Fujifilm Australia has confirmed that 42 employees received redundancy notices last week.
Responding to Photo Counter enquiries, Fujifilm wrote: ‘Unfortunately, there were 42 positions made redundant from across the entire business due to advances in technology. As a result, the technical area was impacted in particular.
‘As digitisation continues to evolve, Fujifilm has had to reorganise its business structure and continue to modify and streamline its business models.’
Fujifilm has three business units serving imaging, medical and graphics markets. Fujifilm did not provide any detail on which of the business units were hit hardest.
Asked to elaborate on just what technical areas were impacted, Fujifilm responded: ‘Fujifilm is referring to technical services across all areas as a result of product innovation such as wet to dry labs, as well as similar changes in technology in the other industries we supply.’
Fujifilm had a total of 416 employees at March 2012 and 355 employees at March this year, according to annual reports lodged with ASIC. There was a round of redundancies of mainly sales and ‘back office’ staff in late 2011 also attributed at the time to technological advancements.
An unconfirmed report included Amy Lawrence, long-serving personal assistant to Dave Marshall, as one of the staff members made redundant last week.
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The reliance on the 2 major discount chains is probably why Australia had a loss, and I believe the US has grown share.
In the US, Fuji work WITH the independents as well as big box stores, whereas here in Australia, it seems to be forget the independents and rely on the big guys.
And I also want to say, there is NOTHING good about redundancies. I hope all those affected will be able to move on into new jobs, if that is what they want.
Speaking as a Kodak store who has watched this heavy discounting kill over 800 Kodak stores alone, together with many fletchers and other independent’s, I am watching the New paradigm that is Kodak Alaris. I wonder if the powers that be in Fuji regret the rush to the bottom.. one might even say “Karma” .. time will tell.
While I have sympathy for the employees who lost their jobs, I have none for the company. This is the inevitable result of chasing short term gains at the expense those loyal lab owners who put their name on the map in the first place. Something like this was always going to happen once Fujifilm made the philosophical decision to royally roger their traditional partners while turning the humble 6×4 print from a valuable commodity into a disposable one. Fujifilm have been at the forefront of the drive to below-cost printing, and thereby the diminishing of the perceived value of a photograph. In so doing, they have caused untold financial pain to the thousands of Lab owners who have been driven into the ground while they cuddled up to their new CE pals. Sod them I say!
Fuji’s self preserving choice of direction over the last 5 or 6 years has been cold, cunning and calculated, under the guise of being pragmatic and realistic. Many lives of descent quality independent operators have been ruined because of it. In the meantime my store has maintained small but steady growth by recognising the value of Fuji’s products, including a service component and charging accordingly. What an unnecessary mess.
Rumor has it Dave Marshall lost his PA!
Who will make his coffee now?
You look over the history of the photo lab industry in Australia and you’ll find that things have never been so bad.
Big multi national businesses usually learns from the mistakes of the past, not create the biggest and greediest blunders in photo lab history!
When independents can buy Fuji crystal archive paper cheaper from other suppliers no wonder we told Fuji to take a flying leap. Fuji shafted the independents, they made their bed & now they can flaming well lay in it. Karma’s a bitch & it has bitten Fuji on the arse.
Like so many before a warm feeling of Karma…..
While I regret any redundancies Fuji have made, many received packages to help them. But please remember Fuji like all other businesses is not a charity and unless MD’s and CEO’s make some of the hard decisions they may find themselves in charge of a bankrupt company where no entitlements are paid. Unfortunately many technological changes can have negative consequences and our business has certainly not been immune to them.
More sackings, to save money. Now I see Harveys have dropped their prices on 5×7 to 8×12 enlargements.. (Fuji behind this) wonder how many more sackings in the next year before they start to wonder why independents are not supporting them….obviously the managers at Fuji sit in offices without windows, so they can’t see outside to know what’s going on.
Recently (Dec 2013) saw D Marshall driving to the Fuji offices in a new Audi convertible (probably worth upwards of $70,000), quite a brazen display of inconsiderate greed so soon after this current round of redundancies! Might add that this event occured after the last round as well, at least he’s consistent!!