Eastman Kodak (KODK) 10-K2023 FY Annual report

PART I

When used in this report, unless otherwise indicated, “we,” “our,” “us,” the “Company” and “Kodak” refer to the consolidated company on the basis of consolidation described in Note 1 to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Form 10-K Report.

Kodak is a global manufacturer focused on commercial print and advanced materials and chemicals. With 79,000 patents earned over 130 years of research and development ("R&D"), Kodak believes in the power of technology and science to enhance what the world sees and creates. Kodak's innovative, award-winning products, combined with its customer-first approach, make us the partner of choice for commercial printers worldwide. Kodak is committed to environmental stewardship, including industry leadership in developing sustainable solutions for print.

The Company was founded by George Eastman in 1880 and incorporated in 1901 in the State of New Jersey.  Kodak is headquartered in Rochester, New York.

DESCRIPTION OF THE BUSINESS

Kodak’s operations are classified into three reportable segments: Print, Advanced Materials and Chemicals, and Brand. The balance of Kodak’s continuing operations, which do not meet the criteria of a reportable segment, are reported in All Other and primarily represent the Eastman Business Park ("EBP") operations.

Print

The Print segment is comprised of five lines of business: the Prepress Solutions business, the PROSPER business, the Software business, the Electrophotographic Printing Solutions business and the Versamark business.  Print segment products include digital offset plate offerings and computer-to-plate (“CTP”) imaging solutions, high-quality digital printing solutions using electrically charged toner-based technology, production press systems, consumables (primarily ink), inkjet components, software and services.  The Print segment serves a variety of commercial industries, including commercial print, direct mail, book publishing, newspapers and magazines and packaging/labels. Print products are sold to customers through both a direct sales team as well as indirectly through dealers and channel partners.  Key competitors are Fuji, EC03, HP, Canon, Ricoh and Screen. Products and services included in Kodak’s offerings are described below.

This segment is experiencing challenges from higher raw material and other supply chain costs and competitive pricing pressures. Refer to the Business Overview and Strategy section of Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” for additional information on the opportunities and challenges related to the Print segment.

Net sales for the Prepress business accounted for 56%, 59% and 57% of Kodak’s total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Advanced Materials and Chemicals

The Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment is comprised of four lines of business: the Industrial Film and Chemicals business, the Motion Picture business, the Advanced Materials and Functional Printing business and the IP Licensing and Analytical Services business. Kodak’s Advanced Materials and Chemicals products are distributed directly by Kodak and indirectly through dealers. Kodak Alaris, a professional and consumer still photographic film and chemicals customer, represented approximately 34% of total Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment revenues in 2023 and 32% in both 2022 and 2021. Products and services included in Kodak’s offerings are described below.

The Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment includes the Kodak Research Laboratories which conduct research, develop new product or new business opportunities such as Kodak's growth initiatives of printed electronics, light blocking treatment for fabrics and diagnostic test reagents and file patent applications for its inventions and innovations. 

The Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment also manages licensing of its intellectual property to third parties and is a supporting participant for any licensing of Kodak intellectual property to a third party.  Kodak maintains a large worldwide portfolio of pending applications and issued patents.

Refer to the Business Overview and Strategy section of Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” for additional information on the opportunities related to Advanced Materials and Chemicals growth initiatives.

Net sales for Industrial Film and Chemicals business accounted for 18%, 15% and 14% of Kodak’s total net revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Brand

The Brand segment includes licensing of the Kodak brand to third parties. Kodak currently licenses its brand for use with a range of products including digital, instant print and 35mm film cameras, printing and scanning consumer use devices, eyewear, batteries and apparel. Kodak intends to continue efforts to grow its portfolio of brand licenses to generate both ongoing royalty streams and upfront payments. Brand licensees use the Kodak brand on their own products and use their own distribution channels.

RAW MATERIALS

The raw materials used by Kodak are many and varied and are generally readily available. Lithographic aluminum is the primary material used in the manufacture of offset printing plates.  Kodak procures lithographic aluminum coils from several suppliers with pricing largely based on prevailing market prices for aluminum. Electronic components are used in the manufacturing of commercial printers and other electronic devices. The film and chemicals business uses many raw materials, including silver, from a broad range of suppliers. While most raw materials are generally available from multiple sources, certain key electronic components, other components and specialty chemicals included in the finished goods manufactured by Kodak and manufactured by and purchased from Kodak’s third-party suppliers are obtained from single or limited sources, which subjects Kodak to supply risks. Refer to Item 1A, "Risk Factors" and the Executive Overview section of Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” for a discussion of the impact of the economic environment and other global events for additional information.

SEASONALITY OF BUSINESS

Printing equipment and plate unit sales generally are higher in the fourth quarter, resulting from customer or industry budgeting practices and buying patterns.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Kodak's general practice is to protect its investment in research and development and its freedom to use its inventions by obtaining patents. The ownership of these patents contributes to Kodak's ability to provide industry-leading products. Kodak holds portfolios of patents in several areas important to its business, including specific technologies such as lithographic printing plates and related equipment systems; digital printing workflow and color management proofing systems; key press components and toners for color and black-and-white electrophotographic printing systems; commercial inkjet writing systems and components, presses and inks; custom and specialty materials for 3D printing, functional printing materials, material formulations, and deposition modalities; engineered microparticles for specific functions; and security materials.  Each of these areas is important to existing and emerging business opportunities that bear directly on Kodak's overall business performance.

In addition to patents, Kodak’s intellectual property includes know-how in many of the areas noted above, but in other businesses as well, such as color negative films, processing and print films, and manufacturing of KSMs for the pharmaceutical industry.

Kodak's major products are not dependent upon one single, material patent. Rather, the technologies that underlie Kodak's products are supported by an aggregation of patents having various remaining lives and expiration dates along with know-how and trade secrets. There is no individual patent, or group of patents, whose expiration is expected to have a material impact on Kodak's results of operations.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

Kodak is subject to a wide variety of increasingly stringent federal, state, local, and foreign environmental laws and regulations, including laws addressing the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, the management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, and the cleanup of contaminated sites. It is Kodak’s policy to carry out its business activities in a manner consistent with sound health, safety and environmental management practices and to comply with applicable health, safety and environmental laws and regulations. Kodak continues to engage in programs for environmental, health and safety protection and control.

A liability for environmental remediation and other environmental costs is accrued when it is considered probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Environmental costs and accruals are presently not material to Kodak’s operations, cash flows or financial position. Although there is no assurance that existing or future environmental laws applicable to operations or products will not have a material adverse effect on operations, cash flows or financial condition, Kodak does not currently anticipate material expenditures to comply with environmental laws and regulations.

Kodak is focused on developing and delivering products and technologies that can drive sustainability and profitability by increasing operational efficiency, minimizing resource use, reducing costs over time and empowering customers to meet their own sustainability objectives.

The opportunity to reduce the environmental impact of its products and services is especially great for print products, as commercial printing has historically been a significant source of waste and pollution. Kodak continues to develop in-house life cycle assessment and carbon footprint capabilities, which will help identify where the environmental footprint of Kodak’s products can be further reduced.

HUMAN CAPITAL

As of the end of 2023, Kodak employed approximately 4,000 employees across 34 countries. Kodak’s success depends on identifying, attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining a highly skilled workforce in multiple areas within Kodak. Outside the U.S. there are employees in certain countries that are represented by unions or similar organizations, such as works councils, or are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

Kodak utilizes temporary staffing programs to develop a pipeline of talent and provide additional support during peak periods. This includes working closely with local schools to provide apprentice and intern programs.  Less than 2% of its workforce is temporary.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Kodak seeks to create an inclusive and creative environment globally. Kodak strives to create a culture of inclusion, reduce bias in its talent practices, and invest in and engage with its communities. Kodak conducts diversity and code of conduct trainings with employees and managers to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace, where all individuals feel respected and part of a team regardless of their race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity.

Kodak has achieved a score of 100% on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index for over two decades and is included on its list of “Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality”.

Health, Wellness and Safety

Kodak is dedicated to driving continuous safety improvement across its operations. Kodak’s approach includes identifying and mitigating risk, targeted training, information sharing on safe work practices, and thorough analysis of incidents and near misses, implementing preventative measures and performing reviews to ensure the hazard has been eliminated.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Kodak files many reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) (www.sec.gov), including annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K. These reports, and amendments to these reports, are made available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after being electronically filed with or furnished to the SEC. They are available through Kodak's website at www.Kodak.com. To reach the SEC filings, follow the links to Company, About Us, Investor Center, Financials and then SEC Filings.

ITEM 1A.         RISK FACTORS

Kodak operates in rapidly changing economic and technological environments which present numerous risks and uncertainties. The risk factors described below, if realized, could have a material adverse effect on Kodak’s business, financial condition, and results of operations and make an investment in our securities risky. You should carefully consider these risks and uncertainties in addition to other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including the Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) section and the consolidated financial statements and related notes.

Summary of Risk Factors

The following is a summary of the risk factors Kodak faces. The list is not exhaustive, and investors should read this “Risk Factors” section in full. Some of the risks Kodak faces include:

Summary of Risks Related to Kodak’s Business and Operations

Summary of Risks Related to Kodak’s Indebtedness and Access to Capital Markets

Summary of Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks

Summary of Risks Related to the Company’s Common Stock

Risks Related to Kodak’s Business and Operations

Kodak’s business, financial condition and results of operations have been and may continue to be adversely affected by global economic and geopolitical conditions, including the impact of wars and other hostilities, medical epidemics, inflation, rising interest rates, and slowdowns in customer demand.

Worsening global economic conditions, including those associated with the war in Ukraine, the conflicts involving Israel, medical epidemics, heightened levels of inflation and rising interest rates, could have material adverse impacts on Kodak’s business, cash flows, employees, suppliers, customers, and others’ ability to conduct business, including increased operational costs, extended business shutdowns, reduced operations, restrictions or interruptions in shipping, manufacturing or installing products, reduced consumer demand and the reduced ability of our customers to make payments. Accounts receivable and past due accounts could increase due to a decline in our customers’ ability to pay, and our liquidity, including our ability to use credit lines, could be negatively impacted by failures of financial instrument counterparties, including banks and other financial institutions.

Due to the global economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the conflicts involving Israel, medical epidemics, heightened levels of inflation and rising interest rates, we have and may continue to experience additional operating costs due to increased cost of energy, shipping, raw materials and labor, limited availability of raw materials and component products, delays in shipping and transportation and a decline in customer demand. Kodak’s products contain aluminum, silver, petroleum-based or other commodity-based raw materials, the prices of which have significantly increased, and could continue to increase. Ongoing disruptions in our supply chain could affect our ability to continue to meet customer demand for our products and services.  Continued or worsening operational and global economic conditions could materially affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.  The extent to which the global economic conditions affect our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.  This includes new information which may emerge concerning the continued impact of the war in Ukraine and the conflicts involving Israel, any escalation thereof, and the impact of the international response thereto.  For additional discussion regarding known impacts of the war in Ukraine, the conflicts involving Israel and the global economic environment, see Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations“ in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The ability to generate positive operating cash flows will be necessary for Kodak to continue to operate our business.

Continued investment, capital needs, restructuring payments, dividends and servicing Kodak’s debt require a significant amount of cash and we may not be able to generate sufficient cash to fund these activities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Kodak has not consistently generated positive operating cash flows without supplementing such cash flow from operations with financing and monetization transactions over the past several years. Kodak's businesses may not grow or continue to generate the same or enough cash flow.

It may take Kodak longer than planned to generate consistent positive cash flow from operations, which would have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial position. If Kodak is unable to generate positive cash flow from operations for an extended period in the future or to adequately supplement such cash flow from operations, our ability to continue as a going concern could be impaired or limited.

Kodak’s ability to generate cash is subject to general economic, financial, competitive, legal, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. There are no assurances:

Kodak’s business may not generate cash flow in an amount sufficient to enable us to pay the principal or mandatory redemption price of, or interest and dividends on, the senior secured first lien term loans (the “Term Loans”) borrowed under the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated June 30, 2023, by and among the Company, the lenders party thereto (the “Term Loan Lenders”), and Alter Domus (US) LLC, as Administrative Agent (the “Term Loan Credit Agreement”), the 4.0% Series B Convertible Preferred Stock of the Company (the “Series B Preferred Stock”), and the 5.0% Series C Convertible Preferred Stock of the Company (the “Series C Preferred Stock”), or to fund Kodak’s other liquidity needs, including working capital, capital expenditures, product development efforts, restructuring actions, collateral requirements, strategic acquisitions, investments and alliances and other general corporate requirements.

If Kodak cannot fund our liquidity needs, we will have to take actions, such as reducing or delaying capital expenditures, product development efforts, strategic acquisitions, and investments and alliances; selling additional assets; restructuring or refinancing the Company’s debt; or seeking additional equity capital. Such actions could increase the Company’s debt, negatively impact customer confidence in our ability to provide products and services, reduce our ability to raise additional capital and delay sustained profitability. There are no assurances any of these actions could, if necessary, be taken on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, or they would satisfy Kodak’s liquidity needs.

If Kodak is unable to continue successful development, funding, and commercialization of products in businesses upon which we are focused or do so within an acceptable timeframe, Kodak’s financial performance could be adversely affected.

Kodak has focused our investments in print, advanced materials, and chemicals. These investment areas include digital printing using commercial inkjet, high resolution functional printing for electronic and optical solutions, specialty chemicals (including pharmaceutical and reagent products), coated materials used in electric vehicle/energy storage batteries and smart materials for light control and 3D printing. Each of these businesses requires additional investment and may not be successful. The introduction of successful innovative products at market competitive prices and the achievement of scale are necessary for Kodak to grow these businesses, improve margins and achieve our financial objectives. Additionally, Kodak’s strategy is based on a number of factors and assumptions, some of which are not within our control, such as the actions of third parties. There can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully execute all or any elements of our strategy, or that Kodak’s ability to successfully execute our strategy will be unaffected by external factors. If Kodak is unsuccessful in growing our investment businesses as planned, or perceiving the needs of our target customers, Kodak’s results of operations, financial condition and liquidity could be adversely affected.

