This acquisition fits our growth strategy, said general manager for Graphic Systems Albert Follens. Dotrix will allow us to take a position in the digital printing market and to gain a larger access to industrial printing niches such as decoration, packaging and security printing.

Agfa paid 4.2m (e6m) for the firm, which is based in Ghent, Belgium. It employs 75 staff and last year had sales of nearly 3.5m. The majority of the firm (95.5%) was owned by Barco with the rest held by staff at the time of the acquisition.

Dotrix was spun-off from Barco in September 2001. Its main product is the.factory, a full colour web fed UV-cured ink-jet press.

Dotrix will operate as a standalone entity and form the backbone of Agfas industrial ink-jet business, according to chief executive Rob Haak. He welcomed the acquisition and its ability to bring new products to the market quicker.

Agfas previous involvement in digital printing with the Xeikon-based Chromapress ended in 2000. The firm said that with its experience in electrophotography gained with Chromapress and recent feedback from its customer base, ink-jet was a more suitable technology for its target applications.

It was also a partner in Xaars Page-Wide Array project. Although Xaar later cancelled its own development Agfa retained the ink-jet expertise it had acquired.

Dotrixs UK agent Openshaw welcomed Agfas acquisition.

Its exciting that someone like Agfa has come back into the digital market after Chromapress, said Derek Fearn, sales director, digital print division. Investment by Agfa will take it to new heights. I think Agfa buying it will generate a lot more interest for the product.

At the moment the distribution strategy has yet to be finalised, but Agfa is likely to supplement the existing dealers with direct sales.

Story by Barney Cox