Codenamed Brexink, Resolute said the negotiations between itself and Kodak have been on going on since it became clear that the UK was destined to at some point leave the EU.
Resolute managing director Colin Marsh said his company set to work on securing a manufacturing deal “to safeguard pricing on a high-quality product for the UK DTG textile industry that could not be affected by leaving the EU”.
“This is a new product that [marks] Kodak coming into the DTG market. They have been selling chemistry and components for inks for many years, but they have now bit the bullet and made a DTG ink and need to go to market with it,” Marsh added.
“With the current state of Brexit, between us we thought that making it in the UK was probably the safest option at this point, certainly for the UK market but it will also be able to go out to Europe fairly straightforwardly.”
The inks will be produced by Resolute’s manufacturing partner, Mexar Inkjet Solutions, and will be made available for a range of printheads. ‘Formulation E’ for Epson heads will be first to market later this year and Ricoh, Kyocera and other formulations are scheduled to roll out through 2020.
Marsh said the range will work out at “between 10% and 30% cheaper” than existing inks on the market and will be available in cartridges or for bulk-ink systems.
“We can produce it in any shape or form that people want,” he added.
The product branding will be under Resolute’s current trademark, Resolute Ink, and will carry the 'Powered by Kodak ink technology' logo for authenticity once launched.
“It’s already been tested extensively in the US and here, so we’re quite confident that the product is good,” said Marsh.
“And, as well as being a very good quality ink, it’s got a much better price point than anything else available on the market at the moment.”
The inks will be available first to Resolute’s UK customers through its existing online platform as well as through garment supplier Ralawise.
Post Brexit, Resolute will continue to supply its EU client base directly and said it hopes to continue its current next-day delivery service into most mainland European countries.
