The sale of the former Agfa division to private equity group Aurelius completed earlier this week.

Today (6 April), the new brand was revealed to ECO3’s employees around the world.

The business employs around 1,600 people across more than 30 countries. It had sales of €779m (£684m) last year.

The ECO3 name was already in use connected to the firm’s technology approach focused on ecology, economy and extra convenience.

Head of marketing and applications Guy Desmet said: “We’ve been working on this for months and the name was a well-kept secret.

“Our new name has absolutely been welcomed by employees. We are now part of Aurelius and people feel very good about that because Aurelius made it clear from day one that their ambition is to grow the business in multiple ways.”

The ECO3 brand strapline is ‘You print. We care.’

“We are underlining that we want to continue to bring value to customers,” Desmet added, and noted that the brand identity also includes CMYK elements.

“We have combined the logo with CMYK colours as a tribute to the printing industry. Reproduction of colour is something we have mastered for decades,” Desmet explained.

ECO3 has plate manufacturing sites in Germany, South America and China. It sells around 95m square metres of plates worldwide per annum and lays claim to a market-leading position in plates in Europe and Latin America. 

Its product range also includes an increasingly significant range of software and workflow tools, along with CTP systems, graphic arts film, proofing and chemicals.

ECO3’s software development teams are located in Israel and at its HQ in Mortsel, where it will continue to be located on the Agfa campus.

Global head of sales Frederik Dehing commented: "While our brand, logo and colors change, nothing will change for our customers. They can continue to rely on their trusted account manager and service engineer, on the innovative product portfolio they buy from ECO3 and on the highest value in product and service. Hence our tagline: You Print. We Care."

The €92m sale to Aurelius was agreed at the end of August 2022 and took longer than initially envisaged to be finalised due to the complexities involved.

Aurelius partner Christian Tebroke becomes interim CEO until a new permanent CEO is appointed, while the rest of the management team and organisation is unchanged.