Annual Report 2002 - Agfa

”
We do not have to persuade our clients to switch
to Agfa technology. We notice it again and again:
our exceptional image quality and the efficiency
“
of IMPAX make the difference.
Joe Gauci,
Sales and Marketing Manager Informatics, Australia
Technical Imaging
Technical Imaging is made up of HealthCare, Non-Destructive Testing and Industrial Imaging and represented 38.9% of Group
sales in 2002 (previous year 37.1%). Technical Imaging’s sales and results are mainly determined by HealthCare, by far
the largest Business Group in this segment.
HealthCare
HealthCare recorded sales of 1,491 million Euros in 2002 (2001: 1,498 million
Euros). The strength of the Euro relative to the dollar is responsible for this small
decline, as 43% of sales is earned in the NAFTA region. Digitisation continued
unabatedly in 2002: digital systems recorded a strong increase while revenues of
X-ray film slipped. HealthCare’s profitability improved significantly in 2002. Return on
sales before restructuring grew from 10.3% in 2001 to 17.2% in 2002.
In the healthcare market Agfa strives to be a global leader in analogue and digital medical imaging
systems and hospital networks. A two-track strategy has been adopted to achieve this. On the one
hand, Agfa is using its experience in radiology to penetrate other medical imaging domains
including, amongst others, cardiology, ophthalmology and women’s healthcare. On the other hand,
the Group is focusing on the strongly growing market for hospital informatics, in which Agfa is
primarily active with its PACS networks (PACS: picture archiving & communication systems) and
related information systems.
This two-tier strategy was mirrored in the reorganisation of HealthCare into two upstream
marketing units, one for Imaging and the other for Informatics. They are supported by a single sales
and service force which allows Agfa to accompany and advise hospitals to make a seamless
transition from analogue to digital applications.
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Agfa annual report 2002