The move gives customers a single point of contact and supply channel for all its pre-press and ink-jet consumables, including plates and chemistry.

Customers that will benefit the most include former Creo customers that used its plates and plate chemistry.

"We can serve former Creo customers in the UK better than before," said Kodak GCG regional consumables director Kevin Cazabon. "For plates delivery has never been a big issue, but for chemistry it was. Now with the warehouse in Watford we can deliver the next day."

Cazabon added that improved efficiency would benefit all the firm's customers and that the integration of its consumables business was a milestone for Kodak GCG.

He also said that the firm was planning to improve the performance of the former Creo PTP plate later this year with enhanced chemistry. The plate is manufactured under licence by an unnamed third-party in Europe. There are no plans to switch production to a Kodak-owned plant, although some former KPG lines on other continents are now producing the plate.

The firm is also continuing to develop Creo's Clarus PL switchable polymer processless plate, although it has yet to commit to launching it. Cazabon added that sales of its Thermal Direct No Process plate were "going well".