WATFORD, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Kodak Limited and Guiton Group Limited announced today the birth of KP Services (Jersey) Limited, a collaboration between Kodak and Guiton Group Limited, which also owns the Jersey Evening Post.
KP Services (Jersey) Limited will print the Jersey Evening Post as well as the majority of U.K. national newspapers (11 titles in total) for distribution in Jersey and Guernsey. It is estimated that KP Services (Jersey) Limited will print approximately 35,000 newspapers in total each day (made up of the combined circulations required for each separate publication).
The new service will bring a number of benefits to Guernsey and Jersey and, in particular, will overcome the challenges of reliable delivery by avoiding the frequent weather delays associated with flying newspapers into islands on the day of publication. KP Services (Jersey) Limited will open for business in 2016.
Kodak will install two KODAK PROSPER 6000P Presses and four of the newly-launched Hunkeler Combi-Solution Newspaper finishing lines. The KODAK PROSPER 6000 Presses are powered by an advanced Intelligent Print System (IPS) that continuously monitors, evaluates and adjusts operations to ensure exceptional quality output. With the improved IPS, the KODAK PROSPER 6000 Presses can monitor and instantly correct colour registration, delivering enhanced registration performance. The KODAK PROSPER 6000P Press was designed specifically for publishing applications such as newspapers and books. The KODAK PROSPER 6000 Presses print at speeds of up to 1,000 feet (or 300 meters) per minute on standard newsprint paper delivering close to 3,000 newspapers every hour*. They are ideally suited for print sites that have to print a large number of low-volume titles.
The innovative concept underlying Hunkeler‘s latest newspaper finishing line allows for fully-automated changeover between Tabloid and Broadsheet formats as well as the automated collation of multiple sections. Every newspaper going through the folding and collating sub-system can have a different number of pages with a maximum page count of 140 Tabloid pages per newspaper.
Executive Quotes
“In today’s printing environment, businesses need to invest in technologies that complement long-established production methods, yet also enable them to drive newspaper printing into the future,” said Jack Knadjian, Managing Director, KP Services (Jersey) Limited. “Kodak has pioneered inkjet printing for newspapers and is ready to show the world the next generation of inkjet presses with the speed and quality provided by KODAK Stream Inkjet Technology. It would not have been possible to print so many titles with such a diversity of print runs (less than 300 to more than 17,000) and some with very high page counts using offset technology. Through KP Services (Jersey) Limited, we will now be able to demonstrate the value of KODAK PROSPER 6000 Presses to our customers around the world.”
“This is a welcome investment into the Jersey economy by such a prestigious global company. The partnership between Kodak UK and the Guiton Group will see the very latest digital printing technology coming to the island, new jobs created and new skills being learned,” said Senator Lyndon Farnham, Jersey’s Minister for Economic Development. “The Jersey operation will be a worldwide showcase for the digital printing of newspapers and we are delighted to see such innovation and investment brought to the island.”
“After 125 years of consistently printing our own titles, it is fair to say that any third-party solution needed to be technologically superior for us to consider moving from self-sufficiency to this type of partnership,“ said Paul Carter, Managing Director, Guiton Publishing and the Jersey Evening Post. “We’ve been watching digital development for over a decade and always held back due to the speed and reliability issues that this technology struggled with previously. We are confident that adding the KODAK PROSPER 6000 Presses, combined with the Hunkeler finishing equipment and our own expertise in publishing and distribution, makes this the right time to move forward. In the year when we celebrate our 125th anniversary, it is satisfying to invest in future-proofing our business in this way."
*Assumes 48-page tabloid newspapers.
About Kodak
Kodak is a technology company focused on imaging. We provide – directly and through partnerships with other innovative companies – hardware, software, consumables and services to customers in graphic arts, commercial print, publishing, packaging, electronic displays, entertainment and commercial films, and consumer products markets. With our world-class R&D capabilities, innovative solutions portfolio and highly trusted brand, Kodak is helping customers around the globe to sustainably grow their own businesses and enjoy their lives. For additional information on Kodak, visit us at kodak.com, follow us on Twitter @Kodak, or like us on Facebook at KodakNow.
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