Fujifilm’s technology agreement with former partner Xerox expired on 31 March. The Japanese group announced last year that Fuji Xerox would be renamed Fujifilm Business Innovation, and this came into effect on 1 April.
The fresh Fujifilm corporate structure involves a new Healthcare Field division, and an Imaging Field wing (including photo imaging products, optical devices and electronic imaging products), which also came into effect on 1 April.
The Graphic Field division, which will integrate Graphic Systems and Fujifilm Business Innovation, will be integrated from 1 July.
In a statement, Fujifilm said that the move would “accelerate the creation of group-wide synergy and offer even greater value to the printing industry globally”.
The manufacturer said the integration would result in the end-to-end delivery of production printers based on Fujifilm Business Innovation’s xerography technology, “as well as Fujifilm’s Jet Press series of inkjet digital press, wide-format inkjet printers, digital press for the packaging market and printing tools and materials”.
Fujifilm has also announced the succession of top executives at the head of the organisation.
Chairman and CEO Shigetaka Komori, who will be 82 this year and has worked at the company for 58 years, stepped down at the end of last month to become chief advisor to the business.
Former COO Kenji Sukeno becomes chairman and board chairman; while former director and executive vice president Teiichi Goto becomes president and CEO.
Sukeno and Goto joined the business in 1977 and 1983, respectively.
Komori wrote a business book, Innovating Out of Crisis, detailing the company’s reinvention after its core film business declined.
The appointments are subject to the approval of the company’s general meeting of shareholders to be held in June and the subsequent board meeting.
Fujifilm has also just announced that it has launched a rapid diagnostic antigen test for Covid-19 in Europe, and has gained CE certification for the kit.
The Fujifilm Covid-19 Ag Test uses a highly-sensitive detection technology based on silver halide amplification know-how that originated in photo developing.
It comes in a box of ten kits, does not require any special equipment and provides results in 10-13 minutes.
New rapid testing kit gives results in under 15 minutes
Fujifilm’s Diosynth Biotechnologies site in Teesside is also making the antigen component for the new Novavax vaccine.
Fujifilm and Xerox agreed to end their near 60-year-old joint venture in 2019, after the tumultuous events of the previous year when Fujifilm’s deal to acquire Xerox was thwarted by activist investors Carl Icahn and Darwin Deason.
