Belgian digital press maker Xeikon, which is an OEM partner of Agfa for CTP systems - is consolidating production ahead of its next 'leap forward'.

The company started life in 1988 from a former Agfa production site in Mortsel, near Antwerp in Belgium, building a digital press launched at Ipex 1993. Headquarters including R&D and manufacturing moved to a new building in Lier, Belgium in 2002 and since 2008, it has operated from Eede, across the border in the Netherlands.

After 25 years of digital printing and with Flint Group as its new owner, it opened inkjet and toner technology facilities in Lier to strengthen R&D efforts, and will continue that consolidation this year with main activities now transferred ahead of plans to shut Eede at the end of the year.

Customers, partners and suppliers will be informed "in due time", the company says.

Apart from platesetters for newspaper printing, Xeikon makes basysPrint computer-to-conventional plate systems for commercial offset printing and digital platemaking systems for flexo.

• In the USA, Agfa Corporation has sold its Duratex Media substrates business to Grimco, along with its agency equipment business.

Duratex focused on wide and grand format substrates, while with the third-party agencies covering flexible, rigid and aqueous substrates with some HP and Epson manufactured equipment. Grimco will become an authorised reseller of Agfa's Anapurna inkjet printers.