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Kodak Alaris

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This article is about a post-bankruptcy spun-off company of the Eastman Kodak Company. Not to be confused with Alaris, Inc..

Kodak Alaris Holdings Limited
Kodak Alaris Inc.
Company typeLimited
IndustryPhotography, Digital imaging
Founded30 May 2013[1]
HeadquartersHemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom
Key people
Paul Wells, CEO[2]
Productsfilm, digital imaging software and hardware
OwnerKingswood Capital Management
Websitewww.kodakalaris.com Edit this at Wikidata

Kodak Alaris is a British-based company currently comprising two divisions: Alaris, hardware and software for digital imaging and information management; and Kodak Moments, retail photo printing kiosks and sales and marketing of traditional photographic film. The company is headquartered in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.[3][4] The company shares ownership of the Kodak brand with the Eastman Kodak Company (usually known simply as Kodak).[5]

History

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In 2012, Kodak filed for bankruptcy after a years-long decline in the company's core film photography business.[6] As part of the bankruptcy, Kodak faced a $2.8 billion claim by the UK Kodak Pension Plan (KPP). The claim was resolved and Kodak Alaris was formed when KPP paid $325 million for Kodak's personalized imaging and document imaging businesses.[7][8][9][10][4]

In 2014, the company appointed Ralf Gerbershagen as CEO.[11] Also in 2014, Mark Elliott was named chairman of the Board of Kodak Alaris.[12]

In 2015, the company created AI Foundry, which provides business process automation solutions that use artificial intelligence (AI) and imaging science to automate data capture workflows.[13]

In 2016, the company launched Kodak Moments, a visual storytelling app, at the South by Southwest festival.[14] The company closed its only colour paper factory in Harrow, UK and outsourced all RA-4 paper production to Carestream Health, US formerly the Eastman Kodak health group, with production at a facility in Windsor, Colorado.[15]

In 2017, the company appointed Marc Jourlait as CEO, completed a balance sheet restructuring, renewed a rotating credit facility, and completed the sale of its manufacturing facility, Kodak Works in Harrow.[5]

In 2018, the company's Information Management division announced that it would begin to operate under the name Alaris.[16]

In 2020, the Paper, Photochemicals, Display, and Software business was sold to Sino Promise, China which was also a major distributor for Kodak Alaris. This includes Kodak color negative paper, photochemicals (Color process photochemicals for photolabs and B&W retail photo processing chemicals), display substrates (Duratrans, etc.) and printing software businesses. Sino Promise had previously purchased some of the manufacturing assets of Kodak Alaris (formerly Kodak China) and so was already the manufacturer of the color process chemicals and undertook paper finishing.[17] The AI foundry business was also sold to US mortgage company Guaranteed Rate.[18]

On 18 November 2020, Kodak Alaris was formally transferred from KPP to the Board of the Pension Protection Fund (PPF). Thus the ownership of the company came directly under the control of the UK pension protection authority.[1] On 1 April 2022 Paul Wells succeeded Mark Alflatt as CEO.[19]

On 1 August 2024 Kodak Alaris was sold by the UK PPF to Kingswood capital management, a Los Angeles-based private equity firm.[20]

Current businesses

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The company is currently organised into two divisions; Alaris and Kodak Moments.

Alaris

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Alaris is focussed on business information capture and management. It had revenues of $196m in 2022 and directly employed 700 staff.[1]

Kodak Moments

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The Kodak Moments business supplies retail self service print kiosks, which enable consumers to make prints of digital images and photo products such as printed mugs, and undertakes the sales and marketing of Kodak still films produced by Eastman Kodak, Rochester, US. The kiosk machines are sourced from original manufacturers and assembled for Kodak Alaris by third party integrators located in US and Germany. Machine consumables are manufactured by a Kodak Alaris facility in the US and a third party supplier in Germany. It had revenues of $314m in 2022 and directly employed 480 staff.[1]

Photographic film

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Kodak Alaris has the rights to the sale, marketing and distribution of Kodak-branded still film products. Film is produced in 35mm, 120, and sheet film formats. Interest in film photography increased in the second decade of the 2000s, causing a shortage of film worldwide.[21] Manufacturer Eastman Kodak's main business continues to be the production of movie and industrial films, where it retains control over the sales and distribution. However, due to shortage of still films, movie films have also been made available to still film consumers by third parties such as Flic Film.[22]

Black-and-white negative film

  • Kodak Tri-X 320
  • Kodak Tri-X 400
  • Kodak TMAX 100
  • Kodak TMAX 400
  • Kodak TMAX P3200

