Kodak celebrates 50th anniversary in India

On 23 August Kodak India celebrated its 50th anniversary. Kodak in India has always provided pioneer technology to customers in India, and process-free plates is one of them. Currently, Kodak India is witnessing significant growth as far as Sonora plates are concerned.

28 Aug 2023 | By Disha Chakraborty

The Kodak team which has powered growth in its print business

Kodak India celebrates its first five decades in business this year. The Indian Kodak subsidiary was incorporated in August 1973 and has since grown successfully. Initially located in the Kodak House in Mumbai's central business district, Kodak India moved its headquarters to its current location in Santacruz, a suburb of Mumbai, in 1995.

As per an official press release issued by the company, "Kodak India operates four geographically well-distributed warehouses to ensure fast and dependable delivery to Kodak customers across the country." Kodak's long presence in the high-growth South Asian country has helped the Kodak brand enjoy an excellent reputation in the Indian printing and packaging industry – and far beyond.

Bhalchandra Nikumb, the print solutions sales director, Kodak India said, "I am more than delighted that this year we can celebrate Kodak India’s 50th anniversary and the many achievements the Indian Kodak team has made together with our distributors over the past five decades." He added, "These accomplishments confirm our strategy and are an incentive for our future activities in the Indian market. We will continue to support our customers in their business transformation and help them successfully move into the digital future of printing with smart, highly efficient Kodak solutions."

Kodak India has achieved many milestones over the decades. For example, Kodak India was a driver of the transition from computer-to-film (CTF) tothermal computer-to-plate (CTP), installing the first thermal platesetter in the early 2000s and becoming the first supplier to sell the 1,000 th thermal CTP system from a single brand in India.

Most of these CTP installations are combined with the Kodak Prinergy workflow solutions. In addition, in close cooperation with its channel partners, Kodak India succeeded in establishing Kodak Sonora plates as the leading process-free plates in the Indian market.

Nikumb said. "Customers of all hues have adopted the Sonora plates successfully in India. This includes commercial, offset packaging, newspapers and publishing customers." He added, "The plate is proven to the extent that we have trade shops which have adopted Sonora plates and are finding it far more convenient and useful than the traditional digital plates. The end customers are happy with the plate performance."

In the digital sector, Kodak India has set standards in high-speed inkjet production printing in recent years with the Kodak prosper presses and Imprinting Systems. With Kodak’s latest inkjet offerings such as the Kodak Prosper Ultra 520 press and and the Kodak Prosper 7000 Turbo press, the world's fastest inkjet web press, the company is positioned to expand its position in the Indian digital printing market.

Nikumb signed off, " The customers in India are aware of Kodak's proven technology and have accepted it across all formats. Today, one in three plates we sell in India are Sonora plates, and we expect the numbers to grow as time progresses."

Kodak India's achievements – At a glance

Kodak India pioneered the transition from CTF to thermal CTP technology.

Sold India’s first CTP in the early 2000s and simultaneously launched thermal digital plates.

First to sell a thousand CTPs of a single brand in India with an active install base of 1200+ CTP units.

First to sell high-speed Trendsetter W Speed CTP (67 plates per hour of 800 x 1030 mm plate size).

Most of the CTPs sold are bundled with the Kodak Prinergy software, which is also the highest attachment ratio (more than 75% attachment)

Introduced process-free plates to the industry and continue to be leaders as of today.

Introduced high-speed inkjet technology printheads (speeds of up to 900 metres per minute) in India.

The Prosper press can print large, variable print volumes quickly and economically, helping customers print a book of one. Printheads are capable of printing variable data at high speeds, and can produce printed books.

Printed more than a 300-million+ Aadhar cards issued by the Government of India, using a Kodak press.