Summary

Black and white silver gelatin photograph, north-west view of Building 6, Distribution Centre, Kodak factory, Coburg, July 1960

This view features the south-east corner of Building 6. It shows the basement level for employee amenities, the main floor for goods storage and packing, and provision for an extra floor across the east wall to accommodate future offices (which never eventuated). Also visible are the steel reinforced columns and beams, the first brick infill walls, and the roof cladding being installed. The open columns at the far end of the south wall form the main docking entry for the building. Steel decking lying on the ground in front of both walls is for the roof. A lifting tower on the south side is being used by tradesmen working on the roof.

The Distribution Centre received photographic goods imported from Eastman Kodak and other suppliers, as well as product manufactured at the Coburg factory (and for a time, product manufactured at the Abbotsford factory). These goods were then disassembled, stored, repacked to order and delivered to customers. While this building went through many internal changes, the major one of note was to accommodate the introduction of container traffic in the early 1970s. The volume of business finally outgrew the capacity of this building and it was replaced in 1979 by the high-rise Kenneth Allen Distribution Centre (Building 21) at the Newlands Road entry of the Coburg complex. Building 6 then became a 'mixed use' building. This included the interim storage of product and engineering items and housing the Customer Equipment Services operations for many years.

Kodak manufactured and distributed a wide range of photographic products to Australasia, such as, film, paper, chemicals, cameras and miscellaneous equipment. Its client base included amateur and professional photographers as well as specialist medical and graphic art professionals who used photography, x-ray and other imaging techniques.

This photograph is part of the Kodak collection of products, promotional materials, photographs and working life artefacts collected from Kodak Australasia in 2005 after the manufacturing plant at Coburg had closed down the year before.

Description of Content

Building under construction. Corner view of a multi-storey building with columns, beams and some brick work completed. Scaffolding surrounds the building and to the left, at the side of the building is a lifting tower. Three workers are visible on the roof. Building materials are at the base of the building and surrounding it is cleared, muddy land.

Physical Description

Black and white silver gelatin photograph printed on light weight paper with holes punched along the left edge, landscape format.

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