Agfa takes over Dotrix the.dot factory SPICE page array label printer

Agfa has a record of acquisitions that has resulted in a very wide range of products. In January 2004, Agfa announced the Acquisition of the Dotrix factory and portfolio of employees, which scaled up to about 6 million Euros which then was the equivalent to about US$7.56 Million. A few years later in 2009, Agfa continued its expantion toward a more robust family of wide-format printers with the acquisition of Gandinnovations, which apparently did not survive the recession in part because of the economy itself, but also because of the management's style of doing business (word in the street goes that Gandinnovations had accumulated a serious amount of unpaid bills).

Brief timeline 2004-2012

At DRUPA 2004 we saw two "the.factory" printers from AGFA. A number of years have passed now since the last time we saw the Agfa :Dotrix exhibited at trade shows, but we are looking forward to seeing how these are doing at the upcoming FESPA trade show, or at the next DRUPA. This printer has not been displayed at all; just posters. Of course, it might have been exhibited in other trade shows we don't regularly attend: an online article announced the Dotrix would be exhibited at Label Expo 2011. However FLAAR was present at said trade show in Belgium, but the booth of Agfa had zero printers. Only a big photo of the :Dotrix in the background and an LCD screen playing a video about the printer. At FESPA Amsterdam 2009, Agfa exhibited a scale model of the Dotrix. Instead, Agfa has shown their new Anapurna UV combo printers and their Agfa :Jeti models, after Agfa acquired the remnants of Gandinnovations a number of years ago.

Agfa booth at DRUPA trade show 2004.

Agfa samples, DRUPA 2004.

Agfa booth at LabelExpo 2011 in Brussels, Belgium. Since the Agfa :Dotrix is actually a series of modules, it is understandable that it is not always easy to exhibit this press at a trade show. However, having the machine phisically present at a major expo increases the possibility to sell it.

 

 

 

Most recently updated January 16, 2012.

First posted May 12, 2005.