Danakali Share Discussion Threads

[tonystringy] 01/9/2008 19:30

MIATA - 7 Jul'08 - 15:45 - 2282 of 2285

"A few years ago Danka bought Kodak's analogue business just as everybody was going digital, it never recovered from that mistake and has seemingly just been run for the benefit of the directors ever since."


A very oversimplified and misleading summary there MIATA.

Everybody was indeed going digital.......including Kodak.

The Kodak group badly needed to raise cash and improve profitability at the time. They sold off all the less profitable divisions to concentrate on their core industries. Danka bought Kodak OI at a time when competition in the industry was becoming ever more fierce, resulting in eroding margins for all in the industry.

When Danka bought Kodak, they acquired a company with first-rate staff (a harder company to get into than Xerox) with an excellent reputation for quality of service and a strong customer base, including many 'blue chip' clients and government departments. Some of their machines were Kodak designed......many were re-badged Canon machines and included both analogue and digital machines from both sides. Shortly after the acquisition, a process of re-training commenced and the two businesses were fully integrated.

Over the first year or so, cost & productivity gains from the Kodak side of the business were very good, mostly meeting or exceeding targets. Over the next few years though things changed a great deal.........mostly for the worse!

Procedural changes within departments came so thick and fast that the left hand didn't know what the right was doing (sometimes line managers would have to be corrected on procedural matters by their staff). It all became very messy, inefficient and stressful, with abscences on health grounds becoming increasingly common.

I honestly can't say how much of this was down to mismanagement from the top and how much was down to the overall state of the copier industry but I'm sure that both played their part.

I left in 2002 and it's the best thing I've done since leaving school :)

[battyman2] 01/9/2008 18:54

Chaps take a look at CGX. A good one for bottom feeders!

[cliley454] 01/9/2008 10:22

Take a look at PPS, they listed a couple of years ago at 80p and like lots of these start ups they've struggled and even after a recent placing at 10p you can pick them up today for under 8p, . They make hydrogen fuel cells which produce power with zero emissions. After some tough times, they've finally made a breakthrough and announced on Friday the launch of the Zemship, a passenger ship powered by their fuel cells. Also a new director came on boad today. This news is not yet reflected in the share price imho. More info on PPS bb, DYOR.

[[e-mail]] 14/8/2008 16:40

made a few pounds on these afew years ago just shows you have to be on the ball

[miata] 07/7/2008 15:45

Hope you were short!

A few years ago Danka bought Kodak's analogue business just as everybody was going digital, it never recovered from that mistake and has seemingly just been run for the benefit of the directors ever since.

[nwmadden] 07/7/2008 15:35

Oh my god, what happened here? It's a few years since I looked...

[johnymac] 02/7/2008 05:38

The liquidation did not work.
Frazier was not able to con the small investors out of their hard earned dough yet.
Wonder what his next plot will be.
Hopefully DCML LLC will remove him and his band of self interested directors at the AGM in August and we can then get an equal share of the proceeds of the Danka sale.

[miata] 27/6/2008 08:35

Danka Business Systems suspended pending announcement.

[johnymac] 16/6/2008 05:53

Looks like there are 22% of shareholders going to vote against already.



Frazier has turned to be a bit of a conman looking after the interests of himself and strong shareholders.

Im voting against this for sure.

[johnymac] 11/6/2008 05:56

Maybe we may still get some more money back.
Looks like the board were not acting in the interests of the majority of shareholders.



The money Frazier and his buddies will get paid individually is more than the cash they are going to distribute to the individual shareholders.
Surely this is fraud.

[pav 1] 10/6/2008 12:09

I OWNED SHARES IN THIS CO, 8 YEARS AGO, IT NEVER FAILS TO DISSAPOINT ALWAYS IN THE LEADERBOARD FOR LOSERS, IF THIS WAS A DOG IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SHOT YEARS AGO....

[sven2006] 03/6/2008 12:19

the fat lady sings

[lowtrawler] 17/4/2008 15:47

Rabbrooks

Don't understand your sentiment. If anything, the debt holders have been taken for a ride. They have been rolling up interest on their debt for the past few years rather than taking cash. This allowed Danka to survive longer than it otherwise would and so sell businesses and ultimately themselves in a controlled manner. The end outcome gives shareholders £5m of preference holders money to which the shareholders were not entitled.

Had the preference holders insisted on cash payment, Danka would have folded long ago and shareholders would have got nothing. It has been obvious for over 2 years that Danka were technically insolvent and ultimately the shares would be worthless. This should have been plenty of time to get out. In this case, shareholders have only themselves to blame.

[rabbrooks] 16/4/2008 15:57

What a lamentable company. Shareholders have been taken for the proverbial ride.

[lowtrawler] 10/4/2008 14:13

latifs100

Danka are looking to give ordinary shareholders 1.25p in order to buy their co-operation in the liquidation. As far as I am aware, this will cost the preference holders c.£5m. This is going to go one of 2 ways:

1. The preference holders agree and shareholders get 1.25p in a few months time, OR
2. Preference holders disagree and shareholders get slightly less or nothing at all.

You need to decide the probability of each occuring and act accordingly.

I won't say I told you so but look at posts 263 - 310

[latifs100] 10/4/2008 13:58

i bought these at 24p in jan -o7, should i take the 1p offer now, or wait for developments.. tia

[lowtrawler] 09/4/2008 23:14

Sorry to read todays news. Danka was once a great company and put up a long fight for survival. The outcome is probably better than any shareholder had reason to expect but I have my doubts over whether the pref holders will be willing to give 1.25p to ordinary holders. If you can get anywhere near 1p or above - take it and run.

[[e-mail]] 09/4/2008 16:36

can't beleve this, made a few pounds on this about 3 years ago how they have gone down hill lucky i got out when i did,

[dell314] 09/4/2008 15:33

Why are people bidding over 1.25p??

Are they seriously expecting a counter offer to the current proposal, or just hoping that placing a low volume higher bid via DMA may enable them to offload to MMs at a higher price...

Rgds
dell

All IMHO, DYOR etc.

[lord santafe] 09/4/2008 15:09

bid up again to 1.4p, ouch thats 40% less so far for cutting your losses to soon. The buys will see these at 1.75p bid now before the profit takers come in from buying at 1.375p or better today.

[lord santafe] 09/4/2008 15:00

Bet a lot regret selling at 1p now the price is 1.25p to sell.

[davidlloyd] 09/4/2008 13:49

Davius,

Would appear not then. Ta for info.

DL