XIAMEN, CHINA

In a media webcast held November 7, Kodak announced a $50 million investment to accommodate expansion in Xiamen for its newest 70,000-sq-ft manufacturing site for the production of both digital and conventional plates.

Incorporating state-of-the-art technology from all other Kodak plate manufacturing sites, the facility — which celebrated its official grand opening November 6 — furthers the overall strategy to manufacture plates regionally for customers in China and Asia-Pacific.

The China expansion comes in answer to the double-digit growth Kodak has experienced for its digital plates. Combined with the demand for significant R&D, Kodak now can introduce new products commercially more quickly. In addition, the new plant will free up manufacturing lines in the US for US and North American consumption.

To protect Kodak patents and assure overall intellectual property integrity, Kodak opted to avoid any joint ownership arrangements; the new China plant is a Kodak wholly owned facility.

What's happening at your company? Send your news to yolanda.simonsis@penton.com.