If Kodak is unable to successfully or timely implement cost structure reductions, Kodak’s business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively affected.

Kodak continues to rationalize our workforce and streamline operations to a leaner and more focused organization aligned with our business initiatives. There are no assurances that workforce reductions, restructuring efforts and other cost-saving measures will be successful or the cost savings or other beneficial results will be consistent with expectations. The extent of change across our organizational structure, senior leadership, culture, functional alignment, outsourcing and other areas poses risks in the form of personnel capacity constraints and institutional knowledge loss that could lead to diminished results, compliance issues, and harm to our reputation. If workforce reductions, restructuring efforts and other cost-saving measures are not effectively managed, Kodak may also experience lost sales, harm to our business and customer relationships, adverse effects on employee morale, loss of key employees or other retention issues, product delays and increased costs.

Finally, the timing and implementation of workforce reductions may require compliance with laws and regulations, including local labor laws, and the failure to comply with such requirements may result in damages, fines and penalties. Any of these outcomes could negatively impact Kodak’s business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The loss of one or more of Kodak’s key personnel, or our failure to attract and retain other highly qualified personnel in the future, could harm our business.

In order to be successful, Kodak must continue to attract, retain and motivate executives and other key employees across the Company. Hiring and retaining qualified executives, research and engineering professionals, and qualified sales representatives, particularly in Kodak’s targeted growth markets, is critical to our future. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased attrition and significant shifts in the labor market and employee expectations. Given that our business is highly technical and specialized, it would be difficult to replace the loss of any of our key employees. Kodak may be unable to attract and retain highly qualified management and employees, particularly if we do not offer employment terms competitive with the rest of the market. Failure to attract and retain qualified individuals, key leaders, executives and employees, or failure to develop and implement a viable succession plan, could result in inadequate depth of institutional knowledge or skill sets, which could adversely affect Kodak’s business and results of operations.

If Kodak cannot effectively anticipate or rapidly respond to technology trends and develop and market new products to respond to changing customer needs and preferences, our revenue, earnings and cash flow could be adversely affected.

Kodak generally sells our products in industries which are characterized by rapid technological changes, frequent new product and service introductions and changing industry standards. Kodak’s success depends on our ability to offer differentiated solutions and technologies to capture market share and grow scale. To do so, Kodak must continually develop and introduce new products and services in a timely manner to keep pace with technological developments and achieve customer acceptance. In addition, the services and products we provide to customers may not or may no longer meet the needs of our customers as the business models of our customers evolve. Kodak’s customers may decide to outsource their imaging and printing needs or may purchase imaging and printing services from other suppliers in order to meet their needs. In addition, it is difficult to always successfully anticipate the products and services our customers will demand. The success of Kodak’s business depends in part on our ability to identify and respond promptly to changes in customer preferences, expectations and needs. If Kodak does not timely assess and respond to changing customer expectations, preferences and needs, our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows could be adversely affected.

If Kodak is unable to timely anticipate new technology trends, develop improvements to our current technology to address changing customer preferences, and effectively communicate our businesses, products, and the markets we serve, our revenue, earnings and cash flow could be adversely affected.

The success of Kodak’s technology development efforts may be affected by the development efforts of our competitors, which may have more financial and other resources to better ascertain technology trends, changing customer preferences, and changing business expectations or models. Kodak’s assessment and response may as a result be incomplete or inferior when compared to our competitors, which could adversely affect our product roadmaps and associated revenue streams.

Kodak has reduced the scope of its corporate-focused research and development activities. If our investment in research and product development is inadequate, our response to changing customer needs and changing market dynamics may be too slow and this may adversely affect revenue streams from new products and services.

Kodak’s investment in new products and services may not achieve expected returns.

Commercial success depends on many factors, including innovation, manufacturing capability, and effective distribution and marketing. If customers do not perceive Kodak’s latest offerings as providing significant new functionality or other value, they may reduce their purchases of new products or upgrades, unfavorably affecting our revenue. That may mean Kodak does not achieve significant revenue from new product, service, and distribution channel investments for several years, if at all.

New products and services may not be profitable, and even if they are profitable, operating margins for some new products and businesses may not be as high as the margins Kodak has experienced historically. Developing new technologies is complex. It can require long development and testing periods. Significant delays in new releases or significant problems in creating new products or services could adversely affect Kodak’s revenue.

If Kodak does not manage product reliability, yield and quality, our product launch plans may be delayed, our financial results may be adversely impacted, and our reputation may be harmed.

In developing, commercializing, manufacturing and servicing our products and services, Kodak must adequately address reliability and prevent yield and other quality issues, including defects in our engineering, design and manufacturing processes, as well as defects in third-party components included in our products.

Because Kodak’s products are sophisticated and complicated to develop and commercialize with rapid advances in technologies, the occurrence of defects may increase, particularly with the introduction of new product lines.

Unanticipated issues with product performance may delay product launch plans which could result in additional expenses, lost revenue and earnings. Although Kodak has established internal procedures to minimize risks which may arise from product quality issues, there can be no assurance we will be able to eliminate or mitigate occurrences of these issues and associated liabilities. Product reliability, yield and quality issues can impair our relationships with new or existing customers and adversely affect our brand image; product quality issues can result in recalls, warranty, or other service obligations and litigation; and our reputation as a producer of high quality products could suffer, all of which could adversely affect our business as well as our financial results.

Aging manufacturing facilities and equipment could lead to failures of equipment and systems and require capital investment.

Kodak’s manufacturing facilities are aged, and without significant updates to equipment and systems, will be more prone to failure. Capital improvements to manufacturing facilities are planned but there is risk to manufacturing operations especially due to the complexity of the processes and technology and the loss of knowledge as employees leave who are familiar with the processes and technology.  The longer these updates are delayed the higher the risk due to equipment failures, further obsolescence and additional loss of employees with the specific knowledge base. If Kodak’s equipment and systems experience a critical failure, we could experience an interruption of operations, manufacturing delays, increased costs associated with repairs or redesigns of systems and products, loss of sales and customers and damage to Kodak’s reputation, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If Kodak fails to manage distribution of our products and services properly, our revenue, gross margins and earnings could be adversely impacted.

Kodak uses a variety of distribution methods to sell and deliver our products and services, including direct sales, third-party resellers, channel partners and distributors. Successfully managing the interaction of direct and indirect channels across customer segments for our products and services is complex. Since each distribution method has distinct risks and financial implications, Kodak’s failure to achieve the most advantageous delivery model for our products and services could adversely affect our revenue and earnings.

If Kodak cannot protect the intellectual property rights on which our business depends, or if third parties assert that we violate their intellectual property rights, our revenue, earnings, expenses and liquidity may be adversely impacted.

A key differentiator for Kodak in many of our businesses is our technological advantage over competitors’ products and solutions. Our technological advantage is supported by Kodak’s intellectual property rights. Patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and similar laws in other countries, and non-disclosure, confidentiality and other types of agreements with Kodak’s employees, customers, suppliers and other parties, may not be effective in establishing, maintaining, protecting and enforcing Kodak’s intellectual property rights.

Any of Kodak’s direct or indirect intellectual property rights could be challenged, invalidated, circumvented, infringed, diluted, disclosed or misappropriated, or such intellectual property rights may not be sufficient to permit us to take advantage of current market trends or otherwise to provide competitive advantages, which could result in costly product redesign efforts, discontinuance of certain product offerings or other competitive harm. Further, the laws of certain countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same degree as the laws of the United States.

Therefore, in certain jurisdictions, Kodak may be unable to protect our proprietary technology adequately against unauthorized third-party copying, infringement or use, which could adversely affect our competitive position. Also, some of Kodak’s businesses and some of our products rely on key technologies developed or licensed by third parties and, because of the rapid pace of technological change in the information technology industry, we may not be able to obtain or continue to obtain licenses and technologies from relevant third parties on reasonable terms, or at all.

Kodak also licenses third parties to use our trademarks. In an effort to preserve our trademark rights, Kodak enters into license agreements with these third parties which govern the use of our trademarks and requires our licensees to abide by quality control standards with respect to the goods and services they provide under the trademarks. Although Kodak makes efforts to police the use of our trademarks by our licensees, there can be no assurance these efforts will be sufficient to ensure the licensees abide by the terms of their licenses. In the event Kodak’s licensees fail to do so, our trademark rights could be diluted and our reputation harmed by our licensees’ activities. Also, failure by Kodak and our licensees to sufficiently exploit any of Kodak’s trademarks in any markets could erode Kodak’s trademark rights with respect to the relevant trademarks. Because the laws and enforcement regimes of certain countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same degree as those in the United States, in certain jurisdictions Kodak may be unable to adequately prevent such unauthorized uses, which could result in impairment of our trademark rights. 

Kodak has made substantial investments in new, proprietary technologies and has filed patent applications and obtained patents to protect our intellectual property rights in these technologies as well as the interests of our licensees. There can be no assurance Kodak’s patent applications will be approved, any patents issued will be of sufficient scope or strength to provide us with meaningful protection, or such patents will not be challenged by third parties. Furthermore, Kodak may fail to accurately predict all of the countries where patent protection will ultimately be desirable, and if we fail to timely file a patent application in any such country, we may be precluded from doing so at a later date. The patents issuing may vary in scope of coverage depending on the country in which such patents issue.

In addition, the intellectual property rights of others could inhibit Kodak’s ability to conduct our business. Other companies may hold patents on technologies used in Kodak’s industries and some of these companies may be aggressively seeking to expand, enforce or license their patent portfolios. Third parties may claim Kodak and our customers, licensees or other parties indemnified by us are infringing upon their intellectual property rights.

Such claims may be made by competitors seeking to block or limit Kodak’s access to certain markets. Additionally, certain individuals and groups have purchased intellectual property assets for the sole purpose of making claims of infringement and attempting to extract settlements from companies like Kodak. Even if we believe the claims are without merit, these claims may have the following negative impacts on our business:

Finally, Kodak uses open-source software in connection with some of our products and services. Companies which incorporate open-source software into their products have, from time to time, faced claims challenging the ownership of open-source software and/or compliance with open-source license terms. As a result, Kodak could be subject to suits by parties claiming ownership of what we believe to be open-source software or noncompliance with open-source licensing terms. Some open-source software licenses require users who distribute open-source software as part of their software to publicly disclose all or part of the source code to such software and/or make available any derivative works of the open-source code on unfavorable terms or at no cost. Any requirement to disclose Kodak’s source code or pay damages for breach of contract could be harmful to our business results of operations and financial condition.

Cyber-attacks or other data security incidents that disrupt Kodak’s operations or result in the breach or other compromise of proprietary of confidential information about our workforce, our customers, or other third parties could disrupt our business, harm our reputation, cause us to lose customers, and expose us to costly regulatory enforcement and litigation, any of which could lead to material adverse effects on Kodak’s results of operations, business and financial condition.

To effectively manage our global business, Kodak depends on secure and reliable information technology systems with accurate data. These systems and their underlying infrastructure are provided by a combination of Kodak and third parties, and if unavailable or unreliable, could disrupt Kodak’s operations, causing delays or cancellation of customer orders, impeding the manufacturing or delivery of products, delaying the reporting of financial results, or impacting other business processes critical to running our business. 

Attacks on IT systems continue to grow in frequency, complexity and sophistication, and Kodak is regularly targeted by unauthorized parties using malicious tactics, code and viruses. The techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently, are increasingly more complex and sophisticated and may be difficult to detect for long periods of time. Therefore, the system controls and security measures Kodak and other third parties use to prevent, detect and respond to data or cyber security incidents may not be sufficient to anticipate and identify these techniques or implement adequate or timely preventive or responsive measures.

Kodak’s IT systems contain critical information about our business, including intellectual property and confidential information of our customers, business partners, and employees.  Cyber-attacks, breaches or defects in our systems or those of third parties could result in unauthorized access to and misuse of our information, corruption of data, or disruption of operations, any of which could have a material adverse impact on Kodak’s business and reputation. The speed to closure of significant cyber security incidents may be influenced by the cooperation of governmental or law enforcement agencies, which is outside of our control.

Kodak also provides IT-based products and services to our customers and operates services used by our customers and hosted by Kodak. A breach of our security or reliability measures, or those of our third-party service providers, could negatively impact our customers’ operations or data privacy, which could expose Kodak to liability and reputational harm.

We may be required to incur significant costs to protect against damage caused by cyber-attacks or data security incidents in the future. Such events may expose us to unexpected liability, litigation, regulatory investigation and penalties, loss of customers’ business, unfavorable impact to business reputation, any of which could lead to a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Kodak is implementing improvements to IT systems to more effectively manage our global business and implement our strategic plans. If Kodak is unable to successfully manage the development, improvement and transition of IT systems, anticipated efficiencies and operational improvements may be delayed or diminished, and we may experience cost overruns, disruption in our operations, or other business or reputational harm, any of which could have a material adverse effect on Kodak’s results of operations, business and financial condition.

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Kodak’s inability to effectively complete and manage strategic transactions could adversely impact our business performance, including our financial results.

From time to time, Kodak may be engaged in discussions with third parties regarding possible investments, acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, divestitures, asset sales, spin-offs and outsourcing transactions and may enter into agreements relating to such transactions in order to further our business objectives.

In order to successfully pursue strategic transactions, Kodak must identify suitable sellers, buyers and partners and successfully complete transactions, some of which may be large and complex, and manage post-closing issues such as the elimination of any remaining post-sale costs related to divested businesses. Transaction risk can be more pronounced for larger and more complicated transactions or when multiple transactions are pursued simultaneously. Strategic transactions may involve the following risks and challenges that could negatively impact our results of operations:

There are no assurances Kodak will be able to consummate any strategic transactions which we undertake or, if consummated, Kodak will achieve the anticipated levels of cash flows or realize synergies or other anticipated benefits from a strategic transaction. If Kodak fails to identify and successfully complete transactions that further our strategic objectives, we may be required to expend resources to develop products and technology internally, we may be at a competitive disadvantage or we may be adversely affected by negative market perceptions. Any of these factors could have an adverse effect on Kodak’s revenue, gross margins and profitability.

