Although few details about the sale have been released, the purchaser is believed to be an investment company called (SAPI) Mot Four.
The sale was made in March, Kodak said, without disclosing the price. Independent estimates at the value of the property varied from 150 to 200 million dollars.
Kodak is now renting back the manufacturing and office space as it phases down its Guadalajara operation.
The world-famous film products company is set to end all production at the Guadalajara plant by the end of 2012. In recent years the facility has focussed mainly on producing disposable cameras.Around 300 workers will be made redundant when production ceases in the fall.
The Eastman Kodak Company filed for bankruptcy on January 19, citing around 1.7 billion dollars of debt.
What the buyers eventually intend to do with the site is not clear. According to Kodak Public Relations Director Christopher Veronda, the firm’s marketing, financial and consumer attention divisions in Mexico will continue to operate out of the Guadalajara facility, even after November.
There have been calls made for Jalisco or Zapopan municipal authorities to step in and buy the land and convert it into a park or major tourist attraction.
Kodak built the plant in the open fields on the outskirts of the city in 1969. At its peak, it employed around 3,000 people.
The Kodak facility has plenty of green space (including hundreds of trees) and often opened up its grounds for public events. The American Society (Amsoc) hosted its annual Spring Fair there for many years.