An upbeat John Culverhouse, Kodak Professional’s UK Business unit manager, has told the company’s dealers and customers to prepare for ‘massive growth opportunities’ in coming months.
In a keynote address at the Focus on Imaging event at the NEC he said that the film paper and chemistry business was in decline – but not as badly as everyone has been predicting.
He said: “Digital is intruding into traditional AgX markets and the traditional professional market is becoming more diverse and diluted but there is still enormous profitable film and paper business out there – and we have actually seen black and white film sales grow through 2002. Worldwide nearly 85 billion film exposures were made last year and film remains Kodak Professional’s prime revenue earner.”
He added: “IT and photography markets are merging globally to form a new $385 billion “Infoimaging” industry.
Infoimaging represents the moment when pictures become information, enabled by technology and improving communication and commerce. This new market comprises devices (digital cameras and PDAs), infrastructure (online networks and delivery systems for images) and services & media (software, film and paper enabling people to access, analyze and print images)
For example, oil companies can now combine satellite photos with GPS coordinates to find the exact location of a leaking pipeline. Doctors on opposite sides of the world can diagnose a patient by sharing X-Rays combined with health data and parents in Sweden can share baby pictures with relatives in New York using any wired or wireless device.”
Culverhouse outlined Kodak Professional’s four priorities for growth generation.
In a ‘back to basics’ initiative the division will focus on expanding the benefits of film, whilst continuing its ‘make digital easy’ strategy.
It has also pledged to ‘drive output in all forms’ and will develop new business and new markets’.
For further information, please contact:
Kodak Professional
Tel: 01442 845146
Kodak Professional online: www.kodak.co.uk/go/professional
