Agfa Exits U.S. Digicam Market
By Greg Scoblete -- TWICE, 11/12/2001
Ridgefield Park, N.J.— Agfa announced last week that it will no longer sell digital camera and desktop scanner products in North America, as of Dec.31, 2001, saying in a statement that "the products have very little synergy with its core businesses."
The decision follows an aborted attempt by Agfa to sell its entire struggling photo division to Schroder Ventures, a European investment firm that had expressed interest in Agfa's photo business this past summer.
The phase out will include all markets in Canada, the United States and Mexico. Agfa said that it will honor all outstanding customer service, technical support and warranty obligations.
The move is part of a company wide reorganization of business operations to focus its efforts on the specialty retail, wholesale finishing, professional and mass retail segments of the consumer imaging marketplace, where the company feels it can been more competitive.
"This will enable the [Consumer Imaging division] to plan more strategically, respond more quickly to the rapidly changing imaging marketplace and focus directly on customer needs throughout the NAFTA region," said Bing Liem, President of Agfa Consumer Imaging for the NAFTA region.
