Qualex

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Qualex Inc. was the largest wholesale and on-site photographic processing company in the world. It was formed in March 1988 as a joint venture between Eastman Kodak and Fuqua Industries, but became a wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak in 1994.[1] It is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. Qualex operates a large network of commercial and in-store labs throughout the United States and Canada.

Qualex's business has suffered from the overall decline in traditional film photography in favor of digital photography. Qualex once operated 53 photo processing laboratories; that number had shrunk to 22 as of June 2004, and the company was expecting further consolidation. Qualex, however, continued to service over 13,000 on-site retail processing locations.[2] On December 18, 2008, Qualex announced that it was shuttering all of its film processing facilities, essentially ending send-out film developing by Kodak. [3] However, their Event Imaging Solutions division will still remain.

Friday, March 27th 2009 was the last day for send-in photofinishing, while Monday, March 30th 2009, was the last day for Internet orders. That day marked the end of Qualex's photofinishing. This company is now out of business.

References

  1. ↑ "Kodak acquires balance of Qualex", Drug Store News, Aug. 29, 1994
  2. ↑ "Hurt By Lost Rolls, Qualex Readjusts To Digital Explosion", PTN, June 2004
  3. ↑ "Kodak Announces Closure of Labs", ABC11, December 2008

External links

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