Large Format Review - Business News

Colourgen is providing a 2-years on-site warranty - free of charge - with the French-made Mistral and Arkane range of film laminators from Kala. The offer is available on these products when purchased with Colourgen’s delivery, installation and training package.

Jeff Biggs, Managing Director of Colourgen, comments, “We are really pleased to be able to offer this to our customers, particularly as there is no similar warranty package currently available for laminators in the UK.  It gives print providers great peace of mind during the warranty period and combined with the competitive price of the install and training packages, means they will be able to get the most out of the products and extend their finishing services.”

The Mistral 1650 (65") and 2100 (83") offer single-sided lamination, simultaneous lamination and adhesive mounting, encapsulation and board mounting up to 50mm (2") thick.  The Mistral laminators are high-volume machines with heat-assisted top rollers from 30-60°C. The Arkane 1650 (65") is a high volume laminator which offers the same features as the Mistral but with a heated top roller up to 140°C.

Colourgen’s delivery, install and training packages start at a competitive, all inclusive £495.

Kala’s new entry-level laminator, the ‘Starter’ also comes with 2 years manufacturer’s warranty as standard from Colourgen.  The Kala Starter is an entry-level cold, wide format laminator which is ideally suited to the requirements of the sign-maker, photo labs, printers and any company with a need for low to mid volume finishing.

Kala laminators are available from Colourgen authorised resellers.

In what is believed to be a market first, Colorific, a leading high quality, alternative ink supplier, has announced a 100% satisfaction guarantee on its alternative inks for Mimaki and Roland printers.

“This guarantee clearly demonstrates to our customers the level of confidence we have in our cost-effective, alternative ink solutions,” comments Shaun Holdom, Business Manager for Colorific.  “It should stand as the final piece in the jigsaw for those companies looking to take advantage of the cost savings of alternative inks, but wanting to remove any perceived risk factors.”

Colorific offers credible alternative inks which enable end users to realise significant savings and increase their profits.  Colorific Inks have been fully tested in the field and successfully meet or exceed the performance and reliability standards expected within the industry.

Colorific inks are fully supported with one of the most comprehensive ink stream warranties available. When Colorific inks are used in the correct manner, the company categorically stands behind the reliability and performance of its inks.

Shaun Holdom concludes, “It's a win-win situation for our customers.  If customers of Colorific’s Roland and Mimaki inks are not 100% satisfied, they’ll get their money back.  It really is that simple.”

For more information on Colorific inks, please visit www.colorificink.com

Roland DG (UK) believes that a great team can make a huge difference to a business, which is why for the past 12 months the company has focused on gaining the Investors in People (IIP) accreditation.

Roland DG’s ethos is founded on being the best rather than the biggest, delivering this through exceptional people and the service they provide. The IIP framework has focused the business and set the benchmark to ensure that Roland DG will continue to build a strong organisation that provides excellent training to staff and in turn, an extraordinary service to Roland DG customers.

Roland DG’s Managing Director, Jerry Davies, was delighted by the award and states, “We are very proud to have achieved IIP accreditation. We are striving to make sure Roland is a great company to do business with – the best products, service and training from the best team in the industry."

“Our continuing success at a time when other companies are struggling isn’t an accident. We’ve never been a company to stand still and our team has always been at the core of our business, making Roland DG what it is today. This accreditation recognises the belief we have in our people and the difference a great team can make,” concludes Davies.

Roland DG was notified earlier this month that it had achieved the IIP core standard. The company looks forward to continually identifying opportunities for improvement and in gaining the bronze level accreditation before the end of 2012.

[photo shows Roland DG UK Managing Director, Jerry Davies, with IIP award]

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (Nasdaq:EFII), a world leader in customer-focused digital printing innovation, today announced its results for the fourth quarter of 2011.

For the quarter ended December 31, 2011, the Company reported record revenue of $163.1 million, up 12% year-over-year compared to fourth quarter 2010 revenue of $145.0 million. Fourth quarter 2011 non-GAAP net income was $16.6 million or $0.36 per diluted share, including $0.03 of unfavourable non-operational currency impact, compared to non-GAAP net income of $13.3 million or $0.28 per diluted share for the same period in 2010. GAAP net income was $11.5 million or $0.25 per diluted share, compared to $8.1 million or $0.17 per diluted share for the same period in 2010.

For the twelve months ended December 31, 2011, the Company reported revenue of $591.6 million, up 17% year-over-year compared to 2010 revenue of $504.0 million. Non-GAAP net income for the year was $53.1 million or $1.12 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $27.8 million or $0.59 per diluted share for the same period in 2010. GAAP net income for the year was $27.5 million or $0.58 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $7.5 million or $0.16 per diluted share for the same period in 2010.

"Our eighth consecutive quarter of double-digit revenue growth, which reflects records for both our Inkjet and APPS segments, completes a very successful year for EFI on many levels. Our team delivered 17% revenue growth in 2011, an approximate 90% increase in non-GAAP net income growth, strong cash flow from operations, and a record level of recurring revenue," said Guy Gecht, CEO of EFI. "We are excited about the opportunities ahead and plan to accelerate our innovation while continuing to execute on our strategy enabling customers to profit from the transition of analogue print to digital technology while driving efficiencies in their businesses."

