices such as document scanners, data storage systems (optics, tapes, and disks), printers, inkjet printing machines, microfilm/microfiche equipment, photo kiosks and copiers which sends technicians who make improvements in the field.
More
Kodak markets image CDs and other photo products such as calendars, photo books and photo enlargements through retail partners such as CVS, Walmart, and Target, as well as through the Kodak Gallery online service, formerly known as Ofoto.
Former
Still recording camera
On January 13, 2004, Kodak announced it would stop marketing traditional film cameras (not including disposable cameras) in the United States, Canada and Western Europe but will continue to sell film cameras in India, Latin America, Eastern Europe and China. At the end of 2005, Kodak stopped producing cameras that use Advanced Photo Systems. Kodak licensed the manufacture of Kodak brand cameras to Vivitar in 2005 and 2006. After 2007 Kodak did not license any movie cameras with the name Kodak.
Instant camera
After losing a patent battle with Polaroid Corporation, Kodak left the instant camera business on January 9, 1986. Kodak's instant camera incorporated a model known as Kodamatic and Colorburst.
Polaroid was given compensation in a patent test of $ 909,457,567, a record at the time. (Polaroid Corp. v. Eastman Kodak Co., Massachusetts District District Court of Massachusetts, resolves October 12, 1990, case No. 76-1634-MA. Published in US Patent Quarterly as USPQ2d 1481). See also the following cases: Polaroid Corp v. Eastman Kodak Co., 641 F.Supp. 828 [228 USPQ 305] (D. Mass. 1985), remains rejected, 833 F.2d 930 [5 USPQ2d 1080] (Fed. Cir.), Aff'd, 789 F.2d 1556 [229 USPQ 561] (Fed.cir.), Cert. rejected, 479 U.S. 850 (1986).
Kodak was the exclusive negative supplier for Polaroid cameras from 1963 to 1969, when Polaroid chose to produce its own instant film.
Image sensor
As part of its move toward higher end products, Kodak announced on 15 September 2006 that the new Leica M8 camera incorporates KAAK KODAK-10500 image sensors. This is the second last partnership between Kodak and German optical manufacturers. In 2011, Kodak sold its Sensory Censorship solution to Platinum Equity, later renamed Truesense Imaging, Inc.
Digital camera and video camera
Many of Kodak's early compact digital cameras are designed and manufactured by Chinon Industries, a Japanese camera manufacturer. In 2004, Kodak Japan acquired Chinon and many of its engineers and designers joined Kodak Japan.
The Kodak DCS series of digital single lens reflector cameras and digital camera backs were released by Kodak in the 1990s and 2000s, and discontinued in 2005. They are based on existing 35mm SLR films from Nikon and Canon and the range includes the original DCS Kodak, The first commercially available digital SLR.
In July 2006, Kodak announced that Flextronics would produce and help design its digital camera.
Digital photo frame
Kodak first entered the digital picture frame market with Kodak Smart Picture Frame in the fourth quarter of 2000. It was designed by Weave Innovations and licensed to Kodak with an exclusive relationship with Weave's StoryBox online photo network. Smart Frame owners connect to the network through an analog phone connection built into the frame. The frame can store 36 images internally and come with a free six month subscription to the StoryBox network.
Kodak re-entered the digital photo frame market at CES in 2007 by introducing four new EasyShare branded models available in sizes from 200 to 280 mm (7.9 to 11.0 inches), including multiple memory card slots, and some including Wi -Fi to connect with Kodak Gallery - gallery functionality has now been compromised due to gallery policy changes (see below).
Kodak Gallery
In June 2001, Kodak bought a website developed by the photo Ofoto, later renamed the Kodak Gallery. This website allows users to upload their photos to albums, publish them into prints, and create mousepads, calendars, etc. On March 1, 2012, Kodak announced that they sold the Kodak Gallery to Shutterfly for $ 23.8 million.
Document imagery
Kodak provides scanning technology. Historically this industry started when George Eastman partnered with a bank to check pictures in the 1920s. Through the development of microfilm technology, Eastman Kodak is able to provide long-term document storage. Document imaging is one of the first imaging solutions to move to "digital imaging" technology. Kodak created the first digital document scanner for high-speed document imaging. Today Kodak has a full line of document scanners for banking, finance, insurance, health care and other vertical industries. Kodak also provides related document capture software and business process services. Eastman Kodak acquired Bowe Bell & amp; Howell scanner division in September 2009.
Film and photographic paper
Kodak continues to produce films and movies specifically for the newer and more popular consumer formats, but has stopped filming in the older and less popular formats.
Kodak is a leading producer of silver halide (AgX) paper used for printing from movies and digital images. Minilabs located in retail stores and larger photo lab lab operations (CLO) use silver halide paper for photo printing. In 2005 Kodak announced it would stop producing black-and-white photo paper.
Photo kiosk
Kodak is a self-service photo kiosk producer that produces "prints in seconds" from various sources including digital inputs, scans, Facebook, Kodak galleries, and orders placed online using thermosublimation printers. The company has placed more than 100,000 Newsstand at retail locations around the world. Using similar technology, Kodak also offers a larger printing system with additional capabilities including duplex greeting cards, large format poster printers, photobooks and calendars under the brand name "APEX".
