Fujifilm Starts New Plate Line

GREENWOOD, SC—Fuji Photo Film recently celebrated the startup of a new plate line for the production of digital computer-to-plate (CTP) pre-sensitized plates as part of a $100 million expansion at its North American manufacturing and research complex here. On hand for the festivities were hundreds of guests, suppliers, customers and company associates.

The Greenwood facility will produce Fujifilm's Brillia line of digital plates, including the latest violet photopolymer plates for the newspaper market. The family of plates feature the company's proprietary MG-MultiGrain technology.

"This new, highly productive line is designed to provide our customers throughout North, Central and South America with the widest range of high-quality, environmentally friendly thermal and photopolymer CTP products available," said Nobuhisa "Nick" Sekiguchi, president of Fuji Photo Film Inc., who also announced monetary gifts to both Lander University and toward construction of a new public library to serve the Greenwood community.

Shigetaka Komori, president and CEO of Fuji Photo Film Ltd., traveled from Tokyo to attend the ceremony. "The use of CTP plates in the printing industry is in an explosive growth mode," he stated. "Fujifilm-South Carolina is one of Fujifilm's four global production hubs and the Greenwood operations will continue to play a key strategic role in the years ahead."

Digital printing plates are the latest in the extensive product lineup manufactured at the Greenwood complex, which was launched in 1988 for the production of conventional pre-sensitized plates. In addition to producing a wide range of conventional imaging and information products, the facility also manufactures digital photographic paper and digital dry medical imaging film. Total investment in the complex over the years has been in excess of $1.5 billion.