In the wake of the sudden Announcement by Collins Ink, Kodak acts to assure customers
By George Linkletter, OutputLinks
In business, as in life, there are always instances of ‘the unexpected.’ Minimizing those instances makes good sense. But the real test – for an individual or a business – is in dealing with the unexpected. And the immediate actions following an unexpected event often reveal a great deal about your character and priorities.
For executives of Kodak’s Digital Imaging Systems, who were clearly surprised over the sudden termination of a multi-year business relationship by Collins Ink, the first impulse was not to criticize their former partner. It was to reassure its customers that their business success was the top priority and that there would be no interruptions.
Michael Marsh, general manager, Digital Imaging Systems and Customer Growth, told Outputlinks in an interview that the unit was already reaching out to reassure its customers.
“We have the internal capability to quickly ramp up production (of the inks previously supplied by Collins) so there will be no gap in supply,” he explained. “Our goal is to contact our customers and assure them they will have an uninterrupted supply,” he emphasized.
The Kodak manager, like many in the industry, was surprised by Collins’ Sunday night announcement, as well as by the lack of a clear rationale for the termination.
Informed observers speculate the rift may have been caused by a decision by Kodak to source the ink for the firm’s revolutionary PROSPER inkjet printing systems internally, rather than via Collins, which had supplied Kodak’s successful VERSAMARK Digital Printing Systems. The new Kodak PROSPER S20 system is the fastest inkjet system available and such a decision would have limited future growth for the ink supplier.
Mr. Marsh said it was “unfortunate a productive partnership” ended, but made clear the Kodak digital unit is determined the split will have no adverse impact on customers. He even expressed confidence that a renewed Kodak involvement and expertise in the ink supplied to customers could result in higher performance.
“Every one of our customers is unique,” he said, and pointed out that when an array of equipment and applications are involved, customized one-of-a-kind “tweaks” can often result in better performance and higher quality.
As for the PROSPER line, which many industry observers believe has an exceedingly bright future, Mr. Marsh said the technology was steadily gaining acceptance and achieving “more and more success every day.”
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