Maps Kodak
Name
The letters k are Eastman favorites; he was cited saying, "it seems like a strong and sharp letter."
She and her mother found the name Kodak with a set of anagrams. Eastman says that there are three main concepts he uses in making names: they should be short, easy to say, and do not resemble other names or are associated with anything else.
Operation
Subsidiaries
- Kodak Limited (UK)
- The company's sales and marketing center is located in Watford, UK, with Kodak Alaris operating in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire
- manufacturing facilities are usually placed at Harrow in north-west London (closed in 2016), Kirkby near Liverpool (closed in 2007) and Annesley in Nottinghamshire (closed in 2005).
- FPC, Inc.
- FPC, US/Canada
- Italian FPC
Kodak Research Laboratories
The Kodak Research Laboratories was founded in 1912 with Kenneth Mees as the first director. The main components of Kodak Research Laboratories are the Photographic Research Laboratory and Imaging Research Laboratories . Additional organizations include Corporate Research Laboratories . For nearly a century, scientists in this laboratory have produced thousands of patents and scientific publications.
Famous people
President and CEO
Scientist
- Bryce Bayer, color scientist (1929-2012)
- Harry Coover, polymer chemist (1917-2011)
- F. J. Duarte, laser physicist and author (left 2006)
- Loyd A. Jones, Camouflage physician (1884-1954)
- Maurice Loyal Huggins, polymer scientist (1897-1981)
- Rudolf Kingslake, optical designer (1903-2003)
- David MacAdam, color scientist (1910-1998)
- Kenneth Mees, film scientist and founder of the research lab (1882-1960)
- Perley G. Nutting, physicist and founder of OSA (1873-1949)
- Steven Sasson, electrical engineer
- Steven Van Slyke, OLED scientist (left 2010)
- Warren J. Smith, optical engineer (1922-2008)
- Ching W. Tang, OLED scientist (left 2006)
- Arthur Widmer, Special Effects of Film Pioneers and recipients of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Award from Commendation (1914-2006)
Archive contribution
In 2005, Kodak Canada donated all of its historical corporate archives to Ryerson University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Ryerson University Library also obtained a collection of material on the history of photography from Nicholas M. & amp; Marilyn A. Graver of Rochester, New York. The Kodak archive, beginning in 1909, contains the company's Camera Collection, historic photos, archives, trade circles, Kodak magazines, price lists, diaries, tools, and other ephemera. This includes the contents of the Kodak Heritage Collection Museum, a museum founded in 1999 for a hundred years of Kodak Canada that was shut down by Kodak in 2005 along with the entire Kodak Heights manufacturing campus in Mount Dennis, Toronto. See also: George Eastman House.
Controversy
Better Business Bureau
On March 26, 2007, the Better Business Bureaus Council (CBBB) announced that Eastman Kodak resigned its national membership in the wake of the eviction process initiated by the CBBB board of directors. In 2006, Kodak told BBB from New York that it would no longer accept or respond to consumer complaints filed by them. In previous years, Kodak responded by offering adjustments or explanations about the company's position to consumers. The BBB file contains consumer complaints about problems with Kodak digital camera repair, as well as difficulty communicating with Kodak customer service. Among other complaints, consumers say that their cameras are broken and they are billed for repairs when the failure is not the result of damage or misuse. Some say their cameras fail again after being fixed.
Kodak said its customer service and customer privacy team concluded that 99% of all complaints passed by BBB were handled directly with customers. Brian O'Connor, Kodak's chief privacy officer, said the company was surprised by the news release distributed by the Better Business Bureau:
This is not accurate in the facts presented as well as which the BBB chose to ignore. Ironically, we finally decided to resign our membership because we were very dissatisfied with the customer service we received from the local BBB office. After years of unproductive discussions with local offices regarding their Web site postings about Kodak, which in our view is consistently inaccurate, we came to the conclusion that their process did not add value to us. Our commitment to our customers is unshakeable. It will not change. What has changed is that, for us, the BBB customer complaints process has become redundant, given the many different and direct ways customers have to pass on their concerns directly with Kodak.
Patent litigation
In 2010, Apple filed a patent infringement claim against Kodak. On May 12, 2011, Judge Robert Rogers dismissed Apple's claim that two of its digital photography patents have been violated by Kodak.
On July 1, 2011, the US International Trade Commission partially overturned a January decision by an administrative law judge stating that neither Apple nor Research in Motion had violated Kodak's patents. ITC submits this issue for further process before ALJ.
See also
- List of products manufactured by Kodak
- Motion Picture Joint Venture Company
- Kodak Heights
- Kodak Vision Award
References
Bibliography
- ACKERMAN, Carl William, George Eastman: Kodak's founder and photography business , Beard Books, Washington, D. C., 2000.
- BINANT, Philippe, Au coeur de la projection numÃÆ' Â © rique , Actions, 29 , 12-13, Kodak, Paris, 2007.
External links
- Kodak
- Kodak Alaris
- Kodak Camera Catalog Info in Historic Camera
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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