Tussle: plates

Blue Star also has a strong relationship with Heidelberg; running several of the German workhorses throughout its plants. Yet it has not opted to switch to the Fujifilm plates Heidelberg is now supplying in Kodak’s place. Mike Shannon, business services group general manager at Blue Star, says Kodak’s performance, service and support helped seal the deal. He says, “The strong performance of Kodak plates and its solutions approach has been an important factor in our decision. Our mission is to delight our customers and with Kodak as a strong plate and technology solutions partner we look forward to continuing this relationship. “In extending our relationship with Kodak, their ability to deliver consistent quality for our customers with ongoing service support and a total solutions approach were important.”

Steve Venn, managing director of Kodak Australia and New Zealand, says the company is pleased to continue its relationship with Blue Star for the next three years. He says, “Blue Star Group team’s commitment to deliver high quality print and innovative solutions aligns well with Kodak’s approach to business. “In a competitive market, Blue Star has been able to improve efficiencies across its business, while delivering consistently high quality product to its customers.” The deal comes as Blue Star prepares to merge with top-two Australian print group IPMG, though it is unclear if the Kodak deal will be rolled out across the two groups combined.