Polaroid to close U.S. film plants in March, no more instant film by year’s end
For months there have been rumors Polaroid Corp. was going to discontinue its instant film, but no official confirmations. The Wall Street Journal substantiated the rumors and reported Concord, Mass.-based Polaroid is shutting its remaining U.S. film plants in Norwood and Waltham, Mass., in March, and will get out of making film for its instant-picture cameras by the end of the year. The Boston Herald posted a similiar article too.
Polariod is shopping its technology and a sale could result in a third party making film for Polaroid products, said spokeswoman Amanda Schuneman, in The Wall Street Journal.
Already on Friday die-hard Polaroid fans were disucussing the plant closings and film discountiation online. Flickr groups dedicated to Polaroid were buzzzing. Many said they hoped Fujifilm would step in and continue making the instant film, according to one Polaroid group discussion string on Flickr. Others said they were going to start hoarding the film now while they still had the chance to buy it in the United States.
Newsline International asked Valhalla, N.Y.-based Fujifilm U.S.A. Inc. about the company’s possible role as a film licensing partner, Fujifilm said it hadn’t heard about the news yet, and any decision would come from Fujifilm Corp., Tokyo, Japan.
Polaroid filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001 and sold most of its assets and trademark name to the private-equity arm of Bank One, now part of JPMorgan Chase & Co., in 2002. Bank One sold Polaroid in 2005 for $426 million to Petters Group Worldwide, a holding company for numerous consumer brands, says The Wall Street Journal.
In addition to its two film plants in Massachusetts, Polaroid has facilities in Mexico and the Netherlands, which it will also close later this year. The U.S. plants employ about 150 people.
Adobe Stock Photos service will discontinue, company focus turns elsewhere
According to an e-mail sent to Adobe customers, as of April 1, the Adobe Stock Photos royalty-free image service will be discontinued. The company made this decision in order to focus efforts in other areas, says the e-mail. Adobe plans to gradually make changes to the stock photo service, beginning by disabling search functionality on March 4. Customers will be able to purchase images through the service until March 31.
Adobe will continue to notify customers of the discontinuation via e-mail, through updates appearing on Adobe Stock Photo service and updates on Adobe.com as well. Further information about the discontinuation of the service is available online.
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Kodak says it is poised to accelerate profits, growth
Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., says it will unveil to investors a new company that is poised to accelerate profitable growth on the strength of its unmatched expertise in materials science and digital image science. At the annual strategy meeting in New York City, Antonio M. Perez, Kodak chairman and CEO, and his management team will detail why Kodak is well positioned to excel in every market in which it competes.
Starting this year, the company has consolidated all of its silver-halide products within the newly created Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group (FPEG) to maximize the performance of the business. In addition to consumer, professional, entertainment and industrial films, the business unit now includes responsibility for graphics films, silver-halide photographic paper and chemistry, and traditional retail, and wholesale photofinishing product lines.
In the wake of the 4-year restructuring, FPEG now enjoys a sustainable business model and is well positioned to weather additional declines while maintaining a strong market position in all of its key product categories, says Kodak. For 2008, the company expects FPEG to deliver earnings from operations of 6 percent to 8 percent of revenue on a revenue decline of 12 percent to 14 percent.
For 2008, the company expects revenues from its digital portfolio to grow by 7 percent to 10 percent, resulting in earnings from operations of 3 percent to 4 percent of revenue. This growth will be driven on the consumer side (CDG) by two to three times the unit sales of the company’s consumer inkjet printers as compared to 2007, retail deployment of the Kodak APEX thermal dry lab photofinishing system, global expansion of its photo kiosks, and new product introductions in digital cameras, digital frames, and next-generation image sensors.
On the commercial side, GCG growth will be fueled by increased sales of workflow software, document scanners, digital plates and presses, and new product introductions, including the Kodak Versamark VL2000 Printing System, a drop-on-demand digital production press. The company will also introduce Kodak Stream technology, a next-generation approach to continuous inkjet printing that provides offset-class quality.
On average, Kodak expects to grow total revenue by a compound annual growth rate of 5 percent per year from 2008 to 2011, with a compound annual growth rate of digital revenues of 10 percent to 12 percent per year during that period.
