Business News
Kodak Sharpens Focus on Core Portfolio, Plans Leaner Cost Structure
Thursday 05. February 2009 - Companys Solid Balance Sheet and Strong Cash Position Provide Financial Underpinning for Business Strategy; Kodak Views Second-Half 2008 and Full-Year 2009 as Detour on Road to Continued Digital Growth; Kodak Poised to Continue Market Share Gains in Core Digital Investments: Consumer Inkjet, Commercial Inkjet, and Enterprise Workflow; Kodak to Enter 2010 in Stronger Competitive Position
At its annual strategy meeting with investors, Eastman Kodak Company (NYSE:EK) today will announce plans to more tightly focus on investments in its breakthrough digital technologies while maximizing the performance of its strong cash-generating businesses and identifying new business models for product lines outside its core portfolio.
At the same time, Kodak will continue its focus on cash and begins 2009 with more than $2.1 billion and no significant debt payments likely until late 2010. The broad restructuring announced last week will generate $300 million to $350 million in annual savings, plus the additional impact of the companys portfolio actions.
“The performance of our digital portfolio is strong and Kodaks balance sheet is solid,” said Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Eastman Kodak Company. “But we see no immediate signs of economic recovery, so we are taking steps to address this by focusing investment in our core digital technologies, optimizing our portfolio of cash-generating businesses, and restructuring the company to further reduce our cost structure. In 2009, Kodak will be a smaller, more profitable company, we will continue to gain share in our most profitable digital businesses, and we will enter 2010 as a much stronger competitor.”
Core Investments
These high-margin annuity businesses remain at the core of Kodaks digital strategy – to maximize Kodaks competitive advantage at the intersection of imaging science and materials science – and represent significant, sustainable growth potential: Consumer Inkjet within the Consumer Digital Imaging Group (CDG), and Enterprise Solutions and Commercial Inkjet Printing within the Graphic Communications Group (GCG).
Together these new businesses generated about $1 billion in revenue in 2008 and compete in an addressable market of more than $100 billion. In these businesses, Kodak brings differentiated value propositions, breakthrough technology and strong intellectual property.
Consumer Inkjet continues to grow market share with a value proposition – outstanding image quality, superior image permanence and significant savings on the price of ink – that resonates with consumers who print a lot. In 2008, Kodak outpaced the consumer inkjet printer industry in retail sell-through, and achieved an inkjet cartridge attachment rate thats nearly double the industry average. The company more than tripled its installed base of printers to over one million.
In Commercial Inkjet, Kodaks Stream technology, introduced last year, has received noteworthy market interest in its offset-class output – rivaling offset printings reliability, productivity, cost and quality – combined with the full benefits of variable-data digital output. The commercialization of this new technology remains on an accelerated pace for an early 2010 market launch for the full press, with Stream print heads in the market in 2009. Stream print heads are now in beta test.
Enterprise Solutions, which develops market-leading software based on a unified workflow for graphic communications, will maintain strong margins and drive integrated solutions for customers. With more than 40,000 placements currently in the market worldwide, the businesss high margins will enhance the companys bottom line as scale increases.
Cash Generators
The success of Kodaks core investments stems in part from the companys ability to maximize its cash-generating businesses. These market-leading product lines represented approximately $6 billion in revenue in 2008, and include the following: Prepress Solutions and Document Imaging in GCG, Digital Capture & Devices and Retail Systems Solutions in CDG, and Entertainment Imaging from the Film, Photofinishing and Entertainment Group (FPEG). For these businesses in 2009, Kodak will focus on margin improvements, including cost reductions, as well as continuing its successful intellectual property licensing program.
Businesses Being Transformed
Product lines to be transformed represent about $2 billion in 2008 revenue. Kodak will take specific actions to improve performance in these products and technologies in 2009.
Image Sensor Solutions and Kodak Gallery in CDG, Electrophotographic Printing in GCG, and OLED are businesses in which Kodak has a unique market position but which require additional investment in order to achieve their full potential. Kodak will reposition these businesses by pursuing alliances or other business model changes to reduce risk and enhance revenue and margins.
Color Paper, Film Capture, and Graphic Arts Film businesses in FPEG continue to generate cash within declining industry segments. Kodak will reduce the cost structure of these businesses and maximize short-term cash.
The company will complete its exit from photofinishing services (Qualex) in the first half of the year.
Financial Outlook
Given the economic environment, Kodak is taking a conservative approach in its forecast for 2009. The company expects the external economic environment of the fourth quarter 2008 will continue through the first half of 2009, followed by a modest economic improvement in the second half. Kodaks full-year projections are predicated on these assumptions.
“Given the limited visibility in the current environment, these assumptions represent our best estimate as to how the year will evolve,” Perez said. “We will closely monitor the global economys progress and adjust our plans accordingly.”
For 2009, on a continuing operations basis, Kodak expects:
Digital revenue decline of 6% to 12%; overall revenue decline of 12% to 18%;
2009 GAAP loss from continuing operations of $200 million to $400 million; and segment earnings of $0 to $200 million;
Cash generation before dividends and restructuring of between $75 million and $325 million; and cash generation of negative $200 million to positive $100 million before dividend payments after taking into account restructuring costs;
Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization, excluding restructuring, of $475 million to $675 million.
For the period 2009 – 2012, predicated on an economic recovery in 2010, the company expects:
Average compound annual revenue growth of 4%; and
Average compound annual digital revenue growth of between 8% and 10%.
By 2012, the companys target business model will yield:
Gross Profit margins of 27%-28% of total revenue;
Sales, General and Administrative expenses of 14% to 15% of total revenue;
Research and Development costs of approximately 5% of total revenue; and
Segment earnings of approximately 8% of total revenue.