MASSIVE LAYOFFS AT KODAK

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle ^ | January 22, 2004 | Ben Rand

[Helms]

Utica is gone with the exception of the Zogbys and some local colleges. I grew up there in its hey-day.

[Lady Jag]

I have two of the best consumer Canons made, a top of the line EOS 35mm and a Canon G5, five meg digital. The 35mm gives far better quality stills than the digital; hands down, no comparison.

There's the $3,000 8 mega-pixel SLR which is surely better than my five, but digitals have a way to go to catch up to film.

Let them do what they do; I just hope film is around a lot longer.

[tracer]

"We understand this is going to be painful for everyone to go through, but if we don’t change, there is a bigger price to pay,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Daniel A. Carp said in an interview."

Let's all pass the hat for The Carp. If he loses his job, will he be able to live on the proceeds of his severance package, stock options, and the wealth he no doubt has amassed as CEO -- of a company which clearly allowed itself to be eaten by the long-visible baying wolf of technological change in Kodak's primary market area.

And let's not forget his predecessor, Kay Whitmore who also fiddled while Rochester burned.......

[dfwgator]

Film will be like record turntables, there will always be a relatively small niche market for it.

[tracer]

Not surprising, that. The new digital imaging technology is filmless and accordingly eliminates the need for obtaining and recovering silver; for storing large pieces of film in warehouses for up to 20 years as required by law in many states; and for patients, couriers, and FedEx, etc. schlepping X-rays across town or around the world.

The age of "teleradiology" and, indeed, "telemedicine" has long since arrived, but far too few physicians, hospital administrators, patients, government agencies, and even third-party payors have acted accordingly...

[Ditto]

“At a time when Kodak is asking its workers to make sacrifices and this community to make sacrifices, it doesn't seem inconsistent to ask something of shareholders. It seems they are at least being even-handed at a difficult time. They could keep the dividend, but how would a worker feel if investors still were to make money when Kodak wasn't keeping resources.”

What an idiot. If the 'workers' 401k or pension plans go in the toilet because the stockholders were more "even-handed", this clown will be leading the damn lynch mob.

[Petronski]

I'm sure some high-end cameras are still better than digital, but someday soon we'll be counting megapixels by the dozen, and I'm pretty confident that even in esoteric professional things like 25-speed b&w or the applications you mention, digital will surpass film.

The sphere of applications which are done better with film is rapidly shrinking to nothing.

[oh8eleven]

"If I'm going to be broke, I'm going to be broke where it's warm"

I concur. I need one more year for the "magic number" - 30 years of service
which boosts my retirement by leaps and bounds. Then it's on to greener warmer pastures.

[lelio]

Just whose fault is it that a company and its employees are sufferering because of that company's bad business decisions?

I'm long past the time when I thought political decisions, such as voting, was based on rational decision making. People are going to look at their economy in shambles and want a change.

[P.O.E.]

Hat's off - 30 years! Our generation is the last of the breed. I made it to 22 years before the inflatable hammer came down.

[Gritty]

Just whose fault is it that a company and its employees are sufferering because of that company's bad business decisions?

Maybe you didn't read my post? I said nothing at all about Kodak or any other company. I was referring to the big picture of American jobs, and especially New York jobs - if there remains such a thing being created other than New York government jobs or welfare.

Companies which make habitually bad business decisions deserve go out of business, and usually will. But there are other reasons to go out of business than "bad" business decisions; overwhelming government regulations, confiscatory tax structures, impossible environmental laws, greedy and bloodsucking labor unions, criminality and graft, a decayed infrastucture, lack of demand, failure to modernise, the death of a supplier base,... just to name a few.

(from your later message)...Yep. Too much government will kill the business environment, one way or the other (Left/Right).

Yes, too much government can kill the business environment and New York State is a poster child of that very phenomenon. There are other reasons, too, including lousy management and labor unions. But, government taxation, over-regulation and law are something the government (we the people?) supposedly control. Too often, a successful business climate is the lowest priority of all for government. It (we) is too often busy feathering the nests of other special interests and seeing business as merely a handy cash cow to milk.

You can't continue to beat the goose that lays the golden egg and expect it to stick around if it has a viable option, whether it is a business or a taxpayer.

[Jim Cane]

You can get that car with gull wing doors now, it just depends on how much you're willing to spend.

And just don't flip the car, as you'll be stuck (no cranks).

[Lady Jag]

I'm sure, as there is (I think) a market for 120 film, there will still be 35mm. It's just too bad Kodak blew it.

[dagnabit]

I left after I graduated from U. of R. What will become of the corporately funded schools?

[Lady Jag]

It's not that high end 35mms are better than 5 mega-pixels, 35mm film gives exceedingly higher quality than 5 mega digitals.

I've been photographing hawks with both cameras and not only is the photo/film quality astronomically better than my outrageously good digital, it's faster, less susceptible to shake on tele, and it a lot faster to respond.

I love the Canon G5 Digi, but it's no contest with the 35.

[Lady Jag]

I've yet to see the number of mega-pixels that would be required to equal 35 mm. Dozens of megas, maybe.

My first digital was Sony's first digital and calculations were that is was 30-40,000 pixels short of a 35mm. But I doubt that calculation would be linear.

Anybody know how many mega-pixels would equal 35 mm quality or is it not known yet?

[rochester_veteran]

My guess is they are covering a move to 'offshore' - killing maybe 20,000 US jobs, while adding 3,000-5,000 in Mexico, China, or other low-wage location.

That's precisely what is happening. I have an aquaintance who is an engineer at the "big yellow box" and he's been sent to Mexico and China several times to train the locals there in the manufactoring process. Although this announcement was not a big surprise to me, it's sad to see this happen. Alot of good people, the blue collar workers with 20-30 years being let go. It's too bad because the Rochester area is a nice place to live. I hope there's work here for my kids when they grow up.

rochester_veteran

[jscd3]

I left after I graduated from U. of R. What will become of the corporately funded schools?

Just curious, when did you graduate?

Meliora

[rochester_veteran]

I left after I graduated from U. of R. What will become of the corporately funded schools?

> Just curious, when did you graduate? >
>
> Meliora

...do you remember Taylor Hall and UCC?

Both the women's and men's basketball teams are undefeated and ranked nationally in the Top 10! Neer is still coaching the men.

rochester_veteran

[Flash Bazbeaux]

"Maybe the federal government could start buying all the excess film"

I just started a photography course. The teacher, who used to work for the Gov't related to us how back in '68, the gov't made his shop throw out a bunch of film that was "outdated". They threw it out, then at the end of the day, raided the trashcan and took it home. The teacher's point was that film put in the freezer will last forever. He asked "how many of you were born after 1968?" then said "I have film that is older than you."

Yup, that's who you want buying film. Someone who, after they buy it, will throw it away without using it, even though it's still good, then buy more.

Meanwhile, one guy showed up for class with a Canon Digital Rebel, 6.3 megapixel, SLR [interchangeable lenses]. They cost under a thousand dollars, and take shots which approach the quality of 35 mm film. The memory is dirt cheap, which means that the "negatives" [still have to pay for prints] are basically free. AND NO WAITING!

Film will go the way of the '78, the LP and the VCR within five years.