Kodak has announced that CinePostproduction Geyer Köln in Germany is the 50th lab to be certified in its global ImageCare quality program. According to program manager Diane Carroll-Yacoby We have kept the standards high and the qualification process rigorous. That's why participants take such pride when they qualify and their customers see the ImageCare Program symbol as a sign of quality. The effort began in Asia in 1996. We had just introduced the first generation of Kodak Vision motion picture film to the marketplace says Carroll-Yacoby. This was the film that broke the rules offered an unprecedented combination of speed and fine grain and extended the range of storytelling for our customers and that showed them what the future of film could look like. But with the film's introduction came the realization that labs had an important stake in film's future. Despite all of Kodak's efforts and investments the real test is always what the film looks like on the screen - and laboratories are largely responsible for that says Carroll-Yacoby. And since our customers – the filmmakers – increasingly work worldwide they want to be able to trust labs to deliver consistent standards of quality wherever they have their film processed and printed all across the globe. Laboratories encouraged Kodak to develop an assessment process where a Kodak technician would assist and certify lab personnel in standardizing and documenting procedures monitoring and controlling processes and in demonstrating an ability to follow quality-control checklists. We based the Program on the fundamental principle of self-assessment says Carroll-Yacoby because each lab is in the best position to constantly monitor its own standards and to find and to quickly correct any deviations from the norm. Admittance would be recognition that a laboratory has implemented the many structured procedures and checks required to meet the Program's tough requirements. Even after accreditation labs are independently audited every 12 months with frequent informal assessments by local Kodak representatives throughout the year. Kodak also provides training to help lab personnel achieve optimum and consistent performance. The program has been enthusiastically accepted by the industry. It has now been adopted in 30 countries from Argentina to Turkey and from the United Arab Emirates to the Russian Federation. Kodak ImageCare Program www.kodak.com/go/imagecare
