Agfa-Gevaert is getting out of offset printing, selling its 20 per cent market share to a German private equity company for 92 million Euros.

Group chief executive Pascal Juéry is frank about the decision to exit the sunset industry: “It will enable us to increase our focus on our growth businesses, which is crucial to our future success in our markets,” he says.

Investment company Aurelius – founded by Dirk Markus (pictured) and Gert Purkert in 2005 – aims to complete the deal in the first quarter of 2023. Agfa Offset Solutions was split off from its parent last year in anticipation of a sale.

The company supplies printing plates and chemicals to the newspaper industry, along with mostly OEM-manufactured processing equipment.

Markus sees scope to capture market growth in the prepress segment, given continued innovation in plate technology and associated software solutions. “This will be supported by a focus on growth markets such as packaging and prepress software.

“Innovative research and the support of Aurelius will enable the firm to lead the ongoing industry consolidation.”

Agfa Offset Solutions claimed revenue of 748 million Euroe in its 2021 financial year, equivalent to a global market share of roughly 20 per cent. It claims a market leading position in Europe and LATAM and ranks among the top players in other markets.

The company operates various manufacturing entities and R&D sites globally, with around 1700 employees, about 130 of them active in R&D.