For the first quarter of 2012, the company is expecting approximately 10% year-over-year revenue growth.

For more information, please visit www.efi.com

Selectech, a specialist supplier of ink, media and accessories to the professional wide format sign and display print market, has been appointed as Tech8’s first Preferred Partner.  As a result of this partnership, Selectech is now able to offer its annual warranty and pay-as-you-go customers a guaranteed next-day, on-site technical support service.

Tech8 is the technical support and spares specialist for the wide format printing industry and has developed the Preferred Partner Programme to ensure it can offer customers unrivalled levels of service.   Selectech is the first company to be awarded Tech8’s Preferred Partner status.

As well as guaranteed next day support, Selectech customers will benefit from a 5% discount on Tech 8’s already competitively-priced spare parts and a 5% reduction on Tech8’s standard wide format printer service rate.

Stuart Lee, Development Manager at Selectech, comments, “As Tech8’s Preferred Partner, we will be able to ensure our customers suffer minimal downtime if and when a technical issue arises.  It offers us an incredible USP.  The majority of major manufacturers are currently unable to offer such a competitively-priced, comprehensive support package.”

He continues, “For all common faults – providing the relevant spare parts are available – Selectech will guarantee its customers that they will get preferential treatment and a next-day on-site visit as standard.”

Justin Atkinson, Business Manager at Tech8, adds, “By offering this exceptional standard of service, we’re enabling Selectech to truly differentiate itself in a competitive marketplace.  The Preferred Partner Programme will be rolled out across the UK in due course.”

For more information on Selectech, please visit www.selectech.co.uk

For more information on Tech8, please visit www.tech8.eu

Eastman Kodak Company (“Kodak” or the “Company”) announced today that it and its U.S. subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions for chapter 11 business reorganisation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.

The business reorganisation is intended to bolster liquidity in the U.S. and abroad, monetise non-strategic intellectual property, fairly resolve legacy liabilities, and enable the Company to focus on its most valuable business lines. The Company has made pioneering investments in digital and materials deposition technologies in recent years, generating approximately 75% of its revenue from digital businesses in 2011.

Kodak has obtained a fully-committed, $950 million debtor-in-possession credit facility with an 18-month maturity from Citigroup to enhance liquidity and working capital. The credit facility is subject to Court approval and other conditions precedent. The Company believes that it has sufficient liquidity to operate its business during chapter 11, and to continue the flow of goods and services to its customers in the ordinary course.

Kodak expects to pay employee wages and benefits and continue customer programs. Subsidiaries outside of the U.S. are not subject to proceedings and will honour all obligations to suppliers, whenever incurred. Kodak and its U.S. subsidiaries will honour all post-petition obligations to suppliers in the ordinary course.

“Kodak is taking a significant step toward enabling our enterprise to complete its transformation,” said Antonio M. Perez, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “At the same time as we have created our digital business, we have also already effectively exited certain traditional operations, closing 13 manufacturing plants and 130 processing labs, and reducing our workforce by 47,000 since 2003. Now we must complete the transformation by further addressing our cost structure and effectively monetising non-core IP assets. We look forward to working with our stakeholders to emerge a lean, world-class, digital imaging and materials science company.”

“After considering the advantages of chapter 11 at this time, the Board of Directors and the entire senior management team unanimously believe that this is a necessary step and the right thing to do for the future of Kodak,” Mr. Perez continued. “Our goal is to maximise value for stakeholders, including our employees, retirees, creditors, and pension trustees. We are also committed to working with our valued customers.

“Chapter 11 gives us the best opportunities to maximise the value in two critical parts of our technology portfolio: our digital capture patents, which are essential for a wide range of mobile and other consumer electronic devices that capture digital images and have generated over $3 billion of licensing revenues since 2003; and our breakthrough printing and deposition technologies, which give Kodak a competitive advantage in our growing digital businesses.”

Mr. Perez concluded, “The Board of Directors, the senior management team and I would like to underscore our appreciation for the hard work and loyalty of our employees. Kodak exemplifies a culture of collaboration and innovation. Our employees embody that culture and are essential to our future success.”

Kodak has taken this step after preliminary discussions with key constituencies and intends to work toward a consensual reorganisation in the best interests of its stakeholders. Kodak expects to complete its U.S.-based restructuring during 2013.

The Company and its Board of Directors are being advised by Lazard, FTI Consulting Inc. and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. In addition, Dominic DiNapoli, Vice Chairman of FTI Consulting, will serve as Chief Restructuring Officer to support the management team as to restructuring matters during the chapter 11 case.

More information about Kodak’s Chapter 11 filing is available on the Internet at www.kodaktransforms.com. Information for suppliers and vendors is available at (800) 544-7009 or (585) 724-6100.

Kodak will be filing monthly operating reports with the Bankruptcy Court and also plans to post these monthly operating reports on the Investor Relations section of Kodak.com. The Company will continue to file quarterly and annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which will also be available in the Investor Relations section of Kodak.com.