The end of the Mannesmann AG-Siemens AG printer marriage is in sight. According to Computerwoche, Siemens is seeking another partner. This was confirmed by spokesmen at the electronics giant, with whom Mannesmann-Tally GmbH is still linked, although they weren’t naming names. Nevertheless, it has leaked that at the moment Siemens is conducting co-operation agreement talks with Stuttgart-based Eastman Kodak Co’s Kodak AG on the subject of ink-jet printers. It was barely two years ago that Siemens dumped its entire printer division, which dealt in ink-jet and thermal printers, and brought in Mannesmann-Tally GmbH, a specialist in dot matrix printers. Siemens took a 49% share in the Elchin-based printer manufacturer, which up till then had been a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dusseldorf-based Mannesmann AG. The steel giant retained the other 51%. Mannesmann Tally’s professed aim was to keep up with its Japanese opponents in the future, the Japanese being market leaders. But the hope expressed at the start of the relationship about leaving losses quickly behind, has not come to pass. According to Mannesmann spokesman, Friedrich Schunder, Mannesmann Tally is in the red again. And industry insiders are saying that Siemens is about to make the break following the discussions with Kodak. Siemens has already removed its ink-jet activities in Berlin from Mannesmann Tally’s sphere of influence, having set up an independent company to deal with them. According to Schunder, if discussions between Siemens and Kodak are successful, then Mannesmann Tally will return to Mannesmann AG – which will then presumably seek to sell the business outright as it did with Mannesmann Kienzle. Insiders suspect a decision will be reached by the end of September.
