Agfa and EFI have announced a global partnership that will exploit the complementary aspects of each other’s technologies in wide-format inkjet print, with Agfa integrating EFI’s roll-to-roll systems into its offerings, while EFI takes on Agfa’s hybrid inkjet printers.

EFI will sell Agfa’s high productivity Tauro H3300 hybrid systems under its own brand and colours, while Agfa will rebadge the top-of-the-line 5m machines from EFI, filling a gap in its present range. Service and support will be handled by the selling company but the machines will use their original manufacturers’ inks.

Questioned about the possibility of the two companies competing for the same sales, Agfa’s Mike Horsten told Digital Printer, ‘Strangely the overlap of our customers is not as big as expected, the result is it will be incremental business for both companies, and the savings on the R&D side are also beneficial to both companies.’

CEO of the Agfa-Gevaert group Pascal Juéry commented, ‘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.

‘It truly is a milestone for our company and for the wide-format printing industry at large.’

EFI CEO Frank Pennisi also expressed, ‘We are excited for this next chapter and the ability to leverage the strengths of both organisations to move the industry forward.’

Arnaud Calleja, vice-president at Agfa, explained, ‘By integrating their roll-to-roll platform into our sign & display offerings, we are poised to deliver an exceptionally diverse product range with unprecedented value to our customer base.’

Todd Zimmerman, senior vice president and general manager at EFI, further stated, ‘The integration of Agfa’s hybrid platform into our solutions reaffirms our commitment to providing our customers with the most advanced and comprehensive options available.’

Mr Zimmerman concluded, ‘This partnership represents a convergence of industry leaders, each bringing unique strengths to the table.’

The collaboration will make its public debut at Fespa Global Print Expo in Amsterdam, Netherlands in March 2024, where Agfa and EFI will showcase its potential on their respective stands.