Kodak GCG  appointments 
With the addition of David Bryant to the sales team, the new-look Kodak’s presence in the South Island is now one of the industry’s strongest. Together with dedicated direct service engineer Richard Clements who, like Bryant, is based in Christchurch, Kodak has one of the most powerful set-ups in the South’s prepress sector.

Bryant has been in the printing industry for his entire career, more than 25 years. Having started out as a qualified printer, he moved into the area of plate and film sales, and has spent a large part of his life specialising in the area of prepress.

Derek Fretwell, general manager of Kodak New Zealand, says that Bryant’s role is to facilitate the growth of the CTP market, and Bryant is confident that this can be done.

“We already have a very strong share here,” Bryant says, “but there is also an opportunity to expand and grow. I see significant market opportunities in the South Island.

“We will be looking for growth in a range of areas. Obviously there is the thermal consumables CTP business, and also the Nexpress and the entire vast catalogue of Kodak equipment.

“With our people in the South Island, we have a very strong sales and service team. We would be the strongest in the South Island calling on the CTP area.”

Bryant has established plenty of contacts and amassed a wide range of knowledge during his decades in the printing industry and has established a good reputation in the South Island, according to Fretwell.

The focus of Kodak’s operations is what attracted Bryant to work with the company, which completed a long acquisition trail earlier this year when it added Creo to earlier purchases of Kodak Polychrome Graphics, Nexpress, Encad and Versamark, Inc.

In spite of the number of businesses that have come together, Bryant says that the digital focus of the company is a clear and powerful guiding force behind it.

“Digital information is still digital information, whether it is being sent to CTP or to a Nexpress. You’re still dealing with the same files and you’re still dealing with printers. In a technology-driven industry like this one, it’s important to be focused, and Kodak has a very strong digital focus.”

Bryant says that he has had more training with Kodak in his first month than with any company he had worked with previously, and that together with the strength and focus of Kodak had convinced him that the company was doing the right thing by its customers, as well as its staff.

“We have got a very good stable of products, and excellent focused leadership, and I am convinced that our customers will reap the rewards in the months and years to come.”