Kodak

The Eastman Kodak Company (known as Kodak) is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of photographic equipment. In 1880’s, the company was established as a film business. Because of Kodak was a largest company, its set on establishing its brand name in the marketplace through customer-focused advertising and growth through research and development and low cost mass production. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorporated in New Jersey.

“Nothing is more important than the value of our name and the quality it stands for. We must make quality our fighting argument” (Gavetti, Henderson & Giorgi, 2005) described by the founder of Kodak, George Eastman.

Kodak company produces, and markets chemical products and photo graphics for both amateur and professional photographers. Its also provides packaging, functional printing, graphic communications and professional service for businesses around the world. The product that Kodak company produce Micro 3D Printing and Packaging, Enterprise Inkjet Systems, Print Systems, Consumer and Film, and Software and Solutions. X-ray films, copier-duplicators, pharmaceuticals, acetate fibers, polypropylene, polyethylene, videocassettes, and polyester was the company’s other products.

Kodak also manufactures photographic equipment for the government’s aerial, space, and other scientific needs, including the fabled satellite reconnaissance cameras that can read a license plate from orbit. Kodak also provides film and equipment for commercial fields such as the healthcare and motion picture industries.

George Eastman graduate from a high-school in rural New York in 1879. Then, he goes to London and found a patent on the plate coating machine. He start to make dry plates for sale and then he start the business after he get to rent in a building on State Street in Rochester, New York at the third floor. The Eastman Dry Plate Company was form by businessman Henry Strong and Eastman. In 1888, “ You Press the Button — We Do the Rest” its was a slogan that Kodak uses after created the name of Kodak and first Kodak camera placed on the market. In 1890 to 1896, initially with just four industrial parks, the Kodak Company starts develop.

Eastman Dry Plate placing a camera that can be loaded in daylight without using the darkroom. Their film and photographic paper manufacturing was transfer to Kodak Park. Then, first international manufacturing site opened in the London suburb of Harrow. The company is restructure again as Eastman Kodak Co. of New York. In 1901, the company create separate Eastman Kodak Co. of New Jersey. Until 1936, the company transferring assets to the New Jersey Corporation and dissolving of New York Corporation that makes the company consists of both companies, even though Rochester remains the company’s home. Kodak company manufacturing 100,000th Kodak camera and the price of Kodak camera is $5.

Kodak have releases the $1 Brownie camera in 1900 that making photography available to the public. Kodak christens its Hawk-eye lens plant on St. Paul Street. The company’s worldwide employment exceeds 5,000. It pays the first of what becomes an annual tradition bonus dividend of wages to employees. Kodak builds a 16-story office building at 343 State St. The other three stories were added in 1930. George Eastman gifts one-third of his Kodak stock — worth roughly $10 million at the time — to employees. In 1920, a company supply acetic acid and other photographic chemicals by establishes a chemicals subsidiary to Kodak. Kodak Company introduces its first motion picture film designed for making movies with sound tracks. Their company forms Eastman Gelatin Corporation after they buys a gelatin manufacturing plant in Peabody, Massachusetts.

In 1932, “ My work is done. Why wait?” the notes of the founder of Kodak company say before he commit suicide by shot himself with a bullet to the heart. The right before that happen, he had suffering from a painful spinal disorder. After George Eastman died, industrial photography having commercialize in high-speed with a camera synchronized to an electric timer that happen when Western Electric and Kodak been jointly. Vitamin Concentrates launched out at one of Kodak company which is Distillation Product Inc. by the end year of 1930’s. After that, General Mills’ interest was kicked out by Kodak company. Such a long term, their company pick a new president, Frank Lovejoy. Kodak does not fairly pay the annual wage dividend bonus to workers in such a long term an full of depression .In 1935, the launch of the iconic color film line Kodachrome and first 16 mm sound-on-film projector in the next year.

In 2012, Kodak had been warned by New York Stock Exchange that the company may be delisted. For their next steps, Kodak starting new business structure that two business units by divides its film group. Then, infringing four patents related to digital camera images makes Apple Inc (AAPL.O) got a lawsuit files. Kodak later also files patent infringement suits against Fuji-film Holdings Corp (4901.T) and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS). Such a tragedy of American economic life, Kodak’s decline and facing bankruptcy by approved U.S Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper.

In my opinion, the Kodak company faces bankruptcy because of the company does not improve their product by following new technology which is change by time to time. Their company should have major plan to manage the stability of their product. Then, the management at Kodak company also the reason why their company having bankruptcy and slowly faces fallen of market share. Meanwhile, Kodak does not taking serious about their plan to innovate their product while their facing a lot of trouble and always changing their president.