Agfa

Agfa-Gevaert N.V. (Agfa) is a Belgian-German multinational corporation that develops, manufactures, and distributes analogue and digital imaging products, software, and systems. The company has three divisions. Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress and industrial inkjet systems to the printing and graphics industries. Agfa HealthCare supplies hospitals and other care organisations with imaging products and systems, as well as information systems. Agfa Specialty Products supplies products to various industrial markets. It is part of the Agfa Materials organization. In addition to the Agfa Specialty Products activities, Agfa Materials also supplies film and related products to Agfa Graphics and Agfa HealthCare.

Agfa film and film cameras were once prominent consumer products. However, in 2004, the consumer imaging division was sold to a company founded via management buyout. Agfaphoto GmbH, as the new company was called, filed for bankruptcy after just one year. The brands are now licensed to other companies by AgfaPhoto Holding GmbH, a holding firm. Following this sale, Agfa-Gevaert's commerce today is 100% business-to-business.

1960-80's Agfa-Gevaert Logo

History

  • 1867 The company Aktiengesellschaft für Anilinfabrikation (Corporation for Aniline Production) was founded in Rummelsburg (now in the Lichtenberg borough of Berlin) as a manufacturer of dyes and stains. It became a public limited company in 1873. The founders were Paul Mendelssohn Bartholdy (son of composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) and Carl Alexander von Martius.
  • 1894 The company L. Gevaert & Cie was founded in Antwerp, Belgium, arising from the workshop for the manufacture of photographic paper belonging to Lieven Gevaert.
  • 1897 Appearance of the Agfa trade mark.
  • 1898 Introduction of X-ray plates and film products.
  • 1903 Production of first cinematographic film.
  • 1925 As part of the consolidation of the German chemical industry, Agfa became part of IG Farben. The photographic activities are combined with those of Bayer, including a camera factory in Munich.
  • 1928 Acquired Ansco, an American photographic manufacturer, whose products were sold under the Agfa-Ansco brand name.
  • 1936 Agfacolor Neu a pioneering color film for amateurs and professionals.
  • 1940 Agfacolor negative-positive color material is used for the first time for a feature film Frauen sind doch bessere Diplomaten (Women make the best Diplomats) by the German UFA film studios.
  • 1941 American assets were seized during World War II as enemy property and became General Aniline and Film Corp., whose photographic products reverted to the Ansco brand name.
  • 1942 Introduction of intensifying screen products.
  • 1945 When the Allies broke up IG Farben to reduce the size of German chemical industry, Agfa reappeared as an individual business. An Agfa plant located in what was to become East Germany became the foundation of ORWO.
  • 1952 Re-establishment of Agfa AG as a wholly owned subsidiary of Bayer in Leverkusen.
  • 1964 Merger of Agfa AG and Gevaert Photo-Producten N.V. with Bayer AG and Gevaert each holding a 50% interest in the new operating company.
  • 1970 Introduction of Agfacontour Professional Sheet Film.
  • 1972 Introduction of mammography film / screen products.
  • 1981 Bayer buys out Gevaert and becomes 100% owner.
  • 1988 Acquisition of Comugraphic Corporation (prepress systems).
  • 1990
    • Sale of magnetic tape business.
    • Introduction of Computed Radiography (CR) products.
  • 1994 Introduction of PACS products.
  • 1996 Acquisition of Hoechst's printing plate and proofing business.
  • 1997 Sale of the company's film recorder division to German CCG Digital Image Technology.[4]
  • 1998
    • Acquisition of DuPont's offset printing and graphic arts film business.
    • Sale of the company's Copier Systems business to Lanier Worldwide Inc.
    • Acquisition of CEA AB (X-ray film products).
    • Acquisition of Monotype Typography Inc.
  • 1999
    • Acquisition of Sterling Diagnostic Imaging (X-ray film and equipment).
    • Separation of Agfa from Bayer. Initial public offering of Agfa-Gevaert shares on June 1. Agfa listed on Brussels and Frankfurt stock exchanges.
  • 2000
    • Acquisition of Krautkramer, a producer of ultrasonic systems for non-destructive testing.
    • Acquisition of Quadrat, a Ghent-based European producer of radiology information systems.
  • 2001
    • Acquisition of Autologic, an American producer of systems for prepress automation.
    • Acquisition of Talk Technology, a producer of medical voice recognition systems.
    • Acquisition of the German company Seifert and the American company Pantak, producers of industrial X-ray equipment for non-destructive testing applications.
    • Acquisition of a minority interest in MediVision, a developer and manufacturer of digital imaging systems for opthalmology.
    • Agfa stopped its desktop scanners and digital camera business in September 2001. Agfa does not provide any further support.
  • 2002
    • Acquisition of Mitra Imaging Inc., a developer of medical imaging and information systems for healthcare.
    • Bayer sells its remaining 30% stake in Agfa.
  • 2003
    • Opening of new printing plate factory in Wuxi, China.
    • Sale of non-destructive testing business to General Electric.
  • 2004
    • Acquisition of Dotrix, a Belgian producer of digital colour printing systems for industrial applications.
    • Acquisition of Lastra, an Italian manufacturer of plates, chemicals and equipment for the offset printing industry.
    • Sale of the consumer imaging division to a company founded via management buy out, named AgfaPhoto, and held by an investment company. After one year, AgfaPhoto files for bankruptcy.
    • Acquisition of ProImage, an Israeli developer of browser-based digital workflow solutions for the newspaper and printing industries.
    • Acquisition of Symphonie On Line, a French information technology company and developer of EPR (electronic patient record) systems.
    • Sale of Agfa Monotype Corporation, a provider of fonts and font-related software technology, to Boston-based private equity investor TA Associates.
  • 2005
    • Acquisition of GWI, a German developer of healthcare information systems for medical records, nursing, business management, and facility administration.
    • Acquisition of Heartlab, Inc., a U.S. developer of cardiology image and information management systems.
    • Acquisition of Med2Rad an Italian developer of radiology information systems.
    • Introduction of industrial inkjet products.
  • 2009
    • Acquisition of Insight Agents, a European developer and producer of contrast media.
    • Acquisition of Gandi Innovations, a producer of large-format inkjet systems.
  • 2010
    • Agfa Graphics and Shenzhen Brothers create the Agfa Graphics Asia joint venture to reinforce their position in the Greater China and ASEAN region.
    • Acquisition of the Harold M. Pitman Company a US supplier of products and systems for the graphic industry.
  • 2011 Acquisition of WPD, a Brazilian supplier of healthcare IT systems.

