Kodak Graphic Users' Association Meeting Generates Energy for Business Transformation
May 2009
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ORLANDO—May 22, 2009—The power of partnership fueled a three-day meeting of the Kodak Graphic Users’ Association (GUA) May 17-20 in Orlando, Fla. In a program themed “Efficiency Revealed,” nearly 300 attendees shared best practices and helped shape the future of Kodak’s products and solutions.
A challenged economy and the digital revolution drove discussion throughout the conference. Many of the program sessions focused on how print service providers can use Kodak technologies to offer more to their customers in the emerging business model of “marketing service providers.”
“Everything changes when we start thinking of ourselves as in the communications business,” said Andy Paparozzi, Chief Economist and Vice President of NAPL (http://www.napl.org/ProfSvcsGroup/documents/Paparozzibio8-06.pdf), who delivered the keynote address on day one of the conference. “We have to work in harmony with our customers to achieve their desired results on all communication fronts—print, web and marketing.”
Kodak developers and product managers conducted more than 50 workshops, focusing on everything from the newest developments in CTP to the future of Kodak Unified Workflow to updates on Kodak’s groundbreaking Stream Inkjet technology. The conference exemplified how the combination of Kodak’s expertise and portfolio of conventional and digital solutions can help customers grow their businesses.
“Marketers need to show return on investment, and they want help with services beyond print. This is a customer-led revolution, and the right response is to move from print service provider to marketing service provider,” said Jon Bracken, Vice President, Marketing and Channels, Enterprise Solutions, Kodak. Bracken talks more about the transition to marketing service provider:
InfoTrends analyst Bryan Yeager, who reported via Twitter from the conference (http://twitter.com/bryanyeager), sees value in the GUA’s emphasis on efficiency. “As printers continue to face economic pressures, increasing job efficiency to control costs and improve turnaround time is crucial,” said Yeager. “Implementing workflow and enabling automation are keys to achieving greater efficiency, and the focus on this topic at Kodak GUA’s conference is very relevant as printers strive to improve processes.”
A challenged economy and the digital revolution drove discussion throughout the conference. Many of the program sessions focused on how print service providers can use Kodak technologies to offer more to their customers in the emerging business model of “marketing service providers.”
“Everything changes when we start thinking of ourselves as in the communications business,” said Andy Paparozzi, Chief Economist and Vice President of NAPL (http://www.napl.org/ProfSvcsGroup/documents/Paparozzibio8-06.pdf), who delivered the keynote address on day one of the conference. “We have to work in harmony with our customers to achieve their desired results on all communication fronts—print, web and marketing.”
Kodak developers and product managers conducted more than 50 workshops, focusing on everything from the newest developments in CTP to the future of Kodak Unified Workflow to updates on Kodak’s groundbreaking Stream Inkjet technology. The conference exemplified how the combination of Kodak’s expertise and portfolio of conventional and digital solutions can help customers grow their businesses.
“Marketers need to show return on investment, and they want help with services beyond print. This is a customer-led revolution, and the right response is to move from print service provider to marketing service provider,” said Jon Bracken, Vice President, Marketing and Channels, Enterprise Solutions, Kodak. Bracken talks more about the transition to marketing service provider:
InfoTrends analyst Bryan Yeager, who reported via Twitter from the conference (http://twitter.com/bryanyeager), sees value in the GUA’s emphasis on efficiency. “As printers continue to face economic pressures, increasing job efficiency to control costs and improve turnaround time is crucial,” said Yeager. “Implementing workflow and enabling automation are keys to achieving greater efficiency, and the focus on this topic at Kodak GUA’s conference is very relevant as printers strive to improve processes.”
Companies Mentioned:
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Variable Data Printing Case Studies
The Ultimate Guide to Multi-Channel Communications Solutions
Print Production Workflow: A Practical Guide