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PMA 08 trend highlights, including PMA 08 on YouTube
In one of the more entertaining PMA 08 YouTube videos, DigitalCameraInfo.com rocks out in a faux ’80s hair band video with an original song about the new cameras featured at PMA 08. It informs viewers a little about some of the new camera features debuted at PMA 08, as well as plugging its review site.
Less musically or creatively inspired are a series of informative YouTube videos by Imaging Resource on the specs of some of the new products at PMA 08, including cameras from Canon, Nikon, Casio, Sony, and Pentax. Here’s an example of Imaging Resource’s Dave Etchels interviewing Paul Gough of Geotate, discussing the company’s recent innovations in GPS and how it is being integrated into digital cameras.
Other publications produced videos at PMA 08, as well. For a selection, search YouTube for “PMA 08,” “PMA 2008,” or “PMA.”
Additionally, Calumet Photographic interviewed PIEA Contest Coordinator Stan Godwin on YouTube about the Photo Imaging Education Association (PIEA) International Student-Teacher Photo Exhibition and Competition. (Calumet Photographic is a sponsor of the contest.) The judges chose 98 winners from 6,150 images entered by 1,310 entrants from 115 schools in nine countries, including
YouTube viewers can rate and comment on the best and worst videos. I’m giving the DigitalCameraInfo.com video high marks for being creative, easily watchable, and silly. It’s fun, not too long, and I want to send it to others. It doesn’t provide all the details and specs of certain products, but it does make me want to learn more. And did I mention it’s fun?
The YouTube phenomenon will only continue to grow, especiallly as more and more compact digital cameras (and cameraphones) offer increasingly better video capabilities. The key to increasing video viewership and sharing is often creativity and brevity, and that doesn’t follow a simple formula.
PMA is highlighting just some of the new trends and innovations in its PMA 08 coverage this year in the “PMA 08 Trends” section of Newsline International and in the official online PMA Show Daily available at www.pmai.org/pma08 . From Jan. 31 until Feb. 8 new product and service trends were posted by PMA editors. Some of the trends covered in Newsline International and the official PMA Show Daily, include: professional lenses, professional lighting, photo books, geotagging, DSLRs, compact cameras, online photo sharing, batteries, camera bags, printers, and more.
For a full and exhaustive listing of all the new products and services, visit the Virtual Press Office, where many exhibitors post full product releases in the PMA 08 section.
Additionally, check out and contribute to the PMA 08 Group posted on Flickr at www.flickr.com/groups/pma08/. Those interested don’t have to be a member to check out the Flickr site, however, a free account is required to join the group, post photos, and participate in discussions.
– By Beth A. Duiser
PMA Managing Editor
PMA and PICA finalize extension to agreement for PMA Australia Imaging Technology Show
PMA, Jackson, Mich., and the Photo Imaging Council of Australia (PICA) finalized an extension to the original agreement to manage the PMA Australia Imaging Technology Show . Under former PICA president, Stuart Poignand, the two bodies developed a two-year plan in 2006. The new agreement extends this, and gives a path for future changes when and if they become necessary.
The agreement covers the financial arrangements going forward, assuring both organizations continuity of income, a stronger resource base, and the ability of both parties to work closely together for the growth of the imaging industry through a period of enormous change. The agreement, the first specifically drawing together manufacturer/importer organizations with PMA, is a milestone in what has been ongoing discussion about such possibilities for more than 20 years. The extension takes the agreement through 2011 and automatically renews — by mutual consent — for an additional year at the conclusion of each Sept. 30.
The next event will be May 29-June 1, in Brisbane, Australia.
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| Shown at the signing ceremony are, standing, from left, Paul Curtis, PICA executive director; Pierre Visser, Fujifilm; James Murray, Nikon Australia; Clyde Rodrigues, Kodak; Clem Kennedy, C.R. Kennedy and PICA treasurer; David Marshall, Fujifilm; and Peter Rose, PMA Australia. Seated, from left, John Swainston, Maxwell International Australia and PICA president, and Ted Fox, executive director |
In memoriam: Dana Condello
Dana Condello, a veteran of the photographic industry passed away on Feb. 6. Condello worked in the photo industry at Berkey Photo, APG, Lerner Photo, Qualex, Kodak Processing Labs, Snapfish, and District Photo. A memorial service was held Feb. 10 at the Pacific Golf and Country Club, San Clemente, Calif. More details will follow when they become available.
