PRESS RELEASE
Agfa Graphics
Septestraat 27
B – 2640 Mortsel
Belgium
Erwin Busselot
Public Relations Manager
+32 3 444 3546
erwin.busselot@agfa.com
www.agfapress.com
Agfa Graphics Plate Facility in Leeds, UK,
Wins Manufacturing Excellence Award.
Agfa Earns Prestigious IMechE Award for Sustainable
Manufacturing; Advanced Production Methods Provide CostSavings to Agfa.
Mortsel, Belgium — 23 July 2007 — Agfa Graphics announced today that the
company won first prize in a national award competition from the prestigious
Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in the UK. Agfa faced strong
competition from some of the UK's best-run businesses to secure the award for
the company’s leadership in environmental excellence. The Leeds production
plant, which manufactures printing plates for Agfa Graphics, was honoured with
the MX Arup Award for Sustainable Manufacturing for improving its treatment of
waste by 98.5%, virtually eliminating landfill.
Agfa found a method of production that decreases the amount of acidic waste
produced in the making of the aluminium printing plates. The new production
method creates a more easily soluble waste, and cleaner results.
“We are proud to do what we can to be environmentally responsible citizens,”
said Graham Cooper, site manager, Agfa Graphics. “We are honoured by this
award and will continue to provide industry-leading products and services whilst
at the same time remaining cognizant of our responsibilities to our
surroundings.”
Recent eco-friendly initiatives taken at the Leeds facility were part of a ten year
plan to reduce energy and raw materials costs. The facility, which employs 92, is
one of several manufacturing plants around the world that produces digital
printing plates by electrochemically processing coils of aluminium to produce the
aluminium ‘substrate’ for the plates. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
(IMechE) first established its Manufacturing Excellence Awards scheme in 1981.
The IMechE now has around 78,000 members in 120 countries. It represents
mechanical engineers involved in a diversity of fields. For more information on
MX please visit www.mx2007.org.uk or www.imeche.org.
About Agfa.
The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading imaging and information
technology companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analogue and
Agfa Graphics Plate Facility in Leeds, UK, Wins Manufacturing Excellence Award
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Agfa Graphics
Septestraat 27
B – 2640 Mortsel
Belgium
Erwin Busselot
Public Relations Manager
+32 3 444 3546
erwin.busselot@agfa.com
www.agfapress.com
digital systems for the printing industry (Agfa Graphics), the healthcare sector
(Agfa HealthCare) and specific industrial applications (Agfa Materials).
Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is present in 40
countries and has agents in another 100 countries throughout the world. The
Agfa-Gevaert Group achieved a turnover of 3,401 million euro in 2006.
About Agfa Graphics.
Agfa Graphics offers integrated prepress solutions to the printing industry.
These solutions comprise consumables, hardware, software and services for
production workflow, project and colour management. Computer-to-film,
computer-to-plate and digital proofing systems have earned Agfa Graphics a
worldwide leadership position in the commercial and package printing and the
newspaper publishing markets.
Agfa Graphics is rapidly expanding its offerings in the growing digital inkjet
market. Its experience in both imaging and emulsion technology has
provided the expertise required for making an assortment of high-quality UV
and solvent-based inks. Joint development and manufacturing partnerships
with industry leaders expand its technological reach and allow the company
to develop comprehensive digital solutions for printing posters, banners,
signage, displays, labels and packaging materials.
Product and company information can be found on Agfa’s home page on the
World Wide Web at: www.agfa.com.
Editor contact:
Erwin Busselot
Public Relations Manager
Agfa Graphics
+32-3-444 3546
erwin.busselot@agfa.com
Agfa Graphics Plate Facility in Leeds, UK, Wins Manufacturing Excellence Award
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