If the reputation of Kodak or its brand erodes significantly, it could have a material impact on our financial results.

Kodak’s products and brand have worldwide recognition. Kodak’s reputation, and the reputation of our brand, form the foundation of our relationships with key stakeholders and other constituencies, including customers, suppliers, distributors, channel partners, consumers and investors. Any harm to the reputation of Kodak or our brand could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, business and financial condition. The value of Kodak’s brand is reflected, in part, in our Brand segment, which licenses the Kodak brand for use by third parties in a wide range of products. Consumers and the public may view the products and activities of brand licensees as the products and activities of Kodak. The measures Kodak undertakes to research and manage licensee relationships and assess the quality of their products may not be sufficient to protect against legal proceedings and reputational harm in the event that licensed products and services do not meet consumer expectations for quality and safety. Other factors that could dilute or damage the reputation of Kodak and our brand include the failure of products and services to meet customer expectations, litigation and government investigations, negative or inaccurate comments in the media, including social media, and failure to meet and manage customer and industry expectations regarding the impact of our business on matters of social responsibility and environmental sustainability.

Increased competition, including price competition, could have a material adverse impact on Kodak’s revenue, gross margins, cash flow and market share.

The markets in which Kodak does business are highly competitive with large, entrenched, and well financed industry participants, many of which are larger than Kodak. In addition, we encounter aggressive price competition for many of our products and services from numerous companies globally. Any of our competitors may:

As a result, Kodak may not be able to compete successfully with our competitors. Finally, we may not be able to maintain our operating costs or prices at levels which would allow us to compete effectively. Kodak’s results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected by these and other industry-wide pricing pressures. If our products, services and pricing are not sufficiently competitive with current and future competitors, we could also lose market share, adversely affecting our revenue, gross margins and cash flow.

Business disruptions could seriously harm Kodak’s future revenue and financial condition.

Worldwide operations could be subject to earthquakes, power shortages or outages, internet, systems and telecommunications failures, cyber-attacks, terrorism and other physical security threats, water shortages, tsunamis, floods, hurricanes, typhoons, fires, extreme weather conditions, failure of critical infrastructure, medical epidemics, political or economic instability, including war and protests, and other natural or manmade disasters or business interruptions, for which Kodak is predominantly self-insured. The occurrence of any of these business disruptions could cause disruptions to Kodak’s operations or the operations of our suppliers, distributors and resellers, or customers and have a material adverse effect on Kodak’s results of operations and financial condition.

Certain of Kodak’s critical business functions, including our manufacturing and field service operations, cannot be performed remotely, and an inability of Kodak’s employees to physically work at our or our customers’ locations due to disruptions in service could harm Kodak’s operations, perhaps significantly.

The impact of these risks is greater in areas where products are manufactured at a sole or limited number of location(s), and where the sourcing of materials is limited to a sole or limited base of suppliers, since any material interruption in operations in such locations or suppliers could impact Kodak’s ability to provide a particular product or service for a period of time.

If our systems are disrupted or fail for any reason, both Kodak and our customers could experience data loss, financial loss, harm to reputation, or significant business interruption. Any delays or failures caused by network outages, software or hardware failures, or other data processing disruptions, could result in our inability to provide services in a timely fashion or at all. We may be required to incur significant costs to protect against damage caused by disruptions or security breaches in the future. Such events may expose us to unexpected liability, litigation, regulatory investigation and penalties, loss of customers’ business, and unfavorable impact to business reputation, as a result of which there could be a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Kodak relies on third-party suppliers and service providers to support our manufacturing, logistics, and business operations and faces the risks associated with reliance on external business partners.

Kodak relies on third-party suppliers for goods and services, many of which are unique, to support our manufacturing, logistics, and business operations. To the extent we rely on third parties, we face the risks that those third parties may not be able to:

Suppliers may choose to unilaterally withhold products, components or services. In addition, Kodak may experience shortages in supply and disruptions in service and supply as a result of unexpected demand, product obsolescence, transportation and logistical limitations, and/or disruptions or production difficulties at our suppliers, such as disruptions due to fires, medical epidemics, other natural disasters or events outside of a supplier’s control. In addition, disruptions could result from a reduction in the number of our suppliers due to their own financial difficulties or a reduction in the products offered by such suppliers. As a result of the loss of any supplier, or a substantial decrease in the availability of products from our suppliers, Kodak may be unable to meet our customer commitments, our costs could be higher than planned, and our cash flows and the reliability of our products could be negatively impacted. Kodak will vigorously enforce our contractual rights under such circumstances, but there is no guarantee we will be successful in preventing or mitigating the effects of unilateral actions by our suppliers.

Other supplier problems that Kodak could encounter include electronic component shortages, interruption of IT services, risks related to the duration and termination of our contracts with suppliers for components and materials, non-competitive pricing due to tariffs, and risks related to the ability to obtain products, components or services from single source suppliers on favorable terms or at all. Hardware, applications and services, including cloud-based services, that we develop or procure from third-party suppliers may contain defects in design or other problems that could compromise the integrity and availability of our services. The realization of any of these risks, should alternative third-party relationships not be available or established, could cause interruptions in supply or increases in costs which might result in Kodak’s inability to meet customer demand for our products, damage to our relationships with our customers, and reduced market share, all of which could adversely affect Kodak’s results of operations and financial condition.

Any significant negative change in the payment terms that Kodak has with our suppliers could adversely affect our liquidity. There is a risk that Kodak’s key suppliers could respond to any actual or apparent decrease in or any concern with our financial results or liquidity by requiring or conditioning their sale of goods or services to Kodak on more stringent or more costly payment terms, such as by requiring standby letters of credit, earlier or advance payment of invoices, payment upon delivery, or shorter payment terms. Kodak’s need for additional liquidity could significantly increase and our supply could be materially disrupted if a significant portion of our key suppliers took one or more of the actions described above, which could have a material adverse effect on our sales, customer satisfaction, cash flows, liquidity and financial position.

Due to the nature of the products we sell and Kodak’s worldwide distribution, Kodak is exposed to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity costs which, together with tariffs that may be imposed, may adversely impact our results of operations and financial position.

As a result of Kodak’s global operating and financing activities, we are exposed to changes in currency exchange rates and interest rates, which may adversely affect our results of operations and financial position.

Exchange rates and interest rates in markets in which we do business tend to be volatile and, at times, our sales and profitability can be negatively impacted across all of our segments depending upon the value of the U.S. dollar and other major currencies such as the euro, the Japanese yen, the British pound and the Chinese yuan. Tariffs or duties may also be imposed on exported products produced by Kodak, making such products less competitive in jurisdictions imposing such tariffs or duties. If the global economic situation remains uncertain or worsens, there could be further volatility in changes in currency exchange rates, interest rates and commodity prices, which could have negative effects on Kodak’s business, financial condition and results of operations.

Kodak faces additional costs and risks associated with our worldwide business operations.

Kodak’s business is subject to additional costs and risks associated with doing business internationally, such as:

As a global company, Kodak is subject to regulatory requirements and laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, and any alleged non-compliance with these requirements or laws could result in an adverse financial or reputational impact.

An inability to provide competitive financing arrangements to Kodak’s customers or extension of credit to customers whose creditworthiness deteriorates could adversely impact our revenue, profitability and financial position.

The competitive environment in which Kodak operates may require us to facilitate or provide financing to our customers. Customer financing arrangements may cover all or a portion of the purchase price for our products and services. We may also assist customers in obtaining financing from banks and other sources. Our success may be dependent, in part, upon our ability to provide customer financing on competitive terms and on our customers’ creditworthiness. Tightening of credit in the global financial markets can adversely affect the ability of Kodak’s customers to obtain financing for significant purchases, which may result in a decrease in, or cancellation of, orders for our products and services. If Kodak is unable to provide competitive financing solutions to our customers or if we extend credit to customers whose creditworthiness deteriorates, our revenues, profitability and financial position could be adversely impacted.

Risks Related to Kodak’s Indebtedness and Access to Capital Markets

The Company’s substantial monetary obligations require a portion of our cash flow to be used to fund other obligations rather than be invested in the business and could adversely affect our ability to fund our operations.

The Company has obligations for borrowed money or in connection with letters of credit under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and the cash collateralized Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement (together, the “Credit Agreements”).

The Company’s indebtedness under the Credit Agreements and our other obligations could have important negative consequences to the Company and investors in our securities. These include the following:

The Company cannot be sure cash generated from our businesses will be as high as we expect, or our expenses will not be higher than we expect. Because a portion of our expenses are fixed in any given year, our operating cash flow margins are highly dependent on revenues, which are largely driven by customer demand. A lower amount of cash generated from our businesses or higher expenses than expected, when coupled with our debt obligations, could adversely affect Kodak’s ability to fund our operations.

The availability of letters of credit under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement is limited by the amount of cash on deposit.

Availability under the Company’s Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement is based on cash collateral in an amount greater than or equal to 104% of the aggregate amount of letters of credit issued and outstanding at any given time (the “L/C Cash Collateral”).

If L/C Cash Collateral is not maintained to support the 104% of the $31 million of letters of credit outstanding under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement, the Company would be required to place additional cash on deposit with the administrative agent within one business day of a demand. Additional cash would also be required to be deposited if Kodak desires to have additional letters of credit issued.

Additional L/C Cash Collateral would be classified as restricted cash and would not be available to support ongoing working capital and investment needs.

Kodak may desire additional capital funding and such capital may not be available to us and/or may be limited.

Kodak may desire to raise additional capital, including to pursue additional growth opportunities, strategic transactions or additional reorganization initiatives or refinance or redeem outstanding debt or preferred stock. Because of Kodak’s current non-investment grade credit rating and financial condition, and/or the current volatility and tightening in the financial and credit markets, Kodak’s access to the capital markets may be limited. 

Kodak’s ability to obtain capital and the costs of such capital are dependent on numerous factors, including:

Kodak may not be successful in obtaining additional capital for these or other reasons. An inability to access capital may limit our ability to capitalize on growth or efficiency opportunities or refinancings we would otherwise like to pursue.

There can be no assurance the Company will be able to comply with the terms of our various credit facilities.

A breach of any of the covenants contained in the Credit Agreements could result in an event of default under these facilities.

If any default or event of default occurs under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement and the Company is not able to either cure it or obtain a waiver from the requisite lenders under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement, the administrative agent under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement may, and at the request of the requisite lenders for that facility must, declare all of the Company’s outstanding obligations under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement, together with accrued interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable. In addition, the agent under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement may, and at the request of the requisite lenders must, terminate the lenders’ commitments under that facility and cease making further loans. If any default or event of default occurs under the Term Loan Credit Agreement and the Company is not able to either cure it or obtain a waiver from the holders of the Term Loan Credit Agreement, such holders may declare all of the Company’s outstanding obligations under the Term Loan Credit Agreement, together with accrued interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable. If applicable, the administrative agent under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement and the holders of the Term Loan Credit Agreement could institute foreclosure proceedings against the pledged assets. Any of these outcomes would likely have an adverse effect on the Company’s operations and our ability to satisfy our obligations as they come due.

The current non-investment grade status and Kodak’s financial condition may adversely impact Kodak’s commercial operations, increase our liquidity requirements and increase the cost of refinancing opportunities. We may not have adequate liquidity to post required amounts of additional collateral.

The Company’s corporate family credit rating is currently below investment grade and there are no assurances our credit ratings will improve, or they will not decline, in the future. In addition, the Company may not continue to maintain credit ratings from the recognized rating agencies.

Our credit ratings and financial condition may affect the evaluation of our creditworthiness by trading counterparties and lenders, which could put us at a disadvantage to competitors with higher or investment grade ratings.

In carrying out our commercial business strategy, the current non-investment grade credit ratings have resulted and will likely continue to result in requirements that Kodak either prepay obligations or post significant amounts of collateral to support our business.

Should our ratings continue at their current levels, or should our ratings be further downgraded, we would expect these negative effects to continue and, in the case of a downgrade, become more pronounced. 

Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Risks

Legal proceedings and governmental investigations associated with the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation announcement or in general could have a material adverse effect on our business operations and prospects, reputation, financial condition, results of operations and stock price.

On July 28, 2020, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (the “DFC”) announced (the “DFC Announcement”) the signing of a non-binding letter of interest to provide a subsidiary of the Company with a potential $765 million loan (the “DFC Loan”) to support the launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals, an initiative that would manufacture pharmaceutical ingredients for essential generic drugs (the “DFC Pharmaceutical Project”).

The DFC Announcement and circumstances surrounding it prompted congressional investigations, an SEC investigation and a New York Attorney General’s investigation. In addition, lawsuits have been filed or threatened alleging various securities law violations and breaches of fiduciary duties based on circumstances surrounding the DFC Announcement. For further information on these investigations and lawsuits, see Note 12, “Commitments and Contingencies” in the Notes to Financial Statements.

Legal proceedings in general, and securities, class action and patent infringement litigation and regulatory investigations in particular, can be expensive and disruptive. The investigations and lawsuits associated with the DFC announcement have diverted, and may continue to divert, the attention of Kodak’s employees, management and board of directors. In addition, the response to the DFC related investigations and lawsuits has resulted in, and may continue to result in, increased legal expense and related costs. Kodak’s insurance, to the extent maintained, is not expected to cover all costs associated with the investigations and legal proceedings. We are unable to predict how much longer the legal proceedings and investigations to which we are currently subject will continue. An unfavorable outcome of any governmental investigation or legal proceeding may have an adverse impact on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations, prospects, or stock price.

Our business and financial condition can be impaired by improper conduct by any of our employees, agents, or business partners.

Regulators worldwide are exercising heightened scrutiny with respect to anti-corruption, economic and trade sanctions, and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. Such heightened scrutiny has resulted in more aggressive investigations and enforcement of such laws and more burdensome regulations, any of which could adversely impact Kodak’s business.  Such laws govern payments to government officials, bribery, fraud, kickbacks and false claims, pricing, sales and marketing practices, conflicts of interest, competition, employment practices and workplace behavior, export and import compliance, economic and trade sanctions, money laundering and data privacy. In particular, the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act and similar anti-bribery laws in other jurisdictions generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business, and we operate in many parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree.

