Kodak expects exceptional Sonora plate sales to continue in 2015

Kodak has announced tremendous growth for its Sonora Process Free Plates in 2014 and expects the trend to continue in 2015. The company secured its 1,800th customer worldwide in December with 800 new customers since July. In Canada and the U.S., customer adoption grew at a 400% rate. In its most mature market, Europe, growth reached 200% annually.
The adoption, said Kodak, stems from their economic and environmental benefits. The plates eliminate the processing step required by traditional thermal plates and provide significant energy, water, and waste reductions without requiring printers to make sacrifices on productivity or print capabilities.
Kodak is also adding new customers and proactively converting customers from its Thermal Direct Non-Process Plates to Sonora Plates in anticipation of expanding the plate manufacturing capacity at its Columbus, Georgia plant. Currently the company makes them in Germany and the United Kingdom, and it’s also investing in Sonora printing plate manufacturing capabilities at its plant in China.
“Our commitment to providing regionally manufactured Sonora Plates to our customers has been a critical component of our customer service program, and we look forward to further developing these relationships to promote sustainable and efficient printing worldwide,” said Brad Kruchten, President of Kodak’s Print Systems Division.