Kodak has ceased film production – but only for a little while

Kodak has said that they’re temporarily halting production of all film at its famous plant in Rochester, New York. You might remember seeing Kodak’s Rochester facility in Smarter Every Day’s video series (Part 2 & Part 3). If you haven’t they’re well worth a watch.

The temporary stop in operations is due to refurbish and modernise the plant. Kodak CEO Jim Continenza has said that Kodak has “continued to invest in our manufacturing process”, although, I think film shooters should prepare for a dry season.

Why stop when demand is high?

It might seem silly to stop production now when demand for film is the highest it’s been in years. But you see, it’s a necessary evil, so to speak. If they don’t stop and modernise the gear, they won’t have the capacity to meet demand if things continue the way they’re going.

Our film sales have increased on motion picture and in still film and other films. So on film, right, we’re doing a shutdown in November, total shutdown. We’ve continued to invest in our manufacturing process, while we need to shut down completely to bring light into the dark, right? Film is made in the dark.

So in November, we will be modernising the plant, putting more investment within that, which has also caused us to use more cash in the quarter to build up inventories while we do this. But as we continue to see our commitment and our customer commitment to film, still in motion picture, we are going to continue to invest in that space and continue with that growth.

Jim Continenza, Kodak CEO

Kosmofoto reports that the news came as part of Kodak’s Q3 earnings call, released on Novemer 13th. The company hasn’t said how long production is going to shut down. They do say, however, that they’ve been stocking up the inventory to help cover it.

Hopefully, they’ll be able to get the systems upgraded and back up and running and into production again before the reserves all run out. If you’re dependent on film, you’re probably best stocking up now, while you still can.

Film production hasn’t changed much

It will be interesting to see what changes at the Rochester factory – assuming Kodak lets us in on their secrets again. From watching Destin’s videos linked above, the basic process and technology of creating film hasn’t really changed much since the 1950s.

[via Kosmofoto]

---