Agfa Graphics has introduced an aluminium and silver surcharge which it says will negate excessive increases in the price of its analogue and digital plates and film.
Oceania regional president Frederik Dehing says the surcharge is a “fair and reasonable” mechanism to ride out the massive price hikes recently experienced with metal and silver pricing. With the Chinese economy driving up global metal pricing, plate manufacturers have been caught up in an upward cost spiral.
The surcharge will be linked to London Metals Exchange pricing, and apply when aluminium pricing is higher than USD2500/tonne and silver pricing is higher than USD14.20/troy oz.
Dehing says Agfa only intends to pass on 80 per cent of the uplift.
“Currently most recyclers are paying 80-85 per cent of the LME price so our action will negate any price rise,” he says.Many new plate contracts in the past two years have included an aluminium clause.
Agfa estimates the surcharge would equate to between 2-3 per cent on the cost of a printing plate and 4-5 per cent on film since last December. gx
