Agfa must keep its options open as major shareholder demands action

摘要

There is no doubt that times are tough for suppliers to the graphic arts market, but for one major supplier, Agfa, times appear particularly tough. This is not just shown in its recent financial results, but also in public speculation and disagreements being played out in the financial markets. Recent announcements show that in the fourth quarter of 2007, Agfa-Gevaert, the Belgian parent company, made a net loss of ?27m (￡21.7m). I understand that there were a number of contributing factors to this loss. These included major increases in material costs, in particular silver and aluminium, start-up losses in inkjet printing, and a decline in the healthcare and film businesses.