7 ms·

Two old tech companies want to merge. An activist investor blocked this, figuring there is more to be made milking the technology on the way down. This can happ

Two old tech companies want to merge. An activist investor blocked this, figuring there is more to be made milking the technology on the way down. This can happen in software too.

sho 8y ago
Is fujifilm really "on the way down"? They seem pretty well diversified with some good product lines. Hell, I own one of their recent cameras. Xerox I won't argue with, but they're still not exactly on death watch. Just get the sense your comment is a little negative, like they've both obviously failed and all that is left is milking the dying husks. Fujifilm could quite likely outlast facebook. It will almost certainly outlast the likes of snapchat, IMO. Old != bad.
- weaksauce 8y ago
  Fujifilm also is not just electronics.
  - Bokanovsky 8y ago
    Believe it or not Fujifilm also make a range of cosmetics - http://www.fujifilm.com/products/skincare/history/ http://www.fujifilm.com/products/skincare/history/ https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00511/ https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00511/
    - bnjms 8y ago
      There's the sort of fact that is surprising initially but is remarkably mundane and expected thing for a chemical company to do. I do expect them to have some other branding though.
  - calypso 8y ago
    I even use their film still. Granted they are discontinuing most of their film lines this year but still a very relevant company, especially with their mirrorless cameras
    - paulmd 8y ago
      Disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. They have been winding down their film production for a while now. First it was Astia and some of the oddball LF sizes, then it was FP100C in 4x5, then the 3x4, then FP3000B, and it just keeps rolling on. I've been expecting this for a while and have a good stash of film tucked away that will carry me for quite a while. I have about 150 rolls of various slide films in 120 and maybe 200 rolls of B+W in 120 and 35mm. I'll probably still try to tuck away another 100 rolls or so in the deep freezer if I can. Unlike FP-100C, slide+negative films can be stored for a long time (practically indefinitely) if kept cool/frozen. At this point I am getting worried about how long E-6 processing will be around though. There are DIY kits but they are not archival-grade stable. Fuji is also terrible at communicating these discontinuations to their customers. Several times now it's simply been "oops, we're out, this will be the last shipment", and only to their Asia distribution chain at that.
      - Aloha 8y ago
        If no one is buying it - or not enough to sustain production, its going to go away.
        sho 8y ago
        Yeah, I was gonna say. It's sad, but one can't expect a company to keep an entire production line open just for a rapidly dwindling number of enthusiasts. They have better ways to deploy their resources. It would be arguably negligent for them to not do so. They probably shuttered the production facility years ago and are just running out their inventory. It might actually be quite lucrative, if evil, to buy some for later resale.
        paulmd 8y ago
        Kodak "rightsized" their film production a few years ago, and film sales are actually on an incline since then (both due to enthusiasts and professional cinematographers). They're actually bringing back various classic film stocks as well as introducing new ones based on modern R&D. Ilford has shed their financial legacy (and toxic waste-dump of a site) and is doing better these days too. https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-increase-in-film-sales-spurs-kodak-to-bring-back-ektachrome https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-incr... https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bringing-back-t-max-p3200-high-speed-b-w-film https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bri... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/great-film-renaissance-2017 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/gr... Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. Amazing products (best-in-class film, cameras, lenses, etc) but extremely shitty marketing and distribution, particularly outside the Asia market. They're finally sorta getting it together with the digital side of the company (the X-series are great and have a big following in NA/Europe) but the film side has been a mess for 50+ years. Probably a lesson in there for the entrepreneurs of HN - along with the importance of producing the appropriate amount of product. The really aggravating thing is their instant packfilms (peel-apart Polaroid film) - they literally are making the emulsion anyway for their Instax series (which have been selling like crazy for years), they just need to produce different sizes of film, which has traditionally not been A Big Deal for film companies, up until Fuji made it one. They could increase their volume quite a bit if they would just restart production of the standard film sizes that Polaroid, MF, and LF shooters have been using for decades, but they only make the proprietary one that fits their cameras.
euroclydon 8y ago
Fujifilm is arguably the largest vender of medical imaging software in the world.
adventured 8y ago
Icahn isn't looking to milk the technology on the way down. He's looking for a higher priced flip near-term. Xerox is going to very likely immediately move into an auction sale. They'll probably find a higher valuation for the sale in the next quarter or two. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/xerox-abandons-planned-deal-with-fujifilm-in-a-victory-for-activist-investors-icahn-and-deason.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/xerox-abandons-planned-deal-... http://www.bbc.com/news/business-44104809 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-44104809
- jacquesm 8y ago
  Icahn is sort of an anti Buffett.

