The official name of the company, which manufactures minilabs and other products under the brand AGFA, initially sounded quite convoluted - Aktien Gesellscaft Fur Anilin-Fabrikation. Translation of this long and difficult to perceive phrase means "joint stock company for the production of aniline." The company was founded in 1867 in Berlin.
An interesting fact is that one of the Agfa founders was Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy - son of the famous composer Felix Mendelssohn (the one who wrote the wedding march.) As you might guess, the first years of its existence the company was engaged mainly manufacture of aniline. This substance is still used in the preparation of dyes for fabrics and other materials.
Only 21 years later, in 1888, the firm expanded its activities and began to develop light-sensitive materials and manufacturing processing agents. The first developer - Eikohogen was released in 1897, but then was officially registered trademark of AGFA. In 1935 the market had the first color film in cassettes of 135 mm under the name Agfacolor. That film was the inspiration of modern fotokasset.
Around the same time, Belgian photographer Lieven Gevaert was experimenting in his workshop. Experiments were pretty fortunate and in 1894 he founded his own firm in Antwerp for the production of photographic paper, which he named L. Gevaert en Cie. Independently both companies worked to develop new materials, using the experience and applying groundbreaking technology and special design. In 1964, there was the economic merger of Agfa and Gevaert and formed the union with the name of Agfa-Gevaert Group, as the company called today.
Since 1925 AGFA becomes a part of the largest chemical company in Germany - the corporation Bayer. At a huge plant built by the corporation in 1912 in the German city Leverkuzkne was established the mass production of photographic films and papers. In 1952 the plant was officially handed over the ownership of Agfa.
Agfa-Gevaert Group has offices in 35 countries. The main office is located in Mortsele (Belgium), plants are located in Germany, USA and Taiwan. In addition to light-sensitive material (film and photo paper), as well as concentrates and solutions for the processing of materials and equipment for minilabs, the company produces digital cameras, scanners, printers, printing frames, etc.
In addition to photographic Agfa-Gevaert Group produced, also, the tape for audio cassettes, but the 1990 release of tape was stopped, and the company is focusing on other areas of their business.
In 2001, fierce competition in the market led to the company Agfa dropped out of the game.
In early November 2004 a group of investors agreed to buy it for 175.5 million euros. One of the main reasons for selling AgfaPhoto experts have called poor financial performance.
Since August 1st, 2005 staff of the company AgfaPhoto was reduced to 1 287 persons.
Agfa has not had time to pass to «digital» business and here in what it has resulted...
After liquidation AgfaPhoto GmbH the German company under the name Plawa-feinwerktechnik GmbH and Co. has obtained the exclusive licence from AgfaPhoto, allowing to let out digital cameras under mark AgfaPhoto.
The Firm Minilab Factory GmbH (Dresden, Germany) has got the enterprise for manufacture of the Agfa minilabs and spare parts, belonging to company Agfa Photo GmbH and in February 2006 has renewed release of Agfa minilabs of a d-lab line and image boxes.