L-R Philip Burns, Sales Manager ASPAC Agfa, Vincent Nair, CEO Smartech, and Rashed Chughtai, Service Manager ASPAC, Agfa

Agfa has confirmed Smartech Business Systems will be the exclusive distributor for wide format inkjet printing solutions in Australia from 1 March.

Sprinter has been informed that signatures for the agreement were signed last night. This deal represents the entire range of Agfa wide format inkjet printing products and is a 100 per cent exclusive arrangement in Australia.

In a statement supplied to Sprinter, Agfa sales manager Phillip Burns, said he is very enthusiastic about the collaboration.

“At Agfa, we’re dedicated to providing print service providers with innovative inkjet printing solutions that meet their evolving needs,” Burns said.

“By partnering with Smartech, we are confident that our customers in Australia will have unparalleled access to our wide-format printing portfolio. Smartech’s industry expertise and extensive presence across Australia make them the ideal partner. I look forward to working with them and developing our business together.”

Smartech Business Systems president and CEO Vincent Nair, said he was enthusiastic about the opportunity for growth.

“We are excited to announce the extension of our portfolio and represent Agfa’s wide-format inkjet printing solution for the industrial market in Australia. This strategic partnership aligns with our mission to deliver cutting-edge technology to our customers.

“Together, we look forward to helping businesses across Australia achieve their goals. Customers can expect the highest level of quality and reliability that Agfa is known for, with the added benefit of Smartech’s excellent customer support and technical expertise, ensuring unparalleled experience.”

Burns will now become the country channel manager for Agfa and liaise between Agfa in Belgium and Smartech locally.

He said the decision to appoint Smartech became very clear after analysis of competitors in the market.

“We looked at all of the resellers and most of them have a conflict within their range of products – they wholly or partially conflict with our range. Even though Smartech represents other vendors, we feel as though there is very limited crossover at that end of the market with the Agfa product range.

“Agfa is one of the strongest brands in North America and Europe and working with a digital print company like Smartech will mean that we are far more focused in the market. Smartech offers 120 staff and 30 representatives on the road provides us with exposure to ensure that we will continue to grow,” Burns said.

This morning, 34 staff members from the Smartech operation were brought together for a ‘Town Hall’ meeting at Macbeth Street, Braeside in Melbourne to hear about the deal from Vincent Nair from Smartech as well as Phillip Burns and Rashed Chughtai from Agfa.

“It is very clear that the partnership with Agfa will be a positive one,” Nair told Sprinter.

“This morning’s meeting was an introduction as Agfa is based in Melbourne and this location will be the new home for Agfa through Smartech. It was great to have Phillip and Rashed here as our Melbourne team will be working together to provide a joint approach for our customers.

“These national Town Hall events are also a very important part of our company and its culture. They work in conjunction with internal programs such as our annual employee satisfaction survey where we had a 95 per cent response rate and 96 per cent of staff said that we are a great company to work for. It is important to have employees love your company first and then your customers will love your company. These Town Halls remind ourselves that we have a purpose and we work together.

Smartech Business Systems, with more than 100 years of relative history in Australia, is an established global industry leader in print technology with a dominant presence across Asia Pacific with sales and service offices in all capital cities in Australia.

Recognised by the Australian Business Council as an Employer of Choice in 2023, Smartech brings a wealth of experience and expertise to its collaboration with Agfa, further enhancing its reputation as a historic and trusted brand in the printing industry.

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