50 email: news@printmonthly.co.uk September / October 2024 - Issue 350 ▲ The Jeti Mira LED large-format printer is a sixcolour and white UV inkjet printer COMPANY SPOTLIGHT / AGFA end Dotrix inkjet label printing system, which was then followed by the M Press, an inkjet system which replaced screen printing processes for the production of large-size posters. Fitch says: “these milestones marked Agfa's emergence as a key player in the inkjet industry.” With so many different departments across the group, from research and development and manufacturing to applications and marketing, Fitch says there is no one typical day within Afga. However, one thing that is core to the entire company is that ‘customer centricity’ is the highest value shared by everyone at Afga. Fitch adds: “When looking at the company, it is the fact that we are constantly innovating. The entire ‘Agfa family’ has a lot of drive and passion to develop, manufacture, and market new products, in addition to the commitment to go the extra mile for our customers. Agfa is a full solutions provider, offering printers, inks, software, and service. That combination warrants optimal performance and the best value for our customers.” When asked what he was most proud of, Fitch answered: “Personally, I’m proud of leading the UK & Ireland sales teams into the future, with a lot of exciting new printing solutions on our roadmap to offer to potential customers.” With its historic legacy behind it, Agfa “With the high-speed SpeedSet Orca inkjet press running on water-based inks, Agfa offers packaging converters a way to make their business more efficient.” Agfa also caters to various industrial markets where printing is a large part of the production process. An example pointed out by the company is Alussa, a solution for printing on real leather which is particularly used for the personalisation of productions in the luxury goods sector. Another example according to Fitch is the Agfa InterioJet, a water-based multipass print solution for printing on décor paper for laminate production. Fitch says: “This water-based pigment inkset meets the specific image quality and gamut requirements of this market – such as wood grain designs – so that prints seamlessly integrate with existing laminate manufacturing processes.” Agfa also collaborates with numerous engineering companies to develop inks for inkjet print systems, leveraging experience in chemical ink productions. “These partnerships enable companies to use either UV- or water-based inks for a wide range of applications,” says Fitch, who adds: “Usages include product printAt FESPA 2024, Agfa introduced a new identity by giving its printers the names of formidable animals Factoid ing, security printing, and printed interior decoration (for example, furniture edge band and printing on décor paper for laminate production).” 150 Years of Experience Over its 150-year history, Agfa has experienced many of the changes and innovations in the imaging industry, delivering consumables for photography before diversifying products and technologies for various applications in the graphic arts sector. Speaking of its history, Fitch comments: “Throughout our history, we have remained at the forefront of colour technology. As well as being a trusted supplier of inkjet consumables, we also offer printing systems, software, and service solutions. “We have been active in inkjet printing for nearly three decades, having built up a lot of expertise. The introduction of the Sherpa inkjet proofing system in 1995 complemented our digital printing plates and used our in-house developed coated media.” Eventually Agfa moved into supplying wide-format printing systems after the success of its digital printing plates and inkjet systems. In 2004 the company launched its high150+ years of history in the imaging sector 1867 – The company was founded as a colour dye factory in Berlin, Germany 5,026 – employees as of 2023 €1,150m – (£980,500) annual turnover in 2023 2023 – The Agfa-Gevaert Group completed the sale of its Offset Solutions division to AURELIUS Group Statistics
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