Kodak has implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including worldwide system screening of all customers, suppliers and vendors, banking entities, sales orders, and purchase orders.  Kodak periodically reviews, upgrades and enhances certain of our policies and procedures, including sanctioned parties listings used in screening its master and transactional data as well as export license and license exception determination routines. However, there can be no assurance that our employees, agents or business partners will not take actions in violation of our policies for which we may be ultimately deemed responsible, or that our policies and procedures will be adequate or will be determined to be adequate by regulators.  Any such improper actions or allegations of such acts could damage our reputation and subject us to civil or criminal investigations and related shareholder lawsuits, could lead to substantial civil and criminal, monetary and non-monetary penalties and could cause us to incur significant losses as a victim and legal and investigatory fees. In addition, the government may seek to hold us liable for violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire.  If Kodak is found to have violated laws and regulations, it could materially adversely affect our business, reputation, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure to comply with privacy, data protection and cyber security laws and regulations could have a materially adverse effect on Kodak’s reputation, results of operations or financial condition.

Kodak receives, processes, transmits and stores information relating to identifiable individuals (personal information), both in our role as a technology provider and as an employer. As a result, Kodak is subject to numerous U.S. federal and state and foreign laws and regulations relating to personal information.

Examples of data privacy laws include (but are not limited to) the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and ePrivacy laws, California’s Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and other U.S. state privacy laws, China’s Personal Information Protection Law (“PIPL”), and Brazil’s General Data Protection Law (“LGPD”). These laws have been subject to frequent changes, and new legislation in this area may be enacted at any time. Additionally, the application of existing and new laws in the areas of cloud services and artificial intelligence is evolving, and we may face challenges monitoring and complying with these requirements. 

Failure to comply with existing and newly enacted laws and regulations that are applicable, may subject Kodak to, among other things, additional costs or changes to our business practices, liability for monetary damages, fines and/or criminal prosecution, unfavorable publicity, restrictions on our ability to obtain and process information and allegations by our customers and clients that we have not performed our contractual obligations. We may also face risk (including loss of substantial business) if our customers and other stakeholders are not confident that our products and service can be used in a manner that is compliant with applicable data protection laws.

Recent developments in the regulation of cross-border data transfers from the European Economic Area and countries with similar regimes, including enforcement decisions and regulatory guidance issued by key supervisory authorities, creates uncertainty as to our and our customers’ ability to use platforms and processing services located in the U.S. and other non-adequate jurisdictions. While existing data transfer mechanisms, such as standard contractual clauses, remain valid, Kodak’s use of these transfer mechanisms is subject to legal, regulatory and political pressure. Kodak anticipates spending additional time and expense to enable continued cross-border transfers as needed to operate our business, which may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

This environment demands Kodak continuously improve our design and coordination of privacy and security controls (including within our products, websites and business processes) and contractual arrangements across our businesses and geographies. While Kodak has taken steps to comply with applicable data protection laws and the regulations and guidance published by applicable regulators, our efforts to achieve and remain in compliance may not be sufficient or fully successful. Despite Kodak’s security controls over personal data, Kodak, may not prevent the improper disclosure of personal information. Improper disclosure of this information could harm our reputation or subject us to liability under laws which protect personal data, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenue.

Kodak is subject to environmental laws and regulations. Failure to comply with such laws and regulations or liabilities imposed as a result of such laws and regulations could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Kodak is subject to environmental laws and regulations world-wide that govern, for example, the discharge of pollutants, the management of hazardous materials, the cleanup of contaminated sites, and the composition and end-of-life management of our products. Changes to such laws and regulations could increase our cost of doing business, limit the sale of certain of our products in certain jurisdictions or require modifications to our products that may be costly, time consuming or infeasible.

Non-compliance with applicable laws or liability incurred without regard to fault could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. The cost of complying with such laws could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition. Any uncertainties related to environmental conditions or obligations at Kodak’s properties may impact our ability to further develop or sell such properties.

If Kodak fails to maintain effective internal controls over financial reporting, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, which could have a material adverse effect on Kodak’s operations, investor confidence in our business and the trading prices of our securities.

Kodak is required to maintain disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting that are effective for the purposes described in Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures”. The existence of a material weakness in Kodak’s internal controls may adversely affect our ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information timely and accurately and, as a result, our financial statements may contain material misstatements or omissions, which could result in regulatory scrutiny, cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial condition and otherwise have a material adverse effect on Kodak’s business, financial condition, cash flow results of operations or the trading price of Kodak’s stock.

Kodak may have additional tax liabilities.

We earn our income in both in the U.S. and abroad and, as such, are subject to the tax laws in the U.S. and numerous foreign jurisdictions. Current economic and political conditions can impact these tax laws.  Proposals to reform U.S. and foreign tax laws could significantly impact how Kodak is taxed on its global earnings.  In August 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act was enacted in the U.S. and introduced a 15% alternative minimum tax based on the financial statement income of certain large corporations (“CAMT”).  This became effective January 1, 2023. There is no impact on our provision for income taxes from the CAMT for the year ended December 31, 2023.

Additionally, The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development ("OECD") has led efforts to devise, and to permanently implement, a two-pillar solution to global tax challenges.  These pillars focus on global profit allocations and provide for a global minimum effective corporate tax rate of 15%.   A number of countries have enacted or are proposing to enact legislation that aligns with the directives set forth in the two-pillar solution; many of which are effective for the 2024 year.  These changes could increase tax uncertainty and have an adverse impact on our effective tax rate and cash flow.  

Management reviews regularly the adequacy of the provisions for taxes as they relate to Kodak’s income and transactions. In order to assess uncertain tax positions, Kodak applies a more likely than not threshold and a two-step approach for tax position measurement and financial statement recognition.   Although we believe our tax provisions are adequate, the final determination of tax audits and any related disputes could be materially different from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of audits or related disputes could have an adverse effect on our financial statements for the period or periods for which the applicable final determinations are made.

Kodak’s future pension and other postretirement benefit plan costs and required level of contributions could be unfavorably impacted by changes in actuarial assumptions, market performance of plan assets and obligations imposed by legislation or pension authorities which could adversely affect our financial position, results of operations, and cash flow.

Kodak has significant defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit obligations.

The funded status of our U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans (and other postretirement benefit plans), and the related cost reflected in our financial statements, are affected by various factors subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. Key assumptions used to value these benefit obligations, funded status and expense recognition include the discount rate for future payment obligations, the long term expected rate of return on plan assets, salary growth, mortality trends, and other economic and demographic factors. Significant differences in actual experience, or significant changes in future assumptions or obligations imposed by legislation or pension authorities, could lead to a potential future need to contribute cash or assets to Kodak’s plans in excess of currently estimated contributions and benefit payments and could have an adverse effect on Kodak’s consolidated results of operations, financial position or liquidity.

In past years, Kodak has experienced variability in the costs of these defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit obligations as a result of macro-economic factors beyond our control, including variability in investment returns on pension plan assets, and changes in discount rates and mortality rates used to calculate pension and related liabilities. At least some of these macro-economic factors may again put pressure on the cost of providing pension and benefits. There can be no assurance we will succeed in limiting cost increases.

Kodak may be required to recognize impairments in the value of our trade name and/or other long-lived assets which could adversely affect our results of operations.

Kodak tests indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually or whenever events occur or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value below its carrying amount. Kodak evaluates other long-lived assets for impairments whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Impairments could occur in the future if Kodak’s expected future cash flows decline, if there are significant changes in the discount rate or royalty rates, or if carrying values change materially compared with changes in their respective fair values.

Risks Related to the Company’s Common Stock

The conversion of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock into shares of the Company’s common stock may dilute the value for the current holders of the Company’s common stock.

The 1,000,000 outstanding shares of the Company’s Series B Preferred Stock are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion rate of 9.5238 shares of common stock per share of Series B Preferred Stock and the 1,138,443 outstanding shares of the Company’s Series C Preferred Stock are convertible into shares of the Company’s common stock at a conversion rate of 10 shares of common stock per share of Series C Preferred Stock. The outstanding shares of Series C Preferred Stock are expected to increase as a result of the payment of dividends. As a result of the conversion of any issued and outstanding Series B Preferred Stock or Series C Preferred Stock (collectively, the “Convertible Securities”), the Company’s existing shareholders will own a smaller percentage of our outstanding common stock. Based on the capitalization of the Company as of December 31, 2023, the conversion of all Convertible Securities would result in the issuance to holders thereof of approximately 21% of the outstanding common stock after giving effect to such conversion. Further, additional shares of common stock may be issuable pursuant to certain other features of the Convertible Securities, with such issuances being further dilutive to existing holders of common stock.

If Convertible Securities are converted into common stock, holders of such converted common stock will be entitled to the same dividend and distribution rights as holders of the common stock currently authorized and outstanding. As such, another dilutive effect resulting from the conversion of any issued and outstanding Convertible Securities will be a dilution to dividends and distributions.

Holders of the Company’s common stock will not realize any dilution in their ownership, dividend or distribution rights solely as a result of the reservation of any shares of common stock for issuance upon conversion of the Convertible Securities or for issuance of additional shares of common stock pursuant to certain other features of the Convertible Securities, but will experience such dilution to the extent additional shares of common stock are issued in the future as described above.

The holder of the Series C Preferred Stock owns a large portion of the voting power of the Company’s outstanding securities and has nominated one member of the Company’s Board. An affiliate of the Term Loan Lenders has the right to nominate one member for election to the Company’s Board and holders of the Series B Preferred Stock and Series C Preferred Stock will have such right in the event dividends are in arrears. As a result, these parties may influence the composition of the Board and future actions taken by the Board.

The holder of the Company’s Series C Preferred Stock is entitled to vote upon all matters upon which holders of the Company’s common stock have the right to vote and is entitled to the number of votes equal to the number of full shares of common stock into which such shares of Series C Preferred Stock could be converted at the then applicable conversion rate.

The holder of the Series C Preferred Stock holds approximately 13% of the voting power of the Company on an as-converted basis. As a result, this holder may have the ability to influence future actions by the Company requiring shareholder approval.

The holder of the Series C Preferred Stock had the right to nominate one member for election to the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”), which right has expired; however, the individual nominated by the holder of the Series C Preferred Stock pursuant to this right continues to serve as a member of the Board. If dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more consecutive or non-consecutive dividend periods, the holder of the Series C Preferred Stock will be entitled to nominate one additional director at the next annual shareholder meeting and all subsequent shareholder meetings until all accumulated dividends on the Series C Preferred Stock have been paid or declared. This nomination right expires if the holder ceases to directly or indirectly hold at least a majority of the shares of Series C Preferred Stock purchased or the common stock received upon the conversion of such shares and is exclusive to the initial holder and does not transfer with the Series C Preferred Stock.

Also, an affiliate of the Term Loan Lenders has the right to nominate one member for election to the Board until the date on which the Term Loan Lenders cease to hold at least $200 million of the original principal amount of the Term Loans. 

Also, if dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock are in arrears for six or more consecutive or non-consecutive dividend periods, the holders of the Series B Preferred Stock will be entitled to nominate one director at the next annual shareholder meeting and all subsequent shareholder meetings until all accumulated dividends on the Series B Preferred Stock have been paid or set aside. As a result, the presence of directors on the Board nominated by the current holder of Series C Preferred Stock or an affiliate of the Term Loan Lenders or nominated in the future by the holders of Series B Preferred Stock would enable such holders and lenders to influence the composition of the Board and, in turn, potentially influence and impact future actions taken by the Board.

The Company has registered, and has a duty to register, the resale of a large portion of our outstanding securities. The resale of the Company’s common stock, or the perception that such resale may occur, may adversely affect the price of our common stock.

In compliance with certain agreements to which the Company is a party, we have registered the resale of an aggregate of up to 41,333,435 shares of common stock that are either outstanding or issuable upon conversion of Preferred Stock. The resale of a substantial number of shares of common stock in the public market, or the perception that such resale might occur, could cause the market price of the Company’s common stock to decline. Under the terms of the certain agreements to which the Company is subject, certain of the counterparties to such agreements can, in certain circumstances, require the Company to participate in an underwritten public offering of the registered securities. Any shares sold in a registered resale will be freely tradable without restriction under the Securities Act. While the Company cannot predict the size of future resales or distributions of our common stock, if there is a perception that such resales or distributions could occur, or if the holders of the Company’s securities registered for resale sell a large number of the registered securities, the market price for the Company’s common stock could be adversely affected.

The resale of a significant portion of the Company’s securities or certain accumulations or transfers of the Company’s securities could result in a change of control of the Company and the loss of favorable tax attributes.

Holders of the Convertible Securities and holders of large blocks of the Company’s common stock collectively have a significant influence over matters presented to the Company’s shareholders for approval, including election of members to the Board and change of control transactions. In addition, the holders of such securities collectively would be able to cause a significant change in the ownership of the Company by selling a sufficient portion of the Company’s securities held by them. If such a transaction, in combination with other transactions in securities of the Company which have already occurred or future issuances of securities by the Company, were to result in an “ownership change” as determined under Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, then the Company’s ability to offset taxable income with tax attributes generated prior to the ownership change date could be limited, possibly substantially. Certain accumulations or transfers of the Company’s outstanding securities not involving these holders, could also cause such an “ownership change”. For more information on the Company’s tax attributes refer to Note 17, “Income Taxes”. The interests of the holders of the Convertible Securities and holders of large blocks of the Company’s common stock may not always coincide with the interests of the other holders of our common stock.

The Company’s stock price has been and may continue to be volatile.

