OEM announces it will cease sale of inkjet printers from 2013, cutting a further 200 jobs.
Reuters reports that Kodak will no longer sell inkjet printers as of 2013, adding a further 200 job cuts to the 1,000 it recently announced and 2,700 that have already been cut this year.
As Kodak moves away from its consumer businesses to focus on commercial printing in an attempt to restructure and emerge from bankruptcy as “a much leaner company”, it reportedly expects to incur a charge of $90 million (€69.9 million) due to the shutdown of its inkjet business.
Kodak has already closed its digital camera business and planned to sell off its portfolio of 1,100 digital patents as part of its plans to pay off its debts, although disappointing bids have led to the company reconsidering the sale, with an announcement in September stating that the auction is to be postponed “until further notice” and the company considering setting up a new licensing company as an alternative method of repaying its creditors.
While Kodak will no longer sell inkjet printers, it has stated that it will continue to sell ink to its existing inkjet printer customers. The company has also reportedly received “significant interest” in its printing kiosk and scanner business.
In a statement cited by the New York Times, Antonio Perez, Chairman and CEO of Kodak remained optimistic regarding the company’s turnaround efforts, stating: “Kodak is making good progress toward emergence from Chapter 11, taking significant actions to reorganise our core on-going businesses, reduce costs, sell assets and streamline our organizational structure.”
Kodak is the second OEM to announce the closure of its inkjet printer business, with Lexmark announcing in August that it would no longer manufacture or sell inkjet printers.