Kodak's film packaging lines to close, cutting up to 900 jobs; will lay off up to 6,000 more in...

On July 31, Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y., announced plans to close local film packaging lines in Kodak Park. Most of the work will move to a factory in Guadalajara, Mexico, with the rest going to the company's newest plant in Xiamen, China, reported Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle.

An estimated 800 to 900 people will lose their jobs. Most will be in Rochester, but the company gave no specifics. The decision to move the "film finishing" operations is part of Kodak's plan to eliminate 4,500 to 6,000 jobs over the next 12 months, including up to 3,000 in Rochester, said the report. This estimated reduction represents 6 to 9 percent of the company's worldwide employment base of about 70,000.

Kodak officials said people aren't using as much film as a result of new digital technology, a poor economy, and decreased tourism, and this impacts Kodak's consumer film industry.