Kodak Takes Another Slow, Sad Step Toward The Death Of Film

Kodak filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last and continues to fight for relevance. You may be surprised to learn that one of the business lines they’ve kept has been film manufacturing for still photography and movies. Not enough, though, because Kodak is about to lay off the 61 workers who make acetate film base in the company’s Rochester, N.Y. home.

Just because most people in the world take all of their pictures with fancied-up phones, that doesn’t mean that no one buys film anymore. (At least one Consumerist Flickr pool member whose photos you often see on this site shoots photos on film.) Usage has fallen off enough that Kodak claims it has a large stockpile of acetate base. Enough to last for years, in fact.

After the bankruptcy, Kodak’s imaging businesses will belong to the United Kingdom pension plan for Kodak employees. The remaining parts of the original company will continue to manufacture film for the ex-Kodak divisions, but all profits from those divisions will go to the pensioners.

Kodak ending acetate base manufacturing [Democrat and Chronicle]

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