Agfa has completed the sale of its HealthCare Information Solutions business, just as Pascal Juéry, President and CEO of the Agfa-Gevaert Group stated that the almost €1bn proceeds would be used to “secure the future of the company”.
Though the proposed disposal was announced in December last year, the €975m sale to the Dedalus Group was completed on Tuesday 5th of May.
The part that has been sold consists of the Healthcare Information Solutions activities (Electronic Health Record, the ORBIS platform) and the Integrated Care activities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Brazil as well as the Imaging IT activities to the extent that these activities are tightly integrated into the Healthcare Information Solutions activities in these geographies.
Agfa’s HealthCare Imaging IT business does not form part of the sale, and Agfa said it continued to be “a key business” for the group. Juéry said: “The sale of this business is a major step in our transformation process. Given the uncertainty of the current economic context, at this point in time we choose to use the proceeds of the sale to secure the future of our company, to further execute the strategies of our divisions and to address long term liabilities.”
Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic Agfa had been facing a number of challenges at its largest business unit – Offset Solutions – which includes printing plates and film and had sales of €843m last year. It accounts for 38% of sales at the €2.24bn turnover group. The other divisions, by size, are: Radiology Solutions (24% of sales), HealthCare IT (22%), and Digital Print & Chemical (16%).
Having operated in a market that was “characterised by multiple challenges” especially with this current COVID-19 pandemic, Agfa assures customers of striving to “ensure business continuity to the highest level as possible”. “We are in solidarity with you and will support you as much as possible, without compromising the safety of your employees and ours… We will strive to deliver your machines and consumables on time. In case of any delay we will contact you personally. Your service team can be reached remotely in case of emergencies,” Agfa stated.
