Fujifilm is to close the Tilburg plate production site where a third coating line was inaugurated by the Dutch crown prince. That ceremony took place in 2011 and much has happened since then, notably a reduced demand for litho plates. According to the plan announced last week, the site will close late next year.
The same analysis led earlier this year to Agfa selling its Offset division comprising its offset plate operation to investment company Aurelius. At the time Agfa said that it had received several offers for the business. Fujifilm has decided that instead of a sale it will close the European operation and to focus production in the US, China and Japan.
The timing was also influenced by rising raw material costs and of energy. Fujifilm has been able to mitigate the latter as Tilburg has its own power generation through wind generation on site.
Fujifilm will now supply European customers with plates from China and Japan. Fujifilm says it remains fully committed to keep supplying plates to Europe, including its develop on press Superia ZX. When first introduced supplies of this plate came from Asia.
It will be a challenge for Fujifilm to hold on to the plate business in Europe with the former Agfa business and Kodak having production based in Europe and able to meet demand between the two companies.
Fujifilm in recent years has been focusing its efforts on digital printing, accelerating this effort with the demise of its sales and technology partnership with Xerox, leading to direct sales in parts of Europe for its Revoria digital presses. It has developed a new workflow around the digital press, to replace XMF which had been a litho first workflow.
The offset business has been pushed down the agenda at Fuji with its growth in pharmaceutical and cosmetics as well as digital printing. All require development resources and are in growing sectors. Fujifilm has decided that the decline which it says has been accelerated by Covid and transition to digital printing, will go on.
