Mortsel, Belgium - October 13, 2004 - 4:00 p.m. CET - Agfa announced today that it has signed a multi-million contract with Italy's leading newspaper Corriere della Sera for installing prepress newspaper production systems at printing sites across the country. The deal comprises hardware, software and services for a total value in excess of five million euros. In addition to this, a five-year contract for digital plates has been signed. The new installations will be implemented over a period of five months, making this Agfa's largest single newspaper deal ever.
Corriere della Sera will purchase 24 :Advantage CLS flatbed CtP systems with full :Arkitex workflow management software suites, :Sublima screening technology, Colour Management Consultancy and contracts for 24 hr service.
Why Corriere della Sera chose Violet solutions.
As Corriere della Sera was looking to replace its first-generation CtP systems from Agfa, Creo and Krause, the :Advantage stood out from the competition thanks to its cassette plate loading system. This enables total flexibility in terms of plate sizes for all presses. Its violet laser has a lifetime warranty and works with the Italian market's preferred newspaper plate :Lithostar.
"The most important reason for us to go with the Agfa solution, however," says director of RCS Full Colour Project, Ing. Sergio Vitelli, "was that we wanted a single partner to help us with the entire project. Agfa is the only manufacturer that can deliver a total enterprise solution with equipment, software and plates, backed up with dependable service from a solid and dedicated partner."
"This is a really major deal and it is further evidence that Violet is the newspaper technology of choice," said Agfa's newspaper business director for Europe, Hans Gerinckx. "We are also thankful to our Italian partner for newspaper systems GMDE for their professionalism throughout the negotiations."
Print site in Bologna works with Agfa film.
The Corriere della Sera print site in Bologna chose to print with a film based workflow, for which the contract provides three Agfa imagesetters and a contract for Agfa film, plus :Arkitex software and support.
About Agfa.
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading imaging companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and digital systems, intended mainly for the graphics industry, healthcare, micrographics, motion picture and photography markets.
Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is active in 40 countries and has 120 agents throughout the world. Together they achieved a turnover of 4,215 million euros in 2003. Product and company information can be found on Agfa's home page on the World Wide Web at: www.agfa.com.
About Corriere della Sera.
Corriere della Sera is Italy's leading newspaper. It is published by RCS MediaGroup, which is the first Italian group in print publishing and the one with the strongest presence on the international market. RCS MediaGroup is headquartered in Milan and employs more than 5,000 people. Its revenue in 2003 totalled 2,237 million euros.
Corriere della Sera was founded in 1876 and became part of RCS in 1974. The paper has a circulation of 685,000 copies. With all of its newspapers combined, RCS MediaGroup Quotidiani reaches more than six million readers each day. More information can be found at www.rcsmediagroup.it
Editor contact:
Johan Jacobs
Corporate Press Relations Manager
Agfa-Gevaert
+32 (0)3 444 8015
johan.jacobs@agfa.com