Color negative film

Kodak Ultramax 400 film boxes showing before and after a 2023 package redesign
  • Consumer
    • Kodak ColorPlus 200
    • Kodak ProImage 100
    • Kodak Gold 200
    • Kodak Ultramax 400
    • Kodak Ultramax 800 (only sold in single-use cameras)
As of 2024, Kodak Ultramax 800 is only sold in disposable cameras
  • Professional
    • Kodak Ektar 100
    • Kodak Portra 160
    • Kodak Portra 400
    • Kodak Portra 800

Color reversal (slide) film

  • Kodak Ektachrome E100

In 2018, Kodak launched a newly formulated version of Kodak Ektachrome 100 color reversal film in 35mm format.[23] The following year, the company announced the film stock in 120 and 4x5 film formats.[24]

Former businesses

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  • AI Foundry, sold in 2020 to US mortgage company Guaranteed Rate.
  • PPDS; Paper, and Processing chemicals, Display and Software[25] sold in 2020 to Sino Promise, China. Sino Promise had previously acquired the Kodak Alaris paper slitting plant in Xiamen, China, in 2015 and the Kodak Alaris photochemical plant in Wuxi, China in 2012, which produces Flexicolor products for RA-4 and C-41 processes. Paper production had already been outsourced to Carestream Health, US and Kodak B&W chemicals to Tetenal, Germany. Therefore, the sale principally concerned the licensing rights to the Kodak name on these products rather than any production facilities.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "KODAK ALARIS HOLDINGS LIMITED overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Leadership | Kodak Alaris". www.kodakalaris.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  3. ^ "About Us". www.kodakalaris.com. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  4. ^ a b Mesterharm, James; Roof, Becky (October 2014). "The Restructuring of Kodak: Bringing Two Well-Positioned Companies into Focus". ABF Journal. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. ^ a b Feltner, Kerry (14 August 2017). "Kodak Alaris CEO has a strong focus". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  6. ^ Dickinson, Mike (22 September 2017). "No clear path to success for Kodak". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  7. ^ Szustek, Anne (23 December 2013). "U.K. Kodak Pension Plan Revitalizes Kodak's U.S. Imaging Businesses". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  8. ^ Brown, Nick; Agrawal, Tanya (3 September 2013). "Kodak emerges from bankruptcy with focus on commercial printing". Reuters. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  9. ^ Daneman, Matthew (3 September 2013). "Kodak bankruptcy officially ends". USA TODAY. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  10. ^ Cade, DL (26 September 2013). "Kodak Alaris Will Keep the Kodak Legacy Alive, Has 'No Plans' to Stop Selling Film". PetaPixel. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  11. ^ Lahman, Sean (3 May 2016). "Kodak Alaris CEO steps down". Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  12. ^ Dickinson, Mike (9 April 2014). "Kodak Alaris appoints former IBM exec as chairman". Democrat & Chronicle. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  13. ^ Nicastro, Dom (9 November 2015). "Next Up in Artificial Intelligence: Kodak Alaris". CMS Wire. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  14. ^ Monllos, Kristina (11 March 2016). "Kodak Alaris' Immersive 'Memory Observatory' at SXSW Launches Its New Photo-Sharing App". Ad Week. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
  15. ^ "Kodak outsources colour paper manufacture". www.insideimaging.com.au. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  16. ^ Spicer, Velvet (25 April 2018). "Kodak Alaris rebrands division". Rochester Business Journal. Retrieved 31 October 2018.
  17. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Kodak paper business to China". www.insideimaging.com.au. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Guaranteed Rate Launches AI-Powered Mortgage Startup Gateless". www.builtinchicago.org. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Leadership | Kodak Alaris". www.kodakalaris.com. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Kodak Alaris Announces Acquisition by Kingswood Capital Management". www.businesswire.com. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  21. ^ Growcoot, Matt (12 October 2022). "Kodak is Hiring Film Technicians: 'We Cannot Keep Up with Demand'". PetaPixel. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  22. ^ "New Fresh Kodak Vision3 and ECN-2 Chemistry from FlicFilm". www.35mmc.com. Retrieved 30 April 2023.
  23. ^ Greenwood, Marcia. "Kodak: Ektachrome is back". Democrat and Chronicle. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  24. ^ Mike (10 December 2019). "Kodak Alaris Announces EKTACHROME E100 in 120 and 4x5 Formats". FilterGrade. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  25. ^ "Paper, Display, Chemicals and Software". www.kodak.sinopromise.com. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
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