Well, I have to put my .02 in here. Those of you who think that
Kodak's discontinuing the production of B&W paper, if that's what's
really happening is based on the profit or loss Kodak takes from that
production are, IMHO wrong. First off, I have not used Kodak paper,
except for AZO, for 25 years and I don't think I'm alone. Why?
Because Kodak paper was, IMHO, overpriced and of inferior quality -
that's how Ilford and Oriental brand clobbered Kodak. I'm not sure
what percentage of Kodak's profits/losses photographic papers and
films account for, but I don't think it's a big number (2% comes to
mind). Kodak is a large, diversified multi-national corporation with
fingers in many and varied of pies; much of Kodak's profit comes from
the semiconductor and military "arenas." Kodak's stock price is
pegged, or at least has been pegged, on their offerings in the amateur
photographic market. In the photographic market Kodak has of late
spent most of it's ammunition putting bullets into it's own foot.
Kodak has pushed digital at the expense of paper and machinery sales
to labs - and where has it left them? At a loss; but only a small one
in the grand scheme of things. If, in fact, Kodak does discontinue
the manufacturer of B&W papers I think it's only to bolster their
image to attract investors, or to try and get praise from market
analysts; it has little or nothing to do with true expense and profit.
No tears shed here (yet) -greg schmitz <gws1@columbia.edu>
Received on Sat Jun 18 05:01:02 2005
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