Kodak has bought the engineering company that has made the transport systems for its inkjet presses, paving the way to increase production of the Ultra 520 and Prosper 7000 Turbo lines.
That company is Graphic Systems Service located relatively close to Kodak’s digital printing headquarters in Dayton, Ohio. GSS is in Springboro in the same state, one hour’s drive from Kodak.
GSS has been a custom engineering business for web printing technology, formed on the foundation of the Harris then AM Graphics narrow web business in 1995 followed by the acquisition of press manufacturer Didde. In 2019 GSS bought the inline web finishing operations of Global Web Finishing and Scheffer. These frequently include inkjet modules for adding personalisation or addresses.
These expertise has been used over two decades by Kodak, first for the Versamark heads and VL2000 presses and latterly for the Prosper heads and the Prosper 6000 presses, culminating in the design of the Ultra 520 which was launched at Hunkeler Innovation Days in March, and the high seed Prosper 700 Turbo. GSS has also designed machines and modules for other inkjet technology providers.
The deal also secures a source of supply for Kodak. Executive chairman and CEO Jim Continenza says: “As business conditions continue to be challenging, now is the time to control our own destiny and mitigate supply chain risks to ensure reliable delivery of presses to our customers. Looking forward, our ability to leverage GSS’s skills and resources will be extremely valuable as we continue to focus on expanding our inkjet portfolio and providing completely integrated inkjet solutions.”
GSS has a 9,300m2 factory replete with the tools needed to construct presses and ancillary equipment as well as the necessary experienced workforce for the task.
President and CEO of GSS Dan Green adds: “Our employees are enthusiastic about Kodak’s decision to acquire GSS. Our portfolio of inkjet transport systems and other components, along with our manufacturing expertise and engineering consulting services, will help Kodak further strengthen their position as a leader in inkjet technology.”
