MGI Digital Technology and Agfa Specialty Products announced the formal creation of a strategic development agreement focused on the printed electronics industry.

The objective is to combine MGI Digital Technology’s innovative industrial engineering and Agfa’s chemical research to develop and launch the world’s first comprehensive industrial inkjet solutions for the printed electronics market.
 
The printed electronic market opportunities are considerable, with many growth areas and applications that have already been identified, ranging from the Internet of Things (IoT) to energy harvesting, security and biomedical industries.
 
For the first time, two major international industrial groups will combine their respective strengths to focus on a printed electronics market segment that is still primarily being served by start-up ventures, most of whose products are in the developmental stage.
 
As part of this partnership, MGI Digital Technology and its subsidiary, Ceradrop, will bring their industry expertise and innovative strength in inkjet technology equipment development, and Agfa Specialty Products will contribute their experience in the field of conductive inks.
 
These combined corporate strengths, which span the entire product value chain – including equipment, inks, operational processes and global support – will be a key asset for the successful development of new solutions.
 
This fully integrated approach will also generate important competitive advantages. MGI Digital Technology’s industrial and commercial experience, combined with Agfa Specialty Products’ chemical expertise and ink research, will address the full range of business issues regarding printed electronic pricing models and return on investment (ROI) considerations that are critical to moving the emerging industry towards the future.