More Kodak Self-Immolation News

[kdemas]

The odd news just keep on coming. This CEO and management is the ultimate biz school case for "how not to manage a turnaround". Incredible.

Kodak will wind down its desktop-printer unit next year, pulling the plug on a business that for half a decade was central to Chief Executive Antonio Perez's plan to turn around the company.

[FrozenInTime]

Soon be nothing left to sell but the name

[sanmich]

Originally Posted by FrozenInTime

Soon be nothing left to sell but the name

The good part is that we'll always have Tri-x
The less good part is it will be rebranded Lucky

[pkreyenhop]

I can't see anything wrong with the decision to wind down the desktop printer unit - only that the decision comes too late.

[John Bragg]

Is it just me, or will they soon only be making movie and still film ? Nothing else.......?

[Brian Legge]

I'm not sure why this is seen as a bad move. They made a big bet here, lost and are now ditching the anchor and moving forward. This seems like a good move for them?

[sevo]

Well, better late than never. They should abandon Perez along with it, it already was a horrible business decision to start with - even Lenovo are getting out of desktop inkjet printing.

[Roger Hicks]

Given that desktop printers and Perez have been the reasons for Kodak's outstanding success in recent years, neither could be ditched too quickly.

Cheers,

R.

[John Bragg]

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Given that desktop printers and Perez have been the reasons for Kodak's outstanding success in recent years, neither could be ditched too quickly.

Cheers,

R.

Amen to that !

[dallard]

Found this over at BJP. Says the same thing.
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-jo...printer-market
I'm surprised. I thought Kodak's plans were to focus on printing?

[dallard]

Originally Posted by John Bragg

Is it just me, or will they soon only be making movie and still film ? Nothing else.......?

Until they find a buyer for the still film business. I guess Kodak's plan is to focus on making........?

[kdemas]

I personally don't mind them killing the printer business per se...except when it's a leg on the stool of their "plan" to reorganize that was used as justification to ditch "dead end" businesses like Semiconductors (sensors), cameras, online storage for consumers and other growth industries. Oh yeah, don't forget getting out of the Gelatin business and the Pharma business which could have been a major cash cow one day.

My point in posting this was to illuminate how weak a "plan" was developed and how these fools have succeeded in de-valuing the company to such an extent that even patents have to be sold at fire-sale prices as suiters know they have both feet in the grave.

By the way, the other leg of their superb strategy, industrial printing, is inexplicably contracting and is 20+% below forecast. Stunning eh??

[Roger Hicks]

No-one could fail to take your point, but equally, remember Healey's Law Of Holes: "When you're in hole, stop digging." In this case it could be modified to "When you're in hole, put Perez at the bottom and fill it in quick."

Cheers,

R.

[nikkor-watching]

Does anybody have a link to a good resource on the decline of Kodak? Even without a thriving film market, their chemical industrial expertise might have allowed them a good share in dyes and papers, if at lower margins.
Inkjet printer ink was always remarkably expensive and they should have had plenty of room to maneuver there...

[BillBingham2]

Anyone know if they have sold off the rights to all their old books and stuff?

They had so much world class knowledge about so many areas over the years it's hard to believe they ended up where they did.

B2

[Roger Hicks]

The ones with the world class knowledge were the ones that were marginalized by the barrow boy/travelling salesman mentality of the last three CEOs.

If Grant Haist is still alive, he's still selling reprints of his book. I have a signed copy. But it was (as far as I recall) $175.

Cheers,

R.