Agfa Gevaert today announced its intention to close its printing plate factories in Pont-à-Marcq (France) and Leeds (United Kingdom).
Faced with a significant and structural decline in demand in the extremely competitive offset printing market, Agfa is optimizing its printing plate manufacturing capacity by adjusting it to the changing market conditions.
The decline in demand is characterized by a strong drop in printing plate volumes and substantial price erosion. Both plants produce Agfa’s Thermofuse printing plates. The market demand for this product declines even more substantially than for most other Agfa printing plates.
Agfa said, the market forecasts do not suggest any improvement in the years to come.
In order to be able to continue its printing plate activities in a sustainable way, Agfa said it needs to reorganize its global production facilities in the most efficient and competitive way.
After having considered all options, Agfa has now informed the employee representatives and employees of both factories as well as the related authorities that it intends to close down the two factories.
This decision would impact 175 employee positions in Pont-à-Marcq (France) and 76 employee positions in Leeds (UK) respectively.
Agfa said that closing two plants in different countries is a tough decision, but taking this step is absolutely necessary to maintain Agfa’s presence in the offset market.
Via Reuters