In memoriam: Donald P. Dolan
Donald P. “Duck” Dolan, died Jan. 28. Dolan was founder of Soulard Picture Framing, named Best Frame Shop of 2006 by the local Riverfront Times. He was a former vice president of the Professional Picture Framers Association (PPFA) National Board of Directors and a member of the PPFA St. Louis Chapter.
Dolan is survived by wife Judy Dolan (nee Hawkins); stepchildren Tracy (Chris) Curran and Leslie (Todd) Sattley; and brother of Jack (Donna) Dolan. He was predeceased by siblings Joan Mannion, Janet (Dan) McAuliffe, and Michael Dolan. Dolan was a grandfather, uncle, cousin, mentor, and friend. A memorial mass was held on Feb. 12 in Warson Woods, Mo. Memorial contributions may be made to The Next Step, P.O. Box 220151, Kirkwood, MO 63122.
People on the move
· DBL Distributing LLC, Scottsdale, Ariz., appointed Tim Coakley senior vice president of Merchandising and Purchasing. Coakley will be responsible for leading DBL’s marketing, merchandising, and purchasing initiatives as well as the company’s online marketing initiatives. He will also oversee the maintenance and development of relationships among DBL’s manufacturing partners. In addition, Coakley will be responsible for the execution of all merchandising and branding activities related to the company’s advertising and the company’s website. Coakley holds more than 25 years of industry experience in the consumer electronics market. Most recently, Coakley held the position of vice president of Merchandising at CompUSA. He was also vice president of Merchandising for goodguys!.
· Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America, Irvine, Calif., announced the appointment of Kevin Siegel as marketing manager for its photographic, security and medical imaging divisions. The announcement was made by Ogawa Hisanori, director of Security Products, Mitsubishi Digital Electronics America to whom Siegel reports. In his new position, Siegel will develop marketing strategy for each of Mitsubishi’s digital imaging divisions, will work closely with the company’s sales teams to support their efforts and will direct the marketing department in the execution of communications to build the Mitsubishi brand and drive sales.
Industry notes
· Only the very best of all the groundbreaking new products launched at PMA 08 were honored with a coveted DIMA Innovative Product Award. In today’s DIMAcast, our host, Brian Mundy, interviews the winners of this prestigious honor. Hear from the companies on the cutting edge of cool by downloading the podcast.
· The U.S. Bankruptcy Court approved Tweeter Home Entertainment’s motion to change the case captioned name to TWTR Inc. According to the motion, Tweeter Home Entertainment entered into a purchase sale agreement dated June 26, 2007, between the purchaser and Debtors to receive a 180-day non-exclusive royalty fee right and license to the “Tweeter Home Entertainment” name when it agreed to sell its assets. Tweeter Home Entertainment agreed to solely use the name only for the wind-down of the Company’s bankruptcy case for the purpose of selling or liquidating the excluded assets.
· PNY Technologies Inc., Parsippany, N.J., is a corporate sponsor of the White House News Photographers Association (WHNPA). As part of the relationship, PNY was recently named a participating sponsor of the 2008 “The Eyes of History” contest, which annually recognizes the finest photojournalists for the best images of the President, political leaders, and major news stories.
· Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., recently contributed $85,000 to the New Orleans Area Habitat for Humanity (NOAHH). The donation will provide full funding to build a house in the area. The sponsorship from the United States and Canada Region (US&C) of Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) was announced during its annual sales kickoff event, which took place in New Orleans. La. Managing Director, US&C, GCG, Dave Wigfield, and Vice President of Sales, US&C, Commercial and Transaction Printing, Michael Ciaramella, presented a check to Jim Pate, executive director of NOAHH, at the event’s awards evening that recognizes sales performance by individuals. Since Hurricane Katrina, NOAHH and its partners have completed 100 new homes and an additional 150 are underway. Construction of the Kodak sponsored house begins later this year. Employees of Kodak and its customers will be invited as volunteers to build this new home.
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