Kodak ends 2013 on a positive note

Lebegue said, the year has ended on "a very positive note for Kodak". He discussed Kodak's restructuring plan and the India vision for 2014.
 

In India, Kodak will continue to ride on packaging, graphic communications and functional printing. All three are rooted in Kodak's commercial printing technology.

Nikumb pointed to the success of the Prosper press at Repro India as a good example of digital printing technology benefitting book publishers. 

Nikumb said, "In India, the publishers have preferred offset over inkjet digital because of its lower per-page cost and superior image quality. But with the Prosper, which Kodak launched in 2010, and installed at Repro India post Drupa 2012, it offered cost, quality and speed comparable to offset printing."

The Prosper Presses contain more than 100,000 computer-controlled inkjet nozzles that spray special Kodak-made ink that allows for crisp resolution. The press can reach speeds of up to 650 feet of paper per minute; plus create customised publications.

Besides inkjet, Lebegue said, Kodak is focussing on chem-free plates, the FlexCel NX, CTP platesetters and SquareSpot technology; all of which "include new processes that reduce costs and environmental impact". He said the recentmost technologies make it cheaper and easier to print high-resolution images on everything from cardboard to plastic and newer substrates.

Lebegue was animated about the company's projects in development is a cheaper touch screen for smartphones and tablets. He added, "Kodak will deploy its print capabilities to lay out super-thin lines of metals like copper and silver, which can be more effective than indium and cheaper to obtain." This technology could also allow the screens to be flexible and foldable, and ensure it is installed on new objects.

He hoped, Kodak hopes to integrate this technology for smart packaging, which could include sensors that, for instance, tell consumers if a pharma product has been counterfeited or no. 

The mood at Kodak's kick off meet was upbeat, and the employees and channel partners remain "proud".

Both Lebegue and Nikumb are bullish that Kodak's post-bankruptcy balance sheet, combined with its new focus and technologies, will ensure Indian operations shall see financial success in the years to come.