Construction of the new plant is to begin immediately, subject to regulatory approvals and it is expected to be partially operational by mid-2006.

“The Xiamen campus will become a center for digital media and related products as Kodak continues the rapid transformation to a digital company,” says Daniel Meek, senior vice president of Kodak.

Also in Xiamen to address the 2005 China International Fair for Investment and Trade (which attracted 8500 delegates from 102 countries and regions) was Kodak chairman, Daniel Carp, who says, “In the early days of economic reforms in China, the focus was mainly on attracting direct foreign investment and increasing exports. Now the objective is broader – to promote bilateral investment and strike a balance between imports and exports,” Carp says.

“Kodak is transforming itself and so is our Xiamen plant,” says Kodak Greater China chairman, Yeh Ying. “This site, which once produced only traditional products, will also produce digital media and related products with the capability to supply markets worldwide.”

Kodak Graphic Communications (China) Co Ltd will design, develop, process, manufacture, integrate, sell, maintain and service computer-based digital graphic communications products, equipment, systems and materials.

Kodak is also investing in digital imaging plants at Rochester, New York and Colorado in the United States.

From an analogue base, Kodak has focused its research efforts in recent years to the application of digital technology in commercial printing and medical imaging.

Last year, for the first time in its history, Kodak’s sales of digital products exceeded those of traditional film-based products. Digital imaging products account for more than US$13.5 billion of Kodak’s global sales volume.

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