CTP - Computer to Plate

St Ives Places Full Confidence in KODAK Plates and Ink Technology

Tuesday 11. June 2013 - Kodak has agreed an exclusive five year-contract with St Ives in the U.K. The multi-million pound agreement will ensure St Ives is guaranteed a consistent supply of plates for all its CTP devices and ink for digital inkjet presses across the group. The package also includes comprehensive on-site support from Kodak's dedicated service teams.

With a KODAK PROSPER 1000 Press and Timsons T-Press with KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting System supporting book production at Clays in Bungay and multiple CTP devices across the group, St Ives is making provision for the smooth running of its operation. St Ives has strategically positioned itself with a spread of print and marketing capability and the group has significantly grown its portfolio over recent years with the most recent acquisition of digital marketing agency and SEO specialist Branded3. They have also acquired Pragma, retail and consumer market consultancy and Amaze, the international marketing and technology strategist.
Ivor Watters, Group Commercial Director, St Ives, says: “We have a strong existing relationship with Kodak and are very happy with the service the company provides. We are pleased to continue working with them under this extended agreement.”
Today St Ives has a diversity of KODAK Solutions on different sites including KODAK MAGNUS VLF Platesetters, KODAK LOTEM 800/400 Platesetters, KODAK TRENDSETTER VLF Platesetters, KODAK ELECTRA XD Thermal Plates and KODAK SWORD ULTRA Thermal Plates.
St Ives offers a combination of products and services through a group of fourteen businesses. The companies work through facilitated collaboration to be the best business possible in the field within which they work. Providing an extensive list of marketing and communication services to around 3,000 clients in the retail, charity, automotive, financial services, media and publishing, consumer goods and travel and leisure sectors, the St Ives Group is regarded as one of the most successful companies in the industry today. This success is evident from their customer relationships. St Ives works with some of the biggest brands in the world: from Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer to HSBC and American Express, from Reckitt Benckiser and Heinz to Jaguar Land Rover and Penguin.
Book production is a key element of the St Ives portfolio. Here Kodak technology is making a significant difference. The main production plant at Clays has recently updated its production workflow. This was a complex project which required months of careful analysis and planning with both companies working as a team. A bespoke solution was built around the core KODAK PRINERGY Workflow and KODAK INSITE Prepress Portal Systems, enabling Clays to gradually migrate without any risks or downtime. Clays now has the latest software in place offering a unique and innovative production suite with full automation, and outputting to traditional computer to plate for litho production, digital print on demand system and now the new era of high speed digital inkjet presses with the recently installed Timsons T-Press with KODAK PROSPER S-Series Imprinting Systems and KODAK PROSPER 1000 press.
A similar exercise was implemented on another site, SP Group in Redditch, the POS specialty division of St Ives. SP are a highly imaginative operation, focused on maximizing their clients revenue through campaigns, and as a result have a very complex set of workflow requirements, which Kodak has helped develop through consultation and on-site support. St Ives ultimately planned the same end game, to automate and streamline production processes by using KODAK PRINERGY Workflow and KODAK INSITE Prepress Portal System along with KODAK PRINERGY Rules-Based Automation Software.
Darren Chard, Kodak U.K. and Nordic Sales Director – Publishing Division, says, “Kodak is delighted to reach this group-wide agreement with St Ives. The relationship that we have today has been built over several years to become more than just a day-to-day business relationship. A strong sense of purpose with a focus on attaining mutual success in a dynamic and ever changing market environment has created tremendous synergy between our two businesses. Our dedicated service teams work closely together supporting this ‘hybrid’ account – from traditional plates, CTP and workflow alongside high-speed inkjet technologies with the most recent installations of the KODAK PROSPER 1000 Press and Timsons T-Press. Kodak highly values this five-year agreement and we are ready to continue to partner and support St Ives in its transformation and future growth.”