Kodak + Ricoh at PrintCeo Blog

Andy Tribute started it off this morning with his usual well informed post. If the past is any guide to the future, this will probably turn into an interesting discussion. My question to the assembled Print geniuses was: ( no answer as of 11:15 EST. But most of these folks have a day job, so it usually takes a little time to get it going.)

@anyone,

I’m seeing Ricoh continuing to make a big move. First with IBM in infoprint for transpromo and enterprise IT, now with Kodak to supply the consumer piece to feed into Kodak’s production machinery.

From what I think I'm seeing the real problem is for Xerox who has gone it alone with boxes for all market segments and Oce, who as far as I know doesn’t have a consumer piece.

Meanwhile, HP is going into MPS and is still digesting Extreme. With their recent successful sales of Indigo and their domination of the consumer market. It looks to me that Ricoh+IBM + Kodak v HP is the way this is going to go.

Is anyone else seeing the same thing?

You have to love Print Ceo. It's 11:25 EST, and this came in. Excerpts below:

Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) and Océ-Nederland BV Sign Nexpress Partnership Agreement in the Netherlands.

Kodak’s Graphic Communications Group (GCG) has a partnership agreement with Océ-Nederland BV, whereby Océ will sell the Nexpress Digital Production Color Presses directly in the Netherlands. A similar relationship already exists for the German market. Océ will now be licensed to sell directly the Kodak Nexpress Digital Production Color Presses to its customer base.

Hmmm . . . So if that's true than it's Oce + Kodak in the Netherlands and Germany. The rest of Euroland must be close behind. It gets interestinger, and interestinger ... Meanwhile that lamebrain reporter at the WSJ told us in the beginning of the week that Kodak was going to sell nexpress. Not damn likely, it seems to me.

So here's maybe an idea.
Why don't we do a distribution deal with Heidelberg. That puts the offset commercial piece back in play. Kodak has the workflow, Heidelberg has the heavy metal and the brand equity in the developing world. Meanwhile, Heidelberg could use a digital printing piece to round out their network. I just read this morning that they just sold their 50,000th half format Speedmaster to a printer in Poland.

Oops, maybe Oce + Kodak will do that first? That gives them a lock on commercial printers.

Google it. Find it. Print it. Anywhere.