Quick Printing

JAN 2015

Quick Printing is the resource for the Commercial printing, visual and graphic arts industries. Since 1977, Quick Printing has focused on improving efficiency and increasing sales and profits in the print shop. Industry experts share their ideas and

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Quick Printing | January 2015 23 MyPRINTResource.com With nine months at the helm under his belt, 'Disruptive technologies change industries, [and] technology is not patient,' says Kodak's chief. By Mark Vruno QP: Tell us a little about your company and the market it serves. JC: Kodak always has been a technolo- gy company, creating new technologies around markets. Hard science disrupts markets, and we have some 7,000 patents. When we approach a new market, our goal is to go through break- through-level performance, not incre- mental. In the packaging space, the Fl- excel NX System business was started up six years ago. Kodak's square-spot technology basically is a higher-resolution solution—and resolution is a differentiator in the packaging business. Products need to jump off the shelf. We've gone from zero to a 10 percent share of the market with approximately $130 million in revenues and strong margins. Our packag- ing business is growing at around 30 percent. Another disruptive example is our Sonora, process-free plates, which are seeing a 300 percent growth rate, rep- resenting just under 10 percent of our billion-dollar plate business. This is a sustainable solution that provides a signifcant advantage in a large, mature business. Sonora [technology] also helps to fght print's perceived reputa- tion as a "dirty" industry. A third example is in digital printing, where our Prosper press technology addresses the high-end inkjet web space. Overall, Prosper page growth is up over 50 percent as we build our install base. QP: How did you get involved with Kodak? What was your background before that? JC: I am from Upstate New York. I was born in Ithaca and grew up in Hamilton with roots in the Rochester area, which included respect for Kodak. My expertise is in running large technology companies that are in transformation. Kodak has been through some trauma, but it's a strong brand with a strong set of managers and 8,000 employees. I started in the technology industry in hardware and software with DEC [Digital Equipment Corp.] and Compaq Computer, where I was CFO. Compaq was sold to HP for $24 billion [in 2002]. I also helped to stabilize Computer Associates [CA] as COO of the $16-billion company that was in a legal crisis. From there I was recruited to Travel- port, which was owned by Cendant Corp., parent of Avis Executive Q&A;: Kodak's 'New' CEO Jeff Clarke Rent a Car. Travelport owned Orbitz.com, and I became chairman of Orbitz when the company went public in 2002. QP: What do you consider your greatest achievement in this market to be? JC: In my nine months on the job, I've been extremely pleased with how Kodak has emerged from bankruptcy. We've become a more customer-centric company and are implementing breakthrough technologies. QP: What do you consider the greatest challenge to be for the industry right now? JC: The industry needs to be open about adopting new technologies because new technology can yield better products. Print is in a classic transition: Digital solutions provide more fexibility and faster turnaround times, yet there's still a place for offset. QP: What have been the biggest changes to the way we communicate in the past few years? How would you recommend this industry take advantage of that? JC: Mobile Internet connections have surpassed traditional PCs, and print needs to play in the mobil- ity market. Running 100,000 copies of the same ad is something that would never be a thought on a website. Printing needs to increase its relevance to be more local, up to date, and much more customized. This is the vision of newspapers: to have local, customized advertising based on ZIP codes and demographics. I think it inevita- bly will happen here in North America. It has to because the cost of distribution will continue to increase as the cost of inkjet [print] technology continues to decrease. Offset is too wasteful for some applications. Visual print also needs to continue to adapt, whether through wide-format applications or enhanced effects. QP: Looking ahead, what major innovations or tech- nologies do you believe will shape the future of the industry? Why? JC: Beyond visual print, I think functional printing—3D and other micro-printing applications, such as printing touchscreen sensors on PET [polyester] flm—is very exciting. For Kodak, this is a silver-halide application that offers lowers costs and better connectivity. Core users are consumer product makers, printers, OEM markets for packaging and wall paper, handset makers, and con- tract manufacturing intermediaries. (Editor's note: See "The Next Industrial Revolution," MyPRINTResource. com/11321724 .) QP: What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to printers and others involved in this industry? JC: I'm trained as an economist and will restate what I pointed out earlier: that disruptive technologies change industries. Technology is not patient. I would encourage us to be impatient, to adapt quickly—or be left behind. Jeff Clarke, CEO Kodak

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