Kodak opens new solutions center in Singapore

The Center will boost research, product development and operations management activities across three of Kodak's main digital growth businesses.

According to Eastman Kodak, The Center will also host the worldwide headquarters for Kodak’s Packaging Solutions business unit. Kodak Research Labs, the corporate research arm of Kodak, will set up a satellite research Center in Singapore as a part of this initiative.

A key element of Kodak’s Asia growth strategy, the Center will add more than 100 professionals in research, engineering and business management over the next five years. In addition, two key executives of the company, John Blake, General Manager, Digital Capture & Devices and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company and Mohan Garde, General Manager, Packaging and Vice President, Prepress Solutions, will be based in Singapore to strengthen Kodak presence in Asia and Singapore.

Philip Faraci, President and Chief Operating Officer of Eastman Kodak Company, will also spend a significant amount of time in Asia and Singapore to provide overall leadership for execution of the company’s growth strategy in Asia.

“Kodak is now a company with a broad portfolio of innovative digital products and services and dedicated employees around the world,” said Faraci. “As we grow our new digital businesses, our presence in Singapore will enable us to more closely partner with our Asian suppliers to drive product innovation and speed to market and better meet the needs of our customers and help grow their businesses across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Kodak’s global consumer inkjet business continues to be headquartered in San Diego, California and operates through Centers of excellence in Rochester, New York and Xiamen, China. In Singapore, engineering professionals will work seamlessly with these Centers of excellence to co-develop and commercialise new designs and technologies for printers, printheads and ink tanks, thereby significantly reducing the time to market for new products because of the proximity to manufacturing. Professionals in operations management will leverage the supplier base in the Asia-Pacific area to provide cost-effective products and solutions for customers.

In addition, senior researchers of Kodak Research Labs will partner with Singapore-based research entities as well as local universities to develop cutting edge technologies in Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS), materials, and computational sciences.

Terry Taber, Chief Technical Officer and Senior Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company said, "This is an exciting opportunity for Kodak to expand its R&D capabilities in one of the fastest developing parts of the world. We are convinced that the combination of Kodak’s deep expertise in materials, image science, and deposition processes coupled with the array of science and technology capabilities in the Singapore region will make a significant impact on the future of our industry."

Dr. Beh Swan Gin, Managing Director, Singapore Economic Development Board said, “I am pleased that Eastman Kodak Company has established its Asia Pacific Solutions Center in Singapore, and with it, a satellite of its Kodak Research Laboratory. This operation will be able to leverage on the strengths of Singapore’s Research Institutes and universities in areas such as MEMS and materials sciences.”