About Agfa-Gevaert NV

Agfa-Gevaert AG (Agfa) engages in the development, production and distribution of analog and digital imaging systems and IT solutions, mainly for the graphic industry and the healthcare sector. Agfa is commercially active worldwide through approximately 40 sales organizations, grouped in four regions: Europe, NAFTA, Latin America and Asia/Oceania/Africa. Segments Agfa comprises of two business groups, Graphic Systems and HealthCare, and the business unit Specialty Products. Graphic Systems Agfa is a supplier of prepress solutions for the different markets of the printing industry and has entered the industrial inkjet printing market. The product portfolio includes consumables, equipment and software. The Graphic Systems business group is subdivided in four business units. Commercial, Newspaper and Package Printing provide their respective markets with integrated prepress solutions comprising graphic film, analog and digital printing plates with related processing chemicals and equipment, proofing systems and software for color, workflow and project management. Industrial Inkjet provides high speed and large-format printing systems for various new industrial printing applications such as labels, indoor and outdoor displays, signage and banners, fine art and photo reproductions and advertizing billboards. HealthCare HealthCare supplies hospitals and other healthcare centers with systems for the capture, process and management of diagnostic images and IT solutions that integrate clinical systems, including diagnostic information, with administrative information across all hospital operations. The business group comprises four business units: Radiology Solutions concentrates on products and systems for the radiology department, ranging from X-ray film to IT networks for the management of medical images and patient info. Departmental Solutions delivers imaging and IT solutions to other clinical departments concentrated on specialties such as orthopedics, cardiology and women’s care. Enterprise Solutions provides IT solutions that span the entire hospital organization. Imaging Technologies develops healthcare imaging software and computer aided detection tools. Specialty Products Specialty Products comprises the production of specific consumables for specialized industries. Its main products are motion picture film, microfilm and film for non-destructive testing. Products Graphic Systems Agfa supplies prepress solutions for the newspaper, commercial printing and packaging markets. It offers a range of integrated solutions for both computer-to-film and computer-to-plate (CtP) technologies, including consumables (graphic film, analog and digital printing plates), equipment and digital proofing systems with powerful software tools for color management and quality control. gfa is developing inkjet printing systems for industrial applications. In addition, Agfa offers special films for aerial photography, screen and flexo printing, photo tooling film for making printed-circuit boards and products for the security card market. In prepress, Agfa provides customers with solutions including equipment, consumables, software and services. Product development In prepress equipment, Agfa launched computer-to-plate units with higher throughput for newspaper printers in the violet: Advantage and: Polaris ranges. For small to medium format commercial printers Agfa added the thermal: Acento platesetter and faster versions of the violet: Palladio and: Galileo to the assortment. Higher throughput versions of the: Xcalibur and VLF thermal platesetters for high-end commercial and packaging printing were also introduced. Agfa is the only supplier for the graphic arts market to offer all digital plate technologies, i.e. thermal, silver and photopolymer plates. In 2004, Agfa launched the chemistry-free thermal printing plate: Azura. Agfa also acquired the new: LT2, the digital no-bake plate suited to the U.S. market, based on proprietary technology from Lastra. Furthermore, in North America, Agfa introduced the new fast: AquaFLASH photopolymer plate for flexo printers. Sublima is cross-modulation screening software. Agfa launched the :Alterno PDF-based color conversion solution for package printing and released a new version of :ApogeeX workflow software suitable for small, medium and high-end commercial and packaging printers. The company offers Arkitex newspaper workflow systems. In North America, Agfa launched: Arcadia, a dynamic publishing and asset management system, which gives companies the ability to manage the millions of documents and digital files they create and process every year. : Delano, the enterprise project management software. In proofing, Agfa unveiled new products, such as the large format: Grand SherpaMatic and the: Grand Sherpa m series of proofing engines. These systems are used for digital color imposition and contract proofing. In industrial inkjet, Agfa’s wide-format inkjet printing systems met with considerable success, including the: Grand Sherpa Universal, which prints high-quality displays, banners and posters onto a range of media; and the: Dotrix press for high throughput industrial printing in the label and decoration market. 2004 Highlights In 2004 Agfa acquired Lastra, an Italian manufacturer of printing plates, related chemicals and equipment for the offset printing industry. Agfa also acquired ProImage, an Israeli developer of browser-based digital workflow solutions. In 2004, Agfa acquired the Belgian company Dotrix, a specialist in digital inkjet color printing systems for the packaging and decoration markets. In addition, Agfa has introduced proprietary inkjet inks, renewed its partnership with Xaar for a new generation of printing heads and concluded a partnership with German manufacturer Thieme for the development of a digital screen printing press. Agfa-Gevaert signed an agreement in November to divest Agfa Monotype Corporation, its fonts and typography Software Company, to the Boston-based private equity investor TA Associates. HealthCare In 2004, in printer and Computed Radiography (CR) range, Agfa introduced two new digitizers: CR 25.0 and CR 75.0. CR 75.0 is a high-speed multi-user digitizer that allows a continuous workflow within the department, eliminating waiting times and freeing more time for patient care. CR 25.0 is the ideal solution for any decentralized CR environment. It can be used right inside the x-ray room and is fit for use in vans, ships, etc. Agfa’s range of dry hardcopy printers was extended with DRYSTAR 5300, a tabletop system for customers who prefer a decentralized hardcopy solution. Agfa introduced in 2004 its new integrated RIS/PACS solution, specially designed to meet the needs of North American hospitals and academic centers. The company launches a Practice Management System (PMS), which was tailored to the requirements of the rapidly growing imaging center market in the U.S. and Canada. With the launch of IMPAX for Orthopedics in 2004, Agfa offers a digital working environment for surgical planning by orthopedic surgeons. In the field of imaging technologies, Agfa showed progress in Computer Assisted reading (CAR) solutions for small colon polyps and early-stage lung nodule detection, as well as registration and fusion possibilities. Through the 2005 acquisition of GWI, Agfa acquired ORBIS, a hospital IT solution. Integrated with Agfa’s PACS system IMPAX, the ORBIS platform would be the foundation for future healthcare software applications. 2004 Highlights Through the acquisitions of Symphonie On Line and GWI, Agfa established its position in healthcare IT and acquired an installed base of 3,200 medical sites in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. In the United States the purchasing group Premier Purchasing Partners included Agfa’s IMPAX and CR solutions in its portfolio. Specialty Products Specialty Products offers specific film-based consumables in the business-to-business market. Its main products are motion picture film, microfilm and film for non-destructive testing. Motion picture filmAgfa supplies digital and analog sound recording film and color print film, which is used to make copies of movies for cinemas. Microfilm Agfa’s microfilm provides high sensitivity and exceptional image quality. Agfa signed a long-term supply agreement with General Electric Company according to which the latter has become the exclusive provider of Agfa’s X-ray film for non-destructive testing. In August 2004 Agfa signed an agreement to divest its Consumer Imaging business group.