The two inkjet manufacturers will formally unveil their global strategic partnership at Fespa in March.
According to their joint statement, the agreement will involve Agfa integrating EFI roll-to-roll printers and EFI adding Agfa’s high-end hybrid printers.
“This strategic partnership with industry leader EFI will broaden the range of options we can offer to our customers and expand the market reach for our state-of-the-art solutions," said Pascal Juéry, Agfa-Gevaert Group CEO.
"It truly is a milestone for our company and for the wide-format printing industry at large.”
Printweek understands that the deal is initially restricted to four machines: the 5m-wide EFI Vuteks – the Q5r and Q5r+ – and two 3.3m-wide Agfa Jeti Tauros – the H3300 HS LED and the H3300 S LED.
However, a spokesperson for Agfa said: “This is the first step in the co-operation; what will happen in the future, we will have to wait and see.”
Each manufacturer will rename the other’s machines and update their liveries in line with their own existing ranges. The rebadged machines will also be available with each manufacturer’s ‘house’ digital front-ends, so the Agfa machines will be available with Fiery RIPs and the EFI machines with Agfa’s Asanti workflow.
The printers will also run the proprietary inks they were designed for, although, like the machines, these will be rebadged to each vendor.
The partnership means that Agfa will be able to leverage EFI’s strong market position and sales and service presence in the US, and EFI will benefit from Agfa’s similar strengths in Europe.
“EFI and Agfa are the most trusted brands in the industry and we now have the ability to accelerate our customers’ digital journey and make them even more productive,” said EFI CEO Frank Pennisi.
“We are excited for this next chapter and the ability to leverage the strengths of both organisations to move the industry forward.”
Machines covered by the strategic partnership
- EFI Vutek Q5r
5.2m wide, 672sqm/hr
Up to nine colours CMYK plus optional LC, LM, LK, white and clear - EFI Vutek Q5r+
5.2m wide, 487sqm/hr
Up to nine colours CMYK plus optional LC, LM, LK, white and clear - Jeti Tauro H3300 HS LED
3.3m wide, 680sqm/hr
Six-colours plus optional white or white and primer - Jeti Tauro H3300 S LED
3.3m wide, 450sqm/hr (upgradable to 680sqm/hr)
Six-colours plus optional white or white and primer
The OEM machines will be made available through direct manufacturer sales as well as existing reseller networks, where applicable. Each manufacturer will decide the sales strategy on a country-by-country basis.
Both manufacturers will demonstrate their rebadged machines at Fespa, which runs from 19-22 March at in Amsterdam, with both manufacturers exhibiting, separately, in Hall 1.
“This is an amazing opportunity for the industry to see new products coming to market and the strength of two companies coming together, binding their respective strengths rather than competing against each other,” said the Agfa spokesperson.
While the companies were tight-lipped on future partnerships on other products or areas, such as R&D, in the joint statement Arnaud Calleja, vice-president Digital Printing Solutions at Agfa, said: “We can both maintain a dedicated focus on product innovation within our respective specialised domains, ensuring our technologies remain at the forefront of digital print transformation.”
