The new Kodak Eysins technology centre near Geneva, Switzerland.
Chief executive Antonio Perez was on hand to cut the ribbon and officially open Kodak’s new technology centre at Eysins, near Geneva in Switzerland, on 17 October, and said the event was symbolic – ‘the opening of a new Kodak’. He added: ‘We finally have the company we always wanted to have. We are ready to win; our competitors know that and our customers know they are with the best possible company they can be with, in the industry.’
Kodak emerged from its Chapter 11 administration early in September 2013, having dispensed with loss-making legacy business such as its consumer imaging division. It is now focused on ‘imaging for business’, across graphic communications, packaging and ‘functional printing’ such as printed electronics.
Mr Perez said that Chapter 11 had been painful and expensive, but was necessary to rid the company of its liabilities. It now has a ‘fantastic capital structure’, he said, with $800 million in cash against $695 million of debt. ‘Most importantly, we have a phenomenal portfolio of products,’ he added.
Some of those were on display at the Eysins site, with visitors given a tour of the facility which took in the Prosper 5000XLi press, Prosper S Series print heads, the Nexpress, and CTP. Kodak said it would be launching pearlescent and neon pink inks for the Nexpress in 2014, but was unable to give a more specific launch date.
The company was joined at the event by Tom Fenske from its US customer, direct mail printer Fenske Media, which is producing around 15 million DM packs per month on a battery of Prosper presses. Fenske Media has developed its own data analysis software, which Kodak is to make available to other Prosper customers.
