Fujifilm

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation
Fujifuirumu Kabushiki-kaisha
富士フイルム株式会社

Type	Public
Traded as	TYO: 4901
Industry	Consumer electronics
Founded	January 20, 1934
Headquarters	Midtown West, Tokyo Midtown Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo, Japan
Key people	Shigetaka Komori (President & CEO)
Products	Digital imaging and photographic materials, equipment and services
Revenue	¥2.182 trillion (FY 2010)
Net income	¥104.431 billion (2008)
Employees	35,274 (as of March 31, 2011)
Website	www.fujifilm.com

Fujifilm Holdings Corporation, commonly known as Fujifilm, (富士フイルム株式会社, Fujifuirumu Kabushiki-kaisha) is a Japanese multinational photography and imaging company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Fujifilm's principal activities are the development, production, sale and servicing of color photographic film, digital cameras, photofinishing equipment, color paper, photofinishing chemicals, medical imaging equipment, graphic arts equipment and materials, flat panel displays, optical devices, photocopiers and printers.

History

20th Century

Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd. was established in 1934 with the aim of being the first Japanese producer of photographic films. Over the following 10 years, the company produced photographic films, motion-picture films and X-ray films. In the 1940s, Fuji Photo entered the optical glasses, lenses and equipment markets. After the Second World War, Fuji Photo diversified, penetrating the medical (X-ray diagnosis), printing, electronic imaging and magnetic materials fields. In 1962, Fuji Photo and U.K.-based Rank Xerox Limited (now Xerox Limited) launched Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. through a joint venture.

From the mid-1950s, Fuji Photo accelerated the establishment of overseas sales bases. In the 1980s, Fuji Photo expanded its production and other bases overseas, stepping up the pace of its business globalization. Meanwhile, Fuji Photo developed digital technologies for its photo-related, medical and printing businesses.

Like its rival Eastman Kodak which dominated in the United States, Fuji Photo enjoyed a longtime near-monopoly on camera film in Japan. By becoming one of the title sponsors of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics (an opportunity that Kodak passed on), offering cheaper camera film, and establishing a film factory in the United States, Fuji gained considerable market share in the United States while Kodak had little success in penetrating Japan. In May 1995, Kodak filed a petition with the US Commerce Department under section 301 of the Commerce Act arguing that its poor performance in the Japanese market was a direct result of unfair practices adopted by Fuji. The complaint was lodged by the United States with the World Trade Organization. On January 30, 1998, the WTO announced a "sweeping rejection of Kodak's complaints" about the film market in Japan.

21st Century

Midtown West, the current global headquarters of Fujifilm in Tokyo.

The beginning of the new millennium witnessed the rapid spread of digital technology in cameras. Demand for photographic films showed a sudden plunge in line with the growing popularity of digital cameras. In response, Fuji Photo implemented management reforms aimed at effecting drastic transformation of its business structures. Even as early as the 1980s, the company had foreseen the switch from film to digital, so "it developed a three-pronged strategy: to squeeze as much money out of the film business as possible, to prepare for the switch to digital and to develop new business lines." While both film manufacturers recognized this fundamental change, Fuji Photo adapted to this shift much more successfully than Eastman Kodak (which filed for bankruptcy in January 2012). For instance, Fuji Photo CEO Shigetaka Komori managed to break longstanding Japanese corporate traditions, while Kodak was slow to change due to its executives' “mentality of perfect products, rather than the high-tech mindset of make it, launch it, fix it”. Fuji Photo's diversification efforts also succeeded while Kodak's had failed; furthermore Kodak built up a large but barely profitable digital camera business that was undone quickly by smartphone cameras.

In September 19, 2006, Fujifilm announced plans to establish a holding company, Fujifilm Holdings Corp. Fujifilm and Fuji Xerox would become subsidiaries of the holding company. A representative of the company reconfirmed its commitment to film, which accounts for 3% of sales.

Subsidiaries

Fuji Xerox is a joint venture between Fujifilm and Xerox Corporation of North America. Fujifilm bought Sericol Ltd., a UK based printing ink company specializing in screen, narrow web, and digital print technologies in March 2005.

Products

A Fujifilm blimp.

A 100 foot tin of 16 mm Fujifilm.

Fujifilm FinePix F30 camera.

Fujifilm FinePix S5000

Photographic film

• Motion picture film stock.

• Fujichrome color reversal (slide) films.
  • Velvia: one of the most saturated and fine-grained slide films, valued by nature and landscape photographers.
  • Provia: a slide film giving more natural colors than Velvia.
  • Astia: a fined grained, low contrast slide film often used for studio or portrait applications.
  • Sensia: a low-contrast consumer slide film; the current emulsion is considered to be identical or near-identical to Astia in the professional line.
  • Fortia: consumer slide film, featuring extremely vivid color rendering suitable for flower photography and other high-saturation applications (for Japanese market).

• Fujicolor color negative (print) films.
  • Fujicolor Pro 160S, 160C, 400H, and 800Z (formerly NPS, NPC, NPH, and NPZ): Professional films with different levels of contrast.
  • Reala: the first film to use the fourth cyan-sensitive layer, currently sold under Superia Reala name.
  • Superia: intended for snapshots.
  • Press: Cut from the same emulsion stock as Superia, but cold stored and sold as a professional film.
• Fuji Neopan Professional black & white negative film. As a side note, Neopan 400 and 1600 were designed to use the same developing times, and can be developed in the same tank/machine and developer combination simultaneously. ACROS and SS do not share this feature.
  • Neopan SS: ISO 100 film, most common and least expensive Neopan film
  • Neopan ACROS: ISO 100 film, finer grain than SS but usually more expensive
  • Neopan Presto: ISO 400 speed film
  • Neopan Super Presto: ISO 1600 for low-light shooting or fast action

Cameras and lenses

• The Fujifilm FinePix series of digital cameras including:
  • Nikon F-mount compatible digital SLRs like the FinePix S5 Pro
  • Fujifilm X-mount compatible Mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras like the X-Pro1
  • Compact cameras like the FinePix F-series and FinePix Z-Series, X100, and X100S
  • Waterproof and shockproof FinePix XP-Series digital cameras.
• The Clear Shot series of 35mm compact cameras.
• Instax series of instant camera.
• Fotorama series of instant camera.
• Various rangefinder cameras, and older Fujica film cameras.
• Professional film cameras such as the GW670, GW690, GF670, GF670W and Fuji GX680 6x8cm medium format cameras.
• Fujinon camera lenses and binoculars: including the most widely used television lenses in the world.

Other

• Photographic paper.
• Inkjet printer paper.
• Magnetic media, including audiotape (until 2009), videotape, and floppy disks.
• Optical media, such as DVDs and CDs, mostly produced by Ritek and Taiyo Yuden; some by Philips.
• Photostimulable Phosphor Plate - X-ray film.
• Base material for LCD displays.
• instax: Fuji instant film packs and backs for sheet film cameras.
• Minilab equipments, announced in 2006 a global alliance with Noritsu Koki, together holding a market share of more than 80% of the global market.
• Digital X-Ray, digital mammography and computed radiography devices.
• Synapse Radiology PACS.
• Synapse Cardiovascular PACS.
• Synapse RIS.

See also

• Fujifilm FinePix
• Fujifilm cameras
• List of photographic equipment makers

External links

• Fujifilm
• The fujifilm Collection, single use cameras page by Christophe DUCHESNE
• Fujica film camera instruction manuals English - PDF

Forums

• MyFinePix Community Forum (multi-lingual)
• Finepix German Forum
• fujiforum.com English
• Fuji X Forum