The market price of the Company’s common stock experienced extreme volatility in the context of the DFC Announcement and has declined significantly since that time. Future announcements or disclosures concerning the Company, our strategic initiatives, our sales and profitability, quarterly variations in actual or anticipated operating results or comparable sales, any failure to meet analysts’ expectations, sales of large blocks of our common stock and developments concerning the investigations, lawsuits and claims relating to the DFC Announcement, among other factors, could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C.  CYBERSECURITY

Risk Management and Strategy

Kodak has implemented various processes designed to assess, identify and manage risk from cybersecurity threats. Kodak's cybersecurity program follows the structure and objectives of the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Cybersecurity Framework and is designed to satisfy multi-jurisdictional regulatory requirements. Key areas of Kodak's cybersecurity risk management processes and strategy currently include:

We expect that our cybersecurity risk management processes and strategy will continue to evolve as the cybersecurity threat landscape evolves.

We engage third-party providers to assist us with our cybersecurity risk management and strategy. Examples of services provided by these third-party providers include threat monitoring, incident response support, testing, mitigation strategies, updates on emerging trends and developments and policy guidance. Prior to exchanging any sensitive data or integrating with any key third-party provider, we assess their security fitness against our risk posture and request changes as we deem necessary.  Security controls are imposed through comprehensive standard terms and conditions that include privacy and incident reporting requirements, and third parties are periodically re-evaluated for security risk.

As of December 31, 2023, we have not identified any risks from cybersecurity threats (including any previous cybersecurity incidents) that have materially affected the Company, our business strategy, our results of operations or our financial condition. For a discussion of risks from cybersecurity threats that could be reasonably likely to materially affect us, please see our Risk Factors discussion under the heading, “Risks Related to Kodak’s Business and Operations—Cyber-attacks or other data security incidents that disrupt Kodak’s operations or result in the breach or other compromise of proprietary of confidential information about our workforce, our customers, or other third parties could disrupt our business, harm our reputation, cause us to lose customers, and expose us to costly regulatory enforcement and litigation, any of which could lead to material adverse effects on Kodak’s results of operations, business and financial condition” in this Form 10-K.

    Governance

Consistent with our overall risk management governance structure, management is responsible for the day-to-day management of cybersecurity risk while our Board and its Audit and Finance Committee perform an oversight function.

Board Oversight. Our Board has delegated to its Audit and Finance Committee the responsibility for overseeing cybersecurity risk exposures in addition to our broader risk management program. Management (including our Chief Information Officer (“CIO”) and our CISO) reports at least annually to the Audit and Finance Committee on information security and data privacy and protection. These presentations address a wide range of topics, including trends in cyber threats and the status of initiatives intended to bolster our security systems and the cyber readiness of our personnel.

Management’s Role. Our IT Security Team addresses and responds to cyber risk, including cyber risks related to security architecture and engineering, identity and access management and security operations. The team oversees compliance with our cybersecurity framework within the organization and facilitates cybersecurity risk management activities throughout the organization. The IT Security Team also assists with the review and approval of policies, completes benchmarking against applicable standards, and oversees the security awareness program.

Our IT Security team is led by our CISO. Our CISO reports to our CIO who, in turn, reports to our Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Our CISO has 40 years of IT experience, with over 20 of those focused on IT security functions and strategies. Collectively, the other members of our IT Security Team have decades of relevant education and experience and maintain a wide range of industry certifications. We provide cybersecurity training for our IT Security Team upon joining the IT Security Team, on an annual basis and more frequently when necessary.

As noted previously, our CISO is a member of the Council, which meets monthly to provide operational direction to the IT Security Team considering the evolving risk landscape. The IT Security Team and the Council, through ongoing communication, monitor the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents. The CISO or CIO, in consultation with the Council and other members of senior management, reports such threats and incidents to the Audit and Finance Committee, as appropriate. These reports may be included in, or in addition to, the regular annual reports to the Audit and Finance Committee.

ITEM 2.         PROPERTIES

Kodak's worldwide headquarters is located in Rochester, New York.

Kodak owns 11 million square feet and leases, as a lessee, approximately 4 million square feet of space that includes administrative, research and development, manufacturing and marketing facilities in several worldwide locations. Out of the owned space, Kodak leases out approximately 800,000 square feet to third-party tenants. The leases are for various periods and are generally renewable.

Kodak’s principal manufacturing facilities, by segment, are listed below. Properties in a location may be shared by all segments operating in that location.

Regional distribution centers are located in various places within and outside of the United States.

Research and development is headquartered at the Kodak Research Laboratories which is part of the Eastman Business Park in Rochester, New York, where Kodak conducts research and files patent applications for fundamental inventions. Eastman Business Park is a more than 1,200-acre innovation and manufacturing hub, which features a comprehensive set of technology, transportation and utility infrastructure assets. The complex features an on-site rail and wastewater treatment facility and manufacturing, distribution, lab and office space. Kodak owns over 600 acres of Eastman Business Park with the other 600 acres owned by unrelated third parties.  Kodak uses and leases out its space at Eastman Business Park as part of its strategy of adaptive and effective reuse of infrastructure, services, buildings and land.

Other U.S. research and development groups are located in Dayton, Ohio and Columbus, Georgia. Outside the U.S., research and development groups are located in Canada, Israel, Germany, Japan and China. The research and development groups work in close cooperation with manufacturing units and marketing organizations to develop new products and applications to serve both existing and new markets.

Kodak has excess capacity in some locations. Kodak is pursuing the monetization of its excess capacity by selling or leasing the associated properties.

ITEM 3.          LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

See Note 11, “Commitments and Contingencies” in the Notes to the Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” for information regarding certain legal proceedings in which Kodak is involved.

ITEM 4.         MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

INFORMATION ABOUT OUR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

Pursuant to General Instructions G (3) of Form 10-K, the following list is included as an unnumbered item in Part I of this report in lieu of being included in the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The executive officers' biographies follow:

James V. Continenza

James V. Continenza leads the transformation of Kodak as Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He was appointed by the Board as Executive Chairman in February 2019 and as Chief Executive Officer in July 2020. Continenza joined the Board of Kodak in April 2013 and became Chairman of the Board in September 2013. Continenza served as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivial Inc., a privately held marketing technology and communications company from September 2012 through June 2021, and served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vivial Media LLC, a portion of Vivial Inc. remaining after a partial sale, from June 2021 to January 2022. 

In addition to his management experience, Continenza serves and has served on the boards of directors of a number of public and private companies. Continenza served on the board of directors of NII Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NIHD), the holding company for Nextel Brazil, a wireless communication services provider, from August 2015 to August 2019. Among other private company boards, Continenza currently serves on the board of directors of Wildcat Discovery Technologies, Inc. (“Wildcat”), a private technology company that uses proprietary methods to research and develop new battery materials. Continenza was appointed to the board of Wildcat as the Company’s designee in connection with the Company’s purchase of preferred securities of Wildcat.

Previously, Continenza served on the boards of directors of Datasite LLC (formerly known as Merrill Corporation) from July 2013 to December 2020 and Cenveo Corporation, an industry leader in transformative publishing solutions, from September 2018 to September 2022.

David E. Bullwinkle

Dave Bullwinkle has been the Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President of Kodak since July 2016.  Bullwinkle is responsible for leading Kodak's worldwide treasury, internal audit, controller and tax teams. Between November 2018 and July 2023, Bullwinkle held the role of President of Eastman Business Park where he was responsible for advancing the growth strategy for that business. 

Bullwinkle joined Kodak in 2004 and has worked in several financial management roles at Kodak including Worldwide BU Controller, Assistant Corporate Controller and External Reporting Manager. He served as the Director of Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis and Vice President, Finance at Kodak from November 2010 to June 2016, and as Director of Investor Relations from August 2013 to June 2016.

Prior to joining Kodak, Bullwinkle worked as the Manager of Financial Reporting at Birds Eye Foods, Inc. and previously at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1996 to 2002 in various roles including serving as an Assurance Manager.  Bullwinkle is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Roger W. Byrd

Roger Byrd was appointed General Counsel, Secretary and Senior Vice President of Kodak in January 2019. He is responsible for leading the Company's global legal function and for providing legal guidance to senior leadership and the Board of Directors. Byrd also supports the Company with credit agreement compliance, securities reporting, corporate governance, M&A and financing transactions, joint ventures, and other strategic initiatives. Byrd joined Kodak in 2015 as Assistant General Counsel and Vice President, Legal Department.

Prior to joining Kodak, Byrd was a Partner at Nixon Peabody LLP. During his 23-year career at Nixon Peabody, he represented a broad range of clients in connection with a variety of M&A, financing and other corporate transactions. Byrd also served as General Counsel at Choice One Communications, Inc., a competitive local exchange carrier from 2005 – 2006.

Richard T. Michaels

Richard Michaels was appointed Chief Accounting Officer and Corporate Controller of Kodak in April 2021.  From 2011 until April 2021 Michaels served as Kodak’s Assistant Corporate Controller.  Michaels joined Kodak in 2004 as Controller for the Graphics Communications Group and held several other controller positions at the Company prior to becoming the Assistant Corporate Controller.  

Prior to joining Kodak, Michaels held various positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers from 1995 to 2004.  Michaels is a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New York.

Terry R. Taber, PhD

Terry Taber has served as Kodak's Chief Technical Officer since January 2009. Effective January 2020, he is a Senior Vice President of Advanced Materials and Chemicals.

From May 1, 2017 to January 2020, Taber was named President of the Advanced Materials and 3D Printing Technology Division, which contained the research laboratories and included licensing as well as new business development activities related to Kodak's patents and proprietary technology, and focused on opportunities in smart material applications, printed electronics markets and 3D printing materials.

From January 1, 2015 to May 1, 2017, Taber was President of the Intellectual Property Solutions Division. From January 2007 to December 2008 he was the Chief Operating Officer of Kodak's Image Sensor Solutions ("ISS") business, a leading developer of advanced CCD and CMOS sensors serving imaging and industrial markets.  Prior to Taber’s role with ISS, he held a series of senior positions in Kodak's research and development and product organizations. Taber has served as a corporate vice president since December 2008, including as a senior vice president from December 2010 through February 2020.

During his more than 40 years at Kodak, Taber has been involved in new materials research, product development and commercialization, manufacturing, and executive positions in R&D and business management.

Taber's early responsibilities included research on new synthetic materials, an area in which he holds several patents, program manager for several film products, worldwide consumer film business product manager, Associate Director of R&D and Director of Materials & Media R&D.

In past board service, he was a founding Board Member of the Innovation & Material Sciences Institute and served on the Executive Advisory Board of FIRST Rochester (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology). Taber currently serves on the George Eastman Museum Board, effective June 2018. He also serves on the Executive Committee of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce and on the Board of Trustees for Roberts Wesleyan College and Northeastern Seminary.

PART II

ITEM 5.   MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the symbol “KODK”.

There were 693 shareholders of record of common stock on December 31, 2023.

Information regarding securities authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans is included in Item 12. “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters” in this Annual Report under the caption “Equity Compensation Plan Information.”

DIVIDEND INFORMATION

No dividends on common stock were declared or paid during 2023 or 2022.

Dividends for common shareholders may be restricted under Kodak’s debt and preferred stock agreements.

The graph below matches Eastman Kodak Company's cumulative 5-Year total shareholder return on common stock with the cumulative total returns of the Russell 2000 index and the S&P 600 Information Technology index. The graph tracks the performance of a $100 investment in our common stock and in each index (with the reinvestment of all dividends) from 12/31/2018 to 12/31/2023.

 

The stock price performance included in this graph is not necessarily indicative of future stock price performance.

 

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES DURING THE QUARTER ENDED December 31, 2023

⁽¹⁾    These purchases were made to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock units issued to employees.
⁽²⁾    Kodak does not have a publicly announced repurchase plan or program.

ITEM 6. [RESERVED]

ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (“MD&A”) is intended to help the reader understand the results of operations and financial condition of Kodak and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” (“Item 8”) of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All references to Notes relate to Notes to the Financial Statements in Item 8.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SAFE HARBOR PROVISIONS OF THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995

This report on Form 10-K includes "forward–looking statements" as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

Forward–looking statements include statements concerning Kodak’s plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events, future revenue or performance, capital expenditures, liquidity, investments, financing needs and business trends and other information that is not historical information. When used in this document, the words “estimates,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “plans,” “intends,” “believes,” “predicts,” “forecasts,” “strategy,” “continues,” “goals,” “targets” or future or conditional verbs, such as “will,” “should,” “could,” or “may,” and similar words and expressions, as well as statements that do not relate strictly to historical or current facts, are intended to identify forward–looking statements. All forward–looking statements, including management’s examination of historical operating trends and data, are based upon Kodak’s current expectations and assumptions. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, among others, the risks and uncertainties described in more detail in this report on Form 10–K under the headings “Business,” “Risk Factors,” “Legal Proceedings” and/or “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations–Liquidity and Capital Resources,” and in other filings the Company makes with the SEC from time to time, as well as the following:

Future events and other factors may cause Kodak’s actual results to differ materially from the forward–looking statements. All forward–looking statements attributable to Kodak or persons acting on its behalf apply only as of the date of this report on Form 10-K and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this document.  Kodak undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward–looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law.

The following Management’s Discussion and Analysis ("MD&A") provides a historical and prospective narrative on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. Cross references to Notes in this MD&A are to the Notes in the Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data". The discussion of the Company’s financial condition and results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to the same period in 2021 is included in Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10–K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW

Consolidated revenues in the year ended December 31, 2023 were $1.117 billion, a decline of $88 million (7%) from 2022. Currency impacted revenue favorably in 2023 compared to 2022 ($1 million).

Print revenues, which accounted for 74% of Kodak’s total revenues in 2023, declined by $110 million (12%) compared to 2022.  Advanced Materials and Chemicals revenue improved $21 million (9%) from 2022 to 2023.

Economic Environment and Other Global Events:

Kodak's products are sold and serviced in numerous countries across the globe with more than half of sales generated outside the U.S.  Current global economic conditions remain highly volatile due to the uncertain and unpredictable macroeconomic environment, heightened levels of inflation, the war in Ukraine, the conflicts involving Israel, and other global events which impacted Kodak’s operations. Kodak is experiencing increased manufacturing costs due to volume declines for certain businesses and increased labor, material and distribution costs, as well as supply chain disruptions and shortages in materials and labor.

