Agfa Shuttering European Plate Factory

MORTSEL, BELGIUM—Agfa Graphics announced that it plans to close down its printing plate factory in Manerbio, Italy. The Manerbio plant produces analog offset plates and negative CtCP plates, product lines that the manufacturer noted are in decline.

“This decision is part of our strategy to improve our operational efficiency, margins and competitive position in the highly competitive prepress market,” said Stefaan Vanhooren, president of Agfa Graphics.

After having considered all options, Agfa Graphics informed Manerbio's employees, as well as the trade unions, that it intends to close down the factory, impacting 123 employee positions. A redundancy plan will be developed for the employees that currently work in Manerbio.