Konica and Kodak global follow Australian lead on partnership

The move follows the local deal between Kodak and Konica in Australia

Under the terms of the agreement, Kodak will sell Konica Minolta's Bizhub Press C6000, C7000 and C8000 in the UK, US, France and Germany and the Bizhub Pro 1200/1200P in the US.

Kodak will also offer the full range of equipment, controllers and accessories associated with the Konica range, including the print controller for Kodak's own Creo Color Server, which allows easy integration with the Kodak Prinergy workflow.

The new deal also expands on an existing partnership that allows Konica to sell Kodak's Digimaster in the US and Kodak's Nexpress in the US and Australia, and will now include a sales agreement for the Digimaster in Europe and Japan.

The two companies said that the deal was designed to capitalise on Kodak's expertise in the mid- to high-volume cut-sheet digital printing market and Konica's strength in the high-end light- to mid-production printing market.

Kodak will benefit from an expanded reach into quick-print, in-plant, large corporate reprographics departments, university and public sector customers through Konica's direct sales and dealer network.

Meanwhile, Konica will be able to take advantage of a wider digital production offering and an expanded commercial customer reach for its newly launched digital colour products through Kodak's sales organisation.

Adrian Fleming, managing director of Kodak Australia and New Zealand, said: "We understand the needs of our customers and are committed to bringing them the industry's most complete portfolio of digital print products and solutions.

"Kodak is proud to offer the Konica Minolta portfolio along with our proven cut-sheet print solutions. Kodak's business development programs along with expertise in traditional and digital workflow provide a comprehensive platform for customer growth."

Hiro Kaji, managing director of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia, added: "Our strategic partnership with Kodak allows Konica Minolta to deliver an extended range of capabilities to our customers and respond to the growing expectations and demands from the production print marketplace

"We are excited about the long-term prospects of our strategic agreement with Kodak, and believe the strength of this partnership will be beneficial to our production print customer base—another reason why our customers can count on Konica Minolta for all of their digital printing needs."

The deal is the latest in a spate of tie-ups between print industry manufacturers and follows Canon's acquisition of Océ in March 2010, Océ's partnership with Manroland, which was signed in December 2010, and this week's announcement of Heidelberg's partnership with Ricoh.

Source: PrintWeek