Kodak has implemented various pricing actions to mitigate the impact of increased manufacturing costs, primarily within its Print and Advanced Materials and Chemicals segments. Largely beginning in the latter part of the second quarter of 2021, in order to mitigate the impact of higher aluminum, energy and packaging costs within Prepress Solutions, the Print segment implemented surcharges on purchases of plates that continue to be periodically reviewed and adjusted accordingly. In addition, the Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment implemented various pricing actions primarily within its Industrial Films and Chemicals and Motion Picture businesses. 

The Print segment is experiencing a slowdown in customer demand for plates that negatively impacted volume due to current global economic conditions and the impact of pricing actions.  In addition to the pricing actions described above, Kodak has implemented supply chain and workforce optimization, productivity improvements and other cost savings activities.  The combined actions have mitigated the impact of increased manufacturing costs. However, the potential worsening of economic conditions and the negative impact on customer demand due to further pricing actions could unfavorably impact this segment's operating results. 

The Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment has also experienced labor shortages in certain manufacturing areas. Increased demand for consumer film products along with manufacturing equipment limitations and labor shortages have contributed to increased backorders. Kodak has increased headcount in this segment to better meet demand, but supply will continue to be constrained by manufacturing equipment limitations without further capital improvements.

Kodak has implemented numerous measures to mitigate the challenges associated with supply chain disruptions and shortages in materials, including increasing safety stock on certain materials, increasing lead‐times, providing suppliers with longer forecasts of future demand and certifying additional sources or substitute materials where possible.  These measures have enabled Kodak to largely meet current demand.  

Following the cessation of U.S. plate manufacturing operations by Kodak’s key competitors, Kodak has faced increasing competition in the U.S. from low-priced plates imported from China and Japan.  On September 28, 2023, Kodak filed petitions with the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission requesting relief from unfairly traded imports of plates from China and Japan in the form of the imposition of anti-dumping and/or countervailing duties on such imported plates.  On November 15, 2023 the U.S. International Trade Commission determined that there is a reasonable indication that a U.S. industry is materially injured by reason of imports of aluminum lithographic printing plates from China and Japan that are allegedly sold in the U.S. at less than fair value and subsidized by the government of China.  The U.S. Department of Commerce has commenced investigations to determine dumping and subsidy margins against imports of plates manufactured in China and Japan.  On February 27, 2024, the Commerce Department announced the preliminary findings in its countervailing duty investigation on imports of plates manufactured in China and imposed a provisional duty of 38.50% on practically all such plates.  The preliminary findings from the anti-dumping investigations are due to be announced in the second quarter of 2024. There can be no assurance that the provisional countervailing duties will become final or that Kodak will otherwise obtain the relief sought or, if relief is obtained, that the final rates of duties that may be imposed on such imported plates will provide effective relief.

Kodak is monitoring the events surrounding the conflicts involving Israel and the impact on the operations of its Israel subsidiary. A leased warehouse in Israel has been destroyed; however, none of Kodak’s employees were injured.  While the implications of this conflict are difficult to predict at this time, Kodak has been able to adapt its operations to avoid material disruption to its business.  The direct operations of Kodak’s Israel subsidiary are less than 1% of total consolidated revenue and assets for 2023.

Kodak also continues to monitor the events surrounding the war in Ukraine and the various sanctions imposed in response to the war. Kodak is in compliance with all sanctions. Kodak is experiencing worldwide supply constraints for aluminum and increased energy and transportation costs due in part to the war in Ukraine.  The extent to which the war in Ukraine will impact the global economy and Kodak's business and operations remains uncertain.  

The war in Ukraine and the international response have disrupted Kodak’s ability to operate its Russian subsidiary in the ordinary course, affecting its ability to pay vendors and employees, receive amounts owed from customers in Russia and deliver product. Kodak is in the process of an orderly winding down of its Russian subsidiary having ceased its direct Russian operations. The direct operations of Kodak’s Russian subsidiary are not material to the Company’s financial statements (less than 1% of total consolidated revenues and assets for 2021, 2022 and 2023), and there were no material impacts to the consolidated results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2023.

The ongoing changes in global economic conditions and the impact of other global events on Kodak’s operations and financial performance remains uncertain and will depend on several factors such as the slowdown in customer demand, the ability to offset higher labor, material and distribution costs through pricing actions, duration of supply chain disruptions and the ability to secure raw materials and components.   

Business Overview and Strategy:

Segments within the print industry and the film industry face competition from digital substitution. Kodak’s strategy is to:

A discussion of opportunities and challenges related to Kodak’s strategy follows:

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Revenues

For the year ended December 31, 2023, revenues declined approximately $88 million compared with the same period in 2022 primarily due to lower volume in Print ($154 million) and Advanced Materials and Chemicals ($11 million), partially offset by improved pricing and product mix within Print ($43 million) and Advanced Materials and Chemicals ($32 million). See segment discussions for additional details. 

Gross Profit

Gross profit for 2023 improved approximately $40 million compared with the same period in 2022, primarily due to improved pricing and product mix in Print ($41 million) and Advanced Materials and Chemicals ($31 million), lower aluminum costs in Print ($25 million) and favorable foreign currency ($2 million). Partially offsetting these favorable impacts was higher manufacturing costs in Print and Advanced Materials and Chemicals ($43 million and $7 million, respectively) and a reduction in employee benefit reserves in the prior year ($9 million). See segment discussions for additional details.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Consolidated SG&A for 2023 increased $6 million in 2023 primarily due to an increase in selling and administrative costs ($11 million), the net impact of a reduction in employee benefit reserves in the prior year ($4 million) and higher stock-based compensation costs ($2 million) partially offset by an increase in income representing insurance reimbursement of legal costs ($5 million) and lower consulting and project costs ($6 million).

Research and Development Costs

Consolidated R&D expenses were unchanged in 2023.

Restructuring Costs and Other

These costs, as well as restructuring costs reported in Cost of revenues, are discussed under the "Restructuring Costs and Other" section in this MD&A and Note 18, “Restructuring Costs and Other."

Interest Expense

The increase in interest expense in 2023 of $12 million primarily reflects the impact of the refinancing transactions that closed in the third quarter of 2023. Refer to Note 8, “Debt and Credit Facilities” for further information.

Other Operating Expense (Income), Net

For details, refer to Note 15, “Other Operating Expense (Income), Net.”

Pension Income

For details, refer to Note 19, “Retirement Plans."

Loss on Early Extinguishment of Debt

For details, refer to Note 8, "Debt and Credit Facilities."

Other (Income) Charges, Net

For details, refer to Note 16, “Other (Income) Charges, Net.”

Provision for Income Taxes

For details, refer to Note 17, “Income Taxes.”

DETAILED RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Net Revenues from Continuing Operations by Reportable Segment

Kodak’s segment measure of profit and loss is an adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“Operational EBITDA”). As demonstrated in the table below, Operational EBITDA represents the earnings from continuing operations before income taxes excluding non-service cost components of pension and other postemployment benefits income; depreciation and amortization expense; restructuring costs and other; stock-based compensation expense; consulting and other costs; idle costs; other operating (expense) income, net; loss on early extinguishment of debt; interest expense and other income (charges), net.

Kodak’s segments are measured using Operational EBITDA both before and after allocation of corporate selling, general and administrative expenses (“SG&A”). The segment earnings measure reported is after allocation of corporate SG&A as this most closely aligns with U.S. GAAP.  Research and development activities not directly related to the other segments are reported within the Advanced Materials and Chemicals segment.

Segment Operational EBITDA and Consolidated Earnings from Continuing Operations Before Income Taxes

In 2023, Kodak decreased employee benefit reserves by $1 million primarily composed of a reduction in workers’ compensation reserves driven by changes in discount rates. The decrease in reserves in 2023 impacted SG&A by approximately $1 million.

Kodak decreased employee benefit reserves by $15 million in 2022 composed of a reduction in workers’ compensation reserves of approximately $13 million driven by changes in discount rates and a decrease in other employee benefit reserves of approximately $2 million, driven by both changes in discount rates and favorable experience. The decrease in reserves in 2022 impacted gross profit by approximately $9 million, R&D by approximately $1 and SG&A by approximately $5 million.

2023 Segments

Change in Segments

Effective February 2023 Kodak changed its organizational structure.  The Traditional Printing segment and the Digital Printing segment were combined into one segment, named the Print segment.  No changes were made to Kodak's other segments. Prior year segment information was revised to conform with the new organizational structure.

PRINT SEGMENT

Revenues

Revenues

The decrease in Print revenues of approximately $110 million primarily reflected reduced volumes in Prepress Solutions consumables, equipment and service ($105 million, $10 million and $4 million, respectively), volume declines in Electrophotographic Printing Solutions consumables and service as well as equipment ($12 million and $7 million, respectively), volume declines in PROSPER annuities and components ($7 million and $4 million, respectively) and volume declines in VERSAMARK consumables and service ($5 million).  The unfavorable impacts were partially offset by improved pricing and product mix in Prepress Solutions consumables and equipment ($29 million and $3 million, respectively), improved pricing and product mix in PROSPER annuities and Electrophotographic Printing Solutions consumables and service ($3 million each), improved pricing in Versamark consumables and service ($2 million) and favorable foreign exchange ($1 million).

Operational EBITDA

Print Operational EBITDA improved approximately $15 million primarily due to improved pricing in Prepress Solutions consumables ($29 million) and PROSPER annuities and Electrophotographic Printing Solutions consumables and service ($3 million each),  improved product mix in Prepress Solutions equipment and improved pricing and product mix in VERSAMARK annuities ($2 million each), lower aluminum and R&D costs ($25 million and $2 million, respectively) and favorable foreign currency ($2 million).  These favorable impacts were partially offset by increased manufacturing costs ($43 million) driven by lower volume and increases in costs such as utilities, transportation and supplies, higher selling and administrative costs ($4 million) and the net impact of the change in workers’ compensation and employee benefit reserves ($8 million)

ADVANCED MATERIALS AND CHEMICALS SEGMENT

Revenues

The improvement in Advanced Materials and Chemicals revenues of approximately $21 million is the result of pricing and product mix improvements in Industrial Film and Chemicals ($28 million) and price improvements in Motion Picture ($4 million) partially offset by lower volumes in Industrial Film and Chemicals ($5 million) and Motion Picture ($4 million).

Operational EBITDA

Advanced Materials and Chemicals Operational EBITDA improved approximately $11 million reflecting improved pricing and product mix as well as higher margins in Industrial Film and Chemicals ($27 million and $2 million, respectively) and pricing improvements in Motion Picture ($4 million) partially offset by increased manufacturing costs ($7 million), higher SG&A costs ($6 million) and the impact of net changes in workers’ compensation and employee benefit reserves ($6 million).

BRAND SEGMENT

There were no material changes to Brand revenues or Operational EBITDA in 2023. 

RESTRUCTURING COSTS AND OTHER

2023

Restructuring actions taken in 2023 were initiated to reduce Kodak’s cost structure as part of its commitment to drive sustainable profitability and included actions to complete the process of ceasing manufacturing of the Electrophotographic Printing Solutions equipment products as well as various targeted reductions in manufacturing, service, sales and administrative functions.

As a result of these actions, for the year ended December 31, 2023 Kodak recorded $10 million of charges of which $7 million were reported as Restructuring costs and other in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.  The remaining $3 million represented inventory write-downs and were reported as Cost of revenues in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Kodak made cash payments related to restructuring of approximately $9 million for the year ended December 31, 2023.

The restructuring actions implemented in 2023 are expected to generate future annual cash savings of approximately $9 million. These savings are expected to reduce future annual Cost of revenues and SG&A expenses by $5 million and $4 million, respectively. Kodak expects the majority of the annual savings to take effect by the end of the second quarter of 2024 as actions are completed. See Note 18, “Restructuring Costs and Other” for additional information on Kodak’s restructuring actions.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Management’s Assessment of Liquidity

Kodak ended the year with a cash balance of $255 million, an increase of $38 million from December 31, 2022. 

The financing transactions entered into during the third quarter of 2023 (see “July 21, 2023 Financing Transactions” below for further information) and prior financing transactions provided additional liquidity to the Company to fund on-going operations and obligations, invest in growth opportunities in Kodak’s businesses of Print and Advanced Materials and Chemicals and for corporate infrastructure investments expected to contribute to improvements in operational efficiencies and cash flow.

Available liquidity includes cash balances and cash flows from operating activities. The amount of available liquidity is subject to fluctuations and includes cash balances held by various entities worldwide. At December 31, 2023 and 2022 approximately $167 million and $152 million, respectively, of cash and cash equivalents were held within the U.S. and approximately $88 million and $65 million, respectively, of cash and cash equivalents were held outside the U.S. Cash balances held outside the U.S. are generally required to support local country operations and may have high tax costs or other limitations that delay the ability to repatriate, and therefore may not be readily available for transfer to other jurisdictions.  Kodak utilizes cash balances outside the U.S. to fund needs in the U.S. through the use of inter-company loans.

As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, outstanding inter-company loans to the U.S. were $460 million and $399 million, respectively, which includes short-term inter-company loans from Kodak’s international finance center of $173 million and $109 million, respectively. In China, where approximately $29 million and $24 million of cash and cash equivalents was held as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, there are limitations related to net asset balances that may impact the ability to make cash available to other jurisdictions in the world. Under the terms of the Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement, the Company is permitted to invest up to $60 million (or $75 million after the Deleveraging Milestone Date) in Restricted Subsidiaries that are not Loan Parties and in joint ventures or Unrestricted Subsidiaries that are not party to the Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement.