Company Structure

Headquartered in Mortsel, Belgium, Agfa has sales organisations in 40 countries. In countries where Agfa does not have its own sales organisation, the market is served by a network of agents and representatives. At the end of 2011, the company had 11,728 employees (full-time equivalent permanent) worldwide. Agfa has manufacturing plants around the world. The largest production and research centres are based in Belgium, the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and China. Net sales for 2011 totalled 3,023 million euros.

Since January 1, 2019, two new entities emerged within the Agfa-Gevaert Group: Agfa HealthCare (ITCo) and Agfa (MainCo). Agfa HealthCare groups all IT-related activities of the former Agfa HealthCare business group. The newer Agfa includes the activities of the former Agfa Graphics and Agfa Specialty Products business groups, as well as the Imaging activities of the former Agfa HealthCare business group.

Agfa-Gevaert factory around the 1930's

Agfa Healthcare

Agfa Healthcare is a developer of medical imaging information systems, with main offices in Mortsel(Belgium), Ghent(Belgium), Waterloo (Ontario Canada), Shangai (China), Vienna (Austria), Trier (Germany) and Bonn (Germany).

Agfa division business groups

The activities of the Agfa division have been subdivided into three groups: Offset Solutions (the prepress business of the former Agfa Graphics business group), Digital Print & Chemicals (the inkjet business of the former Agfa Graphics business group and the activities of the former Agfa Specialty Products business group) and Radiology Solutions (the imaging activities of the former Agfa HealthCare business group).

Products

In 2004, Agfa-Gevaert withdrew from the consumer market, including photographic film, cameras and other photographic equipment.

Because Agfa-Gevaert still produce photographic films for the aerial photography market, it is still possible to buy fresh, Agfa-produced photographic films for use in consumer cameras. They are sold by the Lomography Society and Rollei and are branded accordingly. This is because those companies purchase the aerial photography film from Agfa-Gevaert, and then cut and package it into consumer photographic formats.

As of 2012, such products carry a small Agfa logo discreetly on their packaging, but are not sold as Agfa branded products.

By contrast, Agfaphoto branded photographic films are not made by Agfa-Gevaert at all, originally having been made by the now closed Ferrania plant in Italy. Agfaphoto films are now produced by Fujifilm in Japan for Lupus Imaging Media.

Collection

Create Your Own Website With JouwWeb