Word: fuji
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...analysts, that only shows the difficulty of rebuilding the 118-year-old house of Kodak at a time when its back end is ablaze from the heat of Fuji's relentless assault. The Japanese company (fiscal 1996 sales: $10.11 billion) hotly denies it is a price-cutter, but nevertheless its prices are as much as a third below Kodak's on some products. B. Alexander Henderson, the head of technology research at Prudential Securities, says Kodak will have to cut prices to narrow the gap with Fuji. Kodak has charged, via a closely watched U.S. complaint before the World Trade...
...Fuji has also conducted a textbook brand-building campaign designed to raise its awareness among consumers and retailers. For instance, the company sponsored soccer's World Cup, which is beamed to hundreds of millions. At this year's U.S. Open, a Fuji blimp ceaselessly circled the Arthur Ashe Stadium. At the same time, the company has cut deals with retailers to gain shelf space and displays. There's no question about quality: both companies make excellent products. But given comparable quality, the price gap between the two becomes telling...
...fresh $100 million that includes a new ad campaign, the company is relaunching Advantix. Most of the action, though, is at the low-tech end of the business. In the $600 million market for hot-selling single-use cameras, the company remains under attack not only from Fuji but also from swarms of private-label manufacturers that are eating into Kodak's lead. Still other Kodak products--like medical X rays and writable CD-ROMs, storage devices that can hold images and data--have come under heavy price pressure...
Fisher launched the trade case in part to get Kodak on the offensive and force Fuji to raise prices. He took a similar tack at Motorola, using U.S. government negotiators to open the Japanese market for microchips. Last week House Speaker Newt Gingrich and minority leader Dick Gephardt urged President Clinton to use "all available means" to pry open Japan's market. Fuji denies any wrongdoing, and it is preparing to make the issue moot in the future by adding a 35-mm color-film plant, part of a $200 million investment, to its existing manufacturing complex in Greenwood...
...heart and soul of the picture business," says Fisher, as if to rally the home team. That's certainly true. But even if Kodak wins its case, undoing Fuji's market inroads will be difficult. Indeed, the bitter rivalry with Fuji revives memories of epic U.S.-Japanese clashes over products such as steel, televisions and autos. All Fisher needs to do is look at the auto nameplates in the parking lot to judge the staying power of determined rivals...