The Company’s Hong Kong subsidiary has an $80 million inter-company loan from one of the Company’s Chinese subsidiaries with a maturity date of November 16, 2024, the proceeds of which were in turn loaned to the Company. The inter-company loan terms provide for it to be repaid over two years in four equal installments, with the first $20 million installment due by November 16, 2023 and the remaining installments due in 2024. The Company paid $2 million of the first $20 million installment in January 2024 and is evaluating alternatives for the remaining installments which would allow Kodak and its subsidiaries to perform their obligations to each other while minimizing the impact on U.S. liquidity taking into account requirements imposed by Chinese regulators.  Any amounts repaid to the Chinese subsidiary may not be able to be loaned, repatriated or otherwise moved back to the U.S., in which case the Company’s U.S. liquidity would be reduced.  If the inter-company loan is not extended, refinanced or amended and the Hong Kong subsidiary does not pay any of the individual installments by the end of the 30-day grace period following notice by the Chinese subsidiary after a failure to pay on the due date of such installment, the Hong Kong subsidiary would default on the inter-company loan.  The Chinese subsidiary has not issued notice to the Hong Kong subsidiary based on the failure to make the first full installment payment. 

Kodak's cash flows continue to be negatively impacted by higher manufacturing costs due to volume declines and increased labor, material and distribution costs, supply chain disruptions and shortages in materials and labor. The impacts from price increases, continued cost reduction actions and supply chain-related cost improvements that were largely implemented during 2022 have positively impacted Kodak’s operations in 2023. The economic uncertainties surrounding the current inflationary environment and other global events represent additional elements of complexity in Kodak’s plans to return to sustainable positive cash flow. The Company cannot predict the duration and scope of such events, including the war in Ukraine and the conflicts involving Israel, and other factors such as the ability to continue to secure raw materials and components, the impact of rising costs of labor, commodity and distribution costs, or how quickly and to what extent normal economic and operating conditions can resume. 

During the third quarter of 2023, Kodak entered into multiple long-term brand licensing arrangements and recorded total deferred revenue of approximately $57 million.  Kodak received approximately $12 million and $40 million of cash proceeds related to these licensing arrangements in 2023 and first quarter of 2024, respectively.  Kodak expects to receive the remaining $5 million in 2025.

Kodak's plans to return to sustainable positive cash flow include increasing profitability through pricing actions and reducing operating expenses by executing on cost controls, implementing effective working capital utilization, continuing to simplify the organizational structure, investing in information technology systems to drive operational efficiencies, generating cash from selling and leasing underutilized assets or through new brand licensing opportunities and implementing ways to reduce cash collateral needs.

Kodak believes that its liquidity position is adequate to fund its operating and investing needs and to provide the flexibility to respond as necessary to ordinary changes in the business and economic environment. Kodak’s ability to adequately fund its long-term liquidity, debt servicing and capital requirements will be dependent on generating positive cash flows from operations, managing world-wide cash through intercompany loans, distributions or other mechanisms, and the ability to convert, redeem or extend the existing Series B and Series C Preferred Stock past their current maturities of May 26, 2026.

July 21, 2023 Financing Transactions:

On February 26, 2021, the Company and certain of its subsidiaries (the "Subsidiary Guarantors") entered into a Credit Agreement (the “Original Term Loan Credit Agreement”) with certain funds affiliated with Kennedy Lewis Investment Management LLC (“KLIM”) as lenders (the “Original Term Loan Lenders”) and Alter Domus (US) LLC, as administrative agent.

On June 30, 2023, the Company entered into an amendment (the “Term Loan Amendment”) to the Original Term Loan Credit Agreement (the Original Term Loan Credit Agreement and, as amended and restated by the Term Loan Amendment, the “Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement”), with KLIM as lenders (the “Term Loan Lenders”) and Alter Domus (US) LLC, as administrative agent (the “Agent”). Subject to the terms and conditions of the Term Loan Amendment, the Term Loan Lenders provided the Company with a commitment to provide term loans in an aggregate principal amount of $450 million (the “Term Loans”).

On July 21, 2023, the Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement became effective and the Company completed its borrowing of the Term Loans. The Company received net proceeds from the Term Loans of approximately $435 million, of which $318 million, representing the aggregate principal amount of the Original Term Loans plus accrued paid-in-kind interest and prepayment premium and $2 million of cash interest, was paid by the Company to refinance the obligations under the Original Term Loan Credit Agreement.

Approximately $28 million of the net proceeds from the Term Loans were used to repay in full the Company’s outstanding Convertible Notes, representing the aggregate principal amount of the Convertible Notes plus accrued paid-in-kind interest.

The Company repaid in full the amounts outstanding under its 2023 Amended ABL Credit Agreement, using $59 million of the net proceeds from the Term Loans to fund the L/C Cash Collateral account and paying approximately $1 million in fees in connection with the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement (defined below).

The remaining net proceeds from the Term Loans of approximately $29 million are being used by the Company for general corporate purposes and working capital needs.

The Term Loan Amendment also amended and restated the Original Term Loan Credit Agreement to, among other things, (i) extend the maturity date to the earlier of August 15, 2028 or the date that is 91 days prior to the maturity date or mandatory redemption date of any of the Company’s then-outstanding Series B Preferred Stock or Series C Preferred Stock or any extensions or refinancings of any of the foregoing, (ii) make certain other changes to the terms of the Original Term Loan Credit Agreement and (iii) make certain other changes to the terms of the Guarantee and Collateral Agreement, dated as of February 26, 2021, among the Company, the Subsidiary Guarantors and the Agent.

The Term Loans bear interest at a rate of 7.5% per annum payable in cash and 5.0% per annum payable “in-kind” or in cash at the Company’s option, for an aggregate interest rate of 12.5% per annum.

The Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement continues to limit, among other things, the ability of the Company and its Restricted Subsidiaries (as defined in the Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement) to (i) incur indebtedness, (ii) incur or create liens, (iii) dispose of assets, (iv) make restricted payments and (v) make investments. The Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement contains customary affirmative covenants, including delivery of certain of the Company’s financial statements, and customary event of default provisions, including a cross-default provision that would give rise to an event of default if there is a default under or acceleration of “Material Indebtedness” other than inter-company indebtedness. Material Indebtedness includes obligations having a principal amount of at least $20 million (increasing to $25 million after the Deleveraging Milestone Date). The Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement does not include a financial maintenance covenant or any subjective acceleration clauses.

During the first quarter of 2024, the Company prepaid $17 million of the Term Loans with net proceeds from the sale of Target Non-Core Assets (as defined in the Amended and Restated Term Loan Agreement).

ABL Credit Agreement  

Approximately $58 million of letters of credit were issued under the 2023 Amended ABL Credit Agreement and Amended ABL Credit Agreement as of both July 21, 2023 and December 31, 2022.  As noted above, upon the termination of the 2023 Amended ABL Credit Agreement, the letters of credit totaling $58 million were transferred to the Amended and Restated L/C Facility. The lenders’ security interest in any of the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ assets or property securing the 2023 Amended ABL Credit Agreement was released.

Letter of Credit Facility Agreement 

Approximately $31 million and $43 million of letters of credit were issued under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement and L/C Facility Agreement as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.  The letters of credit under the Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement are collateralized by cash collateral (the “L/C Cash Collateral”). The L/C Cash Collateral was $32 million and $44 million at December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, which was classified as Restricted Cash. 

On June 30, 2023, the Company and the Subsidiary Guarantors entered into an amendment (the “June 2023 L/C Facility Amendment”) to the 2023 Amended L/C Facility Agreement (as amended and restated by the June 2023 L/C Facility Amendment, the “Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement”) with Bank of America, N.A., as L/C Lender, L/C Agent and Issuing Bank. The June 2023 L/C Facility Amendment became effective on July 21, 2023.

Under the terms and conditions of the June 2023 L/C Facility Amendment, the L/C Lender increased the commitment to issue letters of credit on the Company’s behalf from an aggregate amount of up to $50 million to an aggregate amount of up to $100 million (the “L/C Facility Commitments”) until August 30, 2023, provided that, at all times, the Company posted L/C Cash Collateral in an amount greater than or equal to 104% of the aggregate amount of letters of credit issued and outstanding at any given time.

The Company used $59 million of the net proceeds from the Term Loans to cash collateralize the letters of credit transferred to the L/C Facility from the 2023 Amended ABL Credit agreement, increasing the balance on deposit in the L/C Cash Collateral account to $102 million.  In August 2023, the Company used $68 million of the funds in the L/C Cash Collateral account to cash collateralize its undiscounted actuarial workers’ compensation obligations directly with the New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (“NYS WCB”), reducing the issued letters of credit to $31 million and the balance on deposit in the L/C Cash Collateral account to $32 million (see further discussion on NYS WCB below), and elected to reduce the L/C Facility Commitments to $50 million effective August 15, 2023. The Amended and Restated L/C Facility Agreement does not include a minimum liquidity or financial maintenance covenant.

Cash Flow:

Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash balances were as follows:

Cash Flow Activity

Operating Activities

Net cash from operating activities improved $154 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared with the prior year primarily due to improved earnings, an increase in proceeds from insurance reimbursements ($15 million), a refund from a governmental authority ($9 million), decreased investment in inventory and an increase in liabilities excluding borrowings and trade payables driven by an increase in deferred revenue associated with brand licensing arrangements.  This improvement was partially offset by an increase in trade receivables driven by $40 million in receivables recorded for brand licensing arrangements and a reduction in trade payables.      

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities decreased $24 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the prior year primarily due to the investment in Wildcat in the third quarter of 2022.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities increased $42 million in the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the corresponding period in 2022 driven primarily by the net proceeds received from the July 21, 2023 financing transactions.

Other Collateral Requirements

The NYS WCB requires security deposits related to self-insured workers’ compensation obligations, which security deposits are recalculated annually.  Due to changes in 2019 to the manner in which the required security deposit is determined, the Company has been required to post additional collateral over the last several years.  At December 31, 2022, the Company posted $75.0 million of collateral, representing 107% of the Company’s undiscounted actuarial workers’ compensation obligations. Effective May 1, 2023, the Company added New York to its existing workers compensation liability insurance policy and is no longer self-insured for future claims.  As a result, the NYS WCB confirmed the Company will no longer be obligated to post any additional collateral.  Further, the NYS WCB confirmed the Company can request a review of the security deposits supporting the historical liability beginning on July 1, 2025 with the submission of a current actuarial report. Based on the results of the actuarial valuation report, the required security deposits may be eligible for reduction in future periods.

Based on the legacy nature of the Company’s workers’ compensation obligations, the undiscounted actuarial obligation has been declining and the Company expects this trend to continue.  While it may not be indicative of the rate of future declines, the undiscounted actuarial liability declined by an average of $5.3 million per year between 2014 and 2023.  Accordingly, subject to the possibility of other changes to the calculation of required security deposits by the NYS WCB, the Company expects the amount of the required security deposits to decline over time and the gradual return of the security deposits that have been made or the capital used to support such security deposits.

As a result of the Company’s credit ratings, during the second quarter of 2020 two surety bond holders notified the Company they required approximately $9 million of incremental collateral. The Company reduced the surety bond value by approximately $9 million in July 2020 with an equivalent increase to an existing letter of credit with the NYS WCB. The Company could be required to provide up to an additional $4 million of letters of credit to the issuers of certain surety bonds in the future to fully collateralize the bonds.

Other Uses of Cash Related to Financing Transactions

The holders of the Term Loans are entitled to quarterly cash interest payments at a rate of 7.5% per annum.  The holders of Series B Preferred Stock are entitled to cumulative dividends payable quarterly in cash at a rate of 4% per annum. All interest and dividends have been paid when due.

Defined Benefit Pension and Postretirement Plans

Kodak made contributions (funded plans) or paid net benefits (unfunded plans) totaling approximately $13 million relating to its non-U.S. defined benefit pension and postretirement benefit plans in 2023.  For 2024, the forecasted contribution (funded plans) and net benefit payment (unfunded plans) requirements for its non-U.S. defined benefit pension and postretirement plans are approximately $12 million. Kodak does not expect to make any cash contributions to the Kodak Retirement Income Plan, Kodak’s U.S. defined benefit pension plan (“KRIP”) in 2024, and expects benefit payments (unfunded plans) related to its non-major U.S. plans to be less than $1 million.

As of December 31, 2023, the fair value of plan assets of KRIP was $3.5 billion and KRIP’s projected benefit obligation was $2.4 billion, as a result of which KRIP was over funded by $1.2 billion (see Note 19, “Retirement Plans” in the Notes to Financial Statements).  Kodak, in conjunction with the Kodak Retirement Income Plan Committee, has been exploring how best to preserve and maximize the value of KRIP’s over-funding for the benefit of key stakeholders including current and former employees and Kodak shareholders.  There can be no assurances that Kodak will receive excess assets from KRIP or concerning the timing or amount of any such receipt.  All liabilities of KRIP must be satisfied before any excess assets will revert to Kodak, and any amounts that ultimately revert to Kodak will depend on the amount of KRIP’s liabilities and the future investment performance and value of its assets.  Also, any amount received will be subject to material excise tax and other obligations.  To the extent Kodak receives net proceeds from excess KRIP assets, Kodak must use such proceeds to pay down the Term Loans to defined levels pursuant to the Plan Reversion Proceeds provisions of the Amended and Restated Term Loan Credit Agreement before such proceeds would be available for other purposes.

Capital Expenditures

Cash flows from investing activities included $32 million for capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2023.  Kodak expects approximately $45 million to $65 million of cash flows for investing activities from capital expenditures for the year ending December 31, 2024. 

BEPS Pillar 2

In December 2021, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (“OECD”) introduced Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (“BEPS”) Pillar 2 rules that impose a global minimum tax rate of 15%. Numerous countries, including European Union member states, have enacted or are expected to enact legislation to be effective as early as January 1, 2024, with general implementation of a global minimum tax by January 1, 2025. Kodak is in the process of assessing the tax effects of Pillar 2 legislation for when it comes into effect.  Due to the complexities in applying the legislation, the potential impact of the enacted or substantively enacted legislation on Kodak’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures is not yet reasonably estimable.

