Kodak Enjoys Successful drupa 2008, Driven by Offset Class Solutions

Every GCG product line exceeds Kodak’s aggressive business goals


DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY, June -- Eastman Kodak Company announced that it exceeded its aggressive business goals at its debut at drupa, the world’s largest graphic communications trade show.

As the two-week run of drupa 2008 closed today, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) concluded a hugely successful event, taking hundreds of orders, conducting thousands of demonstrations, and logging in excess of 10,000 qualified leads.

“At the outset of drupa, I said Kodak would change print forever, and the traffic in our booth suggests that message resonated in the industry,” said Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “If this is remembered as the inkjet drupa, then Kodak will be at the heart of it with our unique and innovative Stream Inkjet Technology, which delivers offset class output and which we demonstrated to packed audiences throughout the show. Customer enthusiasm validated our message that print solutions must provide reliability, productivity, the right cost of ownership, substrate variety and image quality.”

Hundreds of thousands of customers and visitors flocked to Kodak’s stand during the show to see the company’s unmatched portfolio of conventional and digital printing solutions.

“drupa is a truly global event, and this was reflected with huge numbers of visitors from every region of the world who crowded our stand to see our integrated offerings,” said Kevin Joyce, Chief Marketing Officer, Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company. “Customers and visitors told us that our stand was one of the busiest and well thought out at the show.

“Our strategy of placing workflow at the hub and showing conventional and digital solutions within this blended production environment resonated with visitors, who were eager to see our 25 new product introductions,” Joyce said. “We showed how customers can expand their capabilities and profits. With our technology also featured in over two thirds of the halls, we have thousands of sales leads taken at the show filling the funnel. Without exception, every region, segment and product line exceeded our expectations, with activity and sales in Asia Pacific particularly high.”

In addition to Kodak’s Stream Inkjet Technology, other key highlights on the stand which attracted huge attention and significant sales were the new KODAK NEXPRESS S3600 Digital Production Color Press; the KODAK FLEXCEL NX Digital Flexographic System; KODAK ELECTRA XD Thermal Plate; KODAK MAGNUS 800Z QUANTUM Platesetter; KODAK COLORFLOW Software and KODAK PRINERGY Workflow System Version 5.0.

“drupa 2008 showcased the power of print and the role that print plays in successful communications,” Perez said. “Our dynamic industry requires a variety of technologies to satisfy the needs of today’s multimedia world. Kodak demonstrated the broadest portfolio of innovative solutions to help customers grow their printing and marketing services businesses.”

(Kodak, Electra, NexPress, ColorFlow, Magnus, Flexcel and Prinergy are trademarks of Kodak.)