Two old tech companies want to merge. An activist investor blocked this, figuring there is more to be made milking the technology on the way down. This can happen in software too.

sho 8y ago

Is fujifilm really "on the way down"? They seem pretty well diversified with some good product lines. Hell, I own one of their recent cameras. Xerox I won't argue with, but they're still not exactly on death watch. Just get the sense your comment is a little negative, like they've both obviously failed and all that is left is milking the dying husks. Fujifilm could quite likely outlast facebook. It will almost certainly outlast the likes of snapchat, IMO. Old != bad.

weaksauce 8y ago
Fujifilm also is not just electronics.
- Bokanovsky 8y ago
  Believe it or not Fujifilm also make a range of cosmetics - http://www.fujifilm.com/products/skincare/history/ http://www.fujifilm.com/products/skincare/history/ https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00511/ https://www.nippon.com/en/features/c00511/
  - bnjms 8y ago
    There's the sort of fact that is surprising initially but is remarkably mundane and expected thing for a chemical company to do. I do expect them to have some other branding though.
- calypso 8y ago
  I even use their film still. Granted they are discontinuing most of their film lines this year but still a very relevant company, especially with their mirrorless cameras
  - paulmd 8y ago
    Disappointing, but unfortunately not surprising. They have been winding down their film production for a while now. First it was Astia and some of the oddball LF sizes, then it was FP100C in 4x5, then the 3x4, then FP3000B, and it just keeps rolling on. I've been expecting this for a while and have a good stash of film tucked away that will carry me for quite a while. I have about 150 rolls of various slide films in 120 and maybe 200 rolls of B+W in 120 and 35mm. I'll probably still try to tuck away another 100 rolls or so in the deep freezer if I can. Unlike FP-100C, slide+negative films can be stored for a long time (practically indefinitely) if kept cool/frozen. At this point I am getting worried about how long E-6 processing will be around though. There are DIY kits but they are not archival-grade stable. Fuji is also terrible at communicating these discontinuations to their customers. Several times now it's simply been "oops, we're out, this will be the last shipment", and only to their Asia distribution chain at that.
    - Aloha 8y ago
      If no one is buying it - or not enough to sustain production, its going to go away.
      - sho 8y ago
        Yeah, I was gonna say. It's sad, but one can't expect a company to keep an entire production line open just for a rapidly dwindling number of enthusiasts. They have better ways to deploy their resources. It would be arguably negligent for them to not do so. They probably shuttered the production facility years ago and are just running out their inventory. It might actually be quite lucrative, if evil, to buy some for later resale.
      - paulmd 8y ago
        Kodak "rightsized" their film production a few years ago, and film sales are actually on an incline since then (both due to enthusiasts and professional cinematographers). They're actually bringing back various classic film stocks as well as introducing new ones based on modern R&D. Ilford has shed their financial legacy (and toxic waste-dump of a site) and is doing better these days too. https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-increase-in-film-sales-spurs-kodak-to-bring-back-ektachrome https://www.dpreview.com/news/9503675822/analog-revival-incr... https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bringing-back-t-max-p3200-high-speed-b-w-film https://www.dpreview.com/news/1282034127/kodak-alaris-is-bri... https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/great-film-renaissance-2017 https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/photography/features/gr... Fuji just can't get their act together, and to be honest they've never been a very well-run company. Amazing products (best-in-class film, cameras, lenses, etc) but extremely shitty marketing and distribution, particularly outside the Asia market. They're finally sorta getting it together with the digital side of the company (the X-series are great and have a big following in NA/Europe) but the film side has been a mess for 50+ years. Probably a lesson in there for the entrepreneurs of HN - along with the importance of producing the appropriate amount of product. The really aggravating thing is their instant packfilms (peel-apart Polaroid film) - they literally are making the emulsion anyway for their Instax series (which have been selling like crazy for years), they just need to produce different sizes of film, which has traditionally not been A Big Deal for film companies, up until Fuji made it one. They could increase their volume quite a bit if they would just restart production of the standard film sizes that Polaroid, MF, and LF shooters have been using for decades, but they only make the proprietary one that fits their cameras.

euroclydon 8y ago

Fujifilm is arguably the largest vender of medical imaging software in the world.

adventured 8y ago

Icahn isn't looking to milk the technology on the way down. He's looking for a higher priced flip near-term. Xerox is going to very likely immediately move into an auction sale. They'll probably find a higher valuation for the sale in the next quarter or two. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/xerox-abandons-planned-deal-with-fujifilm-in-a-victory-for-activist-investors-icahn-and-deason.html https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/xerox-abandons-planned-deal-... http://www.bbc.com/news/business-44104809 http://www.bbc.com/news/business-44104809

jacquesm 8y ago
Icahn is sort of an anti Buffett.