U.S. International Development Finance Corporation Non-Binding Letter of Interest

On July 28, 2020, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation signed a non-binding letter of interest to provide a subsidiary of the Company with a potential $765 million loan to support the launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals, an initiative that would manufacture pharmaceutical ingredients for essential generic drugs. The DFC Loan would have been for facility upgrades and construction, provide working capital, and finance other necessary direct expenditures supporting the launch of Kodak Pharmaceuticals.  As previously reported, on April 22, 2022 the Company received a letter from the DFC advising the Company that the authority conferred on the DFC by Executive Order 13922 expired on March 27, 2022 and that, consequently, the DFC is unable to consider the project further and the Company’s application has been closed.

The Company remains interested in working with governmental agencies to leverage its assets and technology to on-shore manufacturing of pharmaceutical and other healthcare materials. As described under “Overview” above, the Company is also continuing to explore expanding further into the pharmaceutical space on a smaller scale than contemplated by the DFC Loan using other sources of capital, including a portion of the capital raised by the Company on July 21, 2023.

Contractual Obligations

The impact that contractual obligations are expected to have on Kodak's cash flow in future periods is as follows:

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

Preparation of the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses. Significant accounting policies used in the preparation of the Consolidated Financial Statements are more fully described in Note 1, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”. The accounting policies most critical to the preparation of the consolidated financial statements and require the most difficult, subjective or complex judgments are described below.

Revenue Recognition

Kodak sells a wide portfolio of products and services to its customers.  Kodak’s agreements have varying terms and conditions depending on the goods and services being sold, the rights and obligations conveyed, and the legal jurisdiction of the arrangement.  While most of Kodak’s agreements have standard terms and conditions, more complex equipment arrangements may contain nonstandard terms and conditions that require significant contract interpretation to determine the appropriate accounting. 

For equipment sales, revenue recognition may depend on completion of installation based on the type of equipment, level of customer specific customization and other contractual terms. In instances in which the agreement with the customer contains a customer acceptance clause, revenue is deferred until customer acceptance is obtained, provided the customer acceptance clause is considered to be substantive.

Kodak’s brand licensing agreements (symbolic licenses) may include upfront payments with a defined license period or a perpetual license term. Significant judgment is required to determine the term over which revenue will be recognized and whether a significant financing component exists.

Taxes

Kodak accounts for income taxes using the asset and liability method. This approach requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of operating losses, credit carryforwards and temporary differences between the carrying amounts and tax basis of Kodak’s assets and liabilities.

Kodak records a valuation allowance to reduce its net deferred tax assets to the amount that is more likely than not to be realized. Management is required to exercise judgment in assessing the realizability of Kodak’s deferred tax assets, considering all available positive and negative evidence.  Inherent in this process is the requirement to estimate forecasted earnings, future taxable income, and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis. It is possible that actual results will differ from assumptions and require adjustments to allowances.  Future periods may also provide positive evidence sufficient to conclude that all or part of the valuation allowance recorded in each jurisdiction can be reversed. 

Kodak’s ability to utilize its U.S. net operating losses (“NOLs”) and tax credits may be subject to limitations imposed by Section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code.  Section 382 limits the utilization of NOLs in the event of significant changes in the stock ownership of the Company. An ownership change occurs if, among other things, the aggregate ownership of stockholders owning five percent of Kodak’s stock increases by more than 50 percentage points over a three-year rolling period.  An ownership change can also occur by other items, such as the sale of Kodak shares that are owned by its 5% shareholders. Future transactions, when combined with reported transactions within the testing period, could aggregate an ownership change during the testing period in excess of 50 percentage points.

A Section 382 ownership change would significantly impair Kodak’s ability to utilize NOLs and tax credits in the U.S. As of December 31, 2023, Kodak had available U.S. NOL carry-forwards for income tax purposes of approximately $1,577 million and unused foreign tax credits of $281 million. Any impairment of these tax attributes would be fully offset by a corresponding decrease in Kodak’s U.S. valuation allowance, which would result in no net tax provision.

Kodak’s intent is to repatriate its offshore earnings when prudent. As such, it has recorded deferred tax liabilities of $16 million and $17 million for potential taxes on undistributed earnings, primarily attributable to foreign withholding taxes, as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Kodak operates within multiple taxing jurisdictions worldwide and is subject to audit in these jurisdictions.  These audits can involve complex issues, which may require many years to resolve. Management believes that adequate provisions have been made for such issues, however, there is the possibility that the ultimate resolution of such issues could have an adverse effect on the earnings of Kodak.  Conversely, if these issues are resolved favorably, the related provisions would be reduced, thus having a positive impact on earnings. Management’s ongoing assessments of the outcomes of these issues and related tax positions requires judgment. 

Pension and Other Postretirement Benefits 

Kodak’s defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit costs and obligations are estimated using several key assumptions.  The assumptions that have the most significant effect on the Company’s consolidated financial position and results of operations are the expected long-term rate of return on plan assets (“EROA”) and discount rates. Actual results that differ from Kodak’s assumptions are recorded as unrecognized gains and losses as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income in shareholders’ equity and are amortized to earnings over the estimated future service period of the active participants in the plan or, if the plan is almost entirely inactive, the average remaining lifetime expectancy of inactive participants, to the extent such total net unrecognized gains and losses exceed 10% of the greater of the plan's projected benefit obligation or the calculated value of plan assets.  Significant differences in actual experience or significant changes in future assumptions would affect Kodak’s pension and other postretirement benefit costs and obligations.

Return on Plan Assets

EROA is a long-term assumption, which Kodak reviews annually. Kodak utilizes asset and liability modeling studies to adjust asset exposures to conform to its investment strategy, and to review its liability hedging program. These studies generate forward-looking estimates of correlation, risk and return which are used in the development of the EROA. The EROA is estimated utilizing a forward-looking building block model which factors in the expected risk of each asset category, return, and correlation over a five to seven-year horizon, and weighs the exposures by the strategic asset allocation.

Historical inputs are utilized in the forecasting model, including historical asset returns with adjustments based on the forward-looking view. Kodak aggregates investments into major asset categories based on the underlying benchmark of the strategy. Each allocation to these major asset categories is determined to accomplish unique objectives, including enhancing portfolio return, providing portfolio diversification, or hedging plan liabilities, in accordance with the overall investment strategy.

The EROA, once set, is applied to the calculated value of plan assets in the determination of the expected return component of Kodak’s pension expense.  Kodak uses a calculated value of plan assets, which recognizes gains and losses in the fair value of assets over a four-year period, to calculate expected return on assets.  

At December 31, 2023, the calculated value of the assets of Kodak’s major U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans was approximately $4.2 billion and the fair value of the assets of Kodak’s major U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans was approximately $4.1 billion.  Asset gains and losses that are not yet reflected in the calculated value of plan assets are not included in amortization of unrecognized gains and losses.

Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan accounts for substantially all of Kodak’s net pension income and represents approximately 87% of the total fair value of major plan assets as of December 31, 2023. The following table presents actual and expected return on plan assets, as well as the corresponding percentages for Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan:

The actual rate of return on Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan for 2023 was 3.9%, lower than the expected rate of return of 7.5%, driven by lower than expected returns in the private equity asset class. For 2022 the actual rate of return was negative 6.1%, lower than the expected rate of return of 5.3%, driven by lower than expected bond performance due to rising interest rates. For 2021 the actual rate of return exceeded the expected rate of return driven by higher returns for the U.S. Plan’s private equity and hedge fund portfolio.  The expected average rate of return on plan assets is a long-term, forward-looking assumption and will likely differ from the actual return in any specific year.

Gains or losses from direct investments in derivative instruments by Kodak’s major U.S defined benefit pension plan can be volatile from year to year and could materially affect the fair value of plan assets. The total net realized (losses) gains from these derivative investments that were included in the actual return on plan assets balance in the table above for the years ending December 31, 2023, 2022 and 2021 were approximately ($1) million, ($128) million and ($23) million, respectively. Refer to the Derivative Instruments discussion below for additional information.

Approximately $2.7 billion and $2.6 billion of the total fair value of Kodak’s major U.S. defined pension plan as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, represents plan assets where the fair market value is not readily determinable and are measured using the net asset value (“NAV”) per share expedient. Except for investments in private equity funds and real estate funds, the remaining investments have redemption rights and can be, and historically have been, redeemed by the U.S. Plan at NAV. For private equity funds and real estate funds, the investors do not have an option to redeem their interest in these funds but rather receive distributions from time to time through the liquidation of the underlying investments in the funds. Secondary sales of a material portion of the investments in these funds are infrequent and historically, immaterial portions of these funds were sold for values not significantly different from NAV.

Discount Rates:

Generally, Kodak bases the discount rate assumption for its significant plans on high quality corporate bond yields in the respective countries as of the measurement date.  Specifically, for its U.S., Canadian, Euro-zone and UK plans, Kodak determines a discount rate using a cash flow model to incorporate the expected timing of benefit payments and an AA-rated corporate bond yield curve.  For Kodak’s U.S. Plan, the Citigroup Above Median Pension Discount Curve is used.  For Kodak’s non-U.S. plans, discount rates are determined by comparison to published local high-quality bond yields or indices considering estimated plan duration and removing any outlying bonds, as warranted.

Changes in discount rates for Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit plan has the most significant effect on the total projected benefit obligations for Kodak.

The table below shows the discount rates for Kodak’s major U.S. pension plan for the years shown:

As discount rates reflect the market rate on the measurement date, the rates can be volatile from year to year. The decrease in the discount rate for Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan from December 31, 2022 to December 31, 2023 resulted in an increase in the projected benefit obligation of approximately $40 million at December 31, 2023. The increase in the discount rate for Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan from December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2022 resulted in a decrease in the projected benefit obligation of approximately $582 million at December 31, 2022.

Sensitivity Analysis:

The following table illustrates the sensitivity to a change to certain key assumptions used in the calculation of expense for the year ending December 31, 2023 and the projected benefit obligation (“PBO”) at December 31, 2023 for Kodak's major U.S. and non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans:

Total pension income from continuing operations before special termination benefits, curtailments and settlements for the major U.S. defined benefit pension plan was $149 million for 2023 and is expected to be approximately $152 million in 2024. The increase in pension income for 2024 is driven primarily by lower interest expense. Pension expense from continuing operations before special termination benefits, curtailments and settlements for the major non-U.S. defined benefit pension plans was $3 million for 2023 and is projected to be $2 million in 2024.

Derivative Instruments:

Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit plan utilizes derivative investments primarily to hedge liability interest rate risk to U.S. government bonds. Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit pension plan’s derivative portfolio consists of exchange traded futures contracts. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022 the notional amount of these derivative instruments approximated $384 million and $389 million, respectively. Daily variation margin payments are made to or received from the counterparty for changes in the market value of futures contracts and are recorded as realized gains and losses in the Gain on Plan Assets balance. As these futures contracts have short-term maturities, the fair value of these derivative instruments at December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1 million and $0 million, respectively, which represents the unrealized gains and losses on these contracts. Refer to Note 19, “Retirement Plans” in the Notes to Financial Statements for additional information.

An increase in interest rates is the primary factor that could precipitate material losses in Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit plan's existing derivatives portfolio. A 25-basis point increase in interest rates would cause a loss from the government bond derivatives of approximately $8 million. However, as illustrated in the above table, a 25-basis point increase in the discount rate used to measure the PBO of the U.S. Plan would cause a $43 million decrease in the PBO. Accordingly, while an increase in interest rates would expose the U.S. Plan’s derivative investments to losses, it would also likely result in an offsetting decrease to the U.S. Plan’s PBO.

Kodak’s major U.S. defined benefit plan invests in a diversified portfolio of hedge funds that utilize a variety of investment strategies. The total net asset value of these hedge funds was approximately $1.6 billion and $1.5 billion as of December 31, 2023 and 2022 respectively. Separate from the major U.S. defined benefit plan’s direct investments in exchange traded futures contracts, hedge funds may utilize derivative instruments to execute their investment strategy.

Any gains or losses, as well as changes in the fair value of derivative investments held by the hedge fund, are included in the hedge fund’s net asset value. Losses could occur in the future from hedge fund investments which may result in part from the use of derivative investments by the hedge funds. However, the maximum potential loss on any individual fund would be limited to the U.S. Plan’s investment in that fund.

Inventories

Inventories are stated at the lower of average cost or net realizable value. Judgment is required to assess the ultimate demand for and realizable value of inventory. The analysis of inventory carrying values considers several factors including length of time inventory is on hand, historical sales, product shelf life, product life cycle, product category, and product obsolescence.

New Accounting Pronouncements

A description of new accounting pronouncements is contained in Note 1, “Basis of Presentation & Summary of Significant Accounting Policies”.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Kodak, as a result of its global operating and financing activities, is exposed to changes in foreign currency exchange rates, commodity prices, and interest rates, which may adversely affect its results of operations and financial position. In seeking to minimize the risks associated with such activities, Kodak may enter into derivative contracts. Kodak does not utilize financial instruments for trading or other speculative purposes. Foreign currency forward contracts are used to hedge existing foreign currency denominated assets and liabilities, especially those of Kodak’s international finance center, as well as forecasted foreign currency denominated intercompany sales.

Kodak’s exposure to changes in interest rates results from its investing and borrowing activities used to meet its liquidity needs. Long-term debt is generally used to finance long-term investments, while short-term debt is used to meet working capital requirements.

Using a sensitivity analysis based on estimated fair value of open foreign currency forward contracts using available forward rates, if the U.S. dollar had been 10% stronger at December 31, 2023 and 2022, the fair value of open forward contracts would have decreased $12 million and $11 million, respectively. Such changes in fair value would be substantially offset by the revaluation or settlement of the underlying positions hedged.

The majority of the Company’s debt is fixed rate debt. The fair market value of fixed-rate debt is sensitive to changes in interest rates. At December 31, 2023 and 2022, a 10% change in market interest rates would change the fair value of the Company’s debt by approximately $5 million and $2 million, respectively.

Kodak’s financial instrument counterparties are high-quality investment or commercial banks with significant experience with such instruments. Kodak manages exposure to counterparty credit risk by requiring specific minimum credit standards and diversification of counterparties. Kodak has procedures to monitor the credit exposure amounts. The maximum credit exposure at December 31, 2023 was not significant to Kodak.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME

(in millions)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

(in millions)

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF EQUITY (DEFICIT)

(in millions, except share data)