BELGIAN— Agfa  announced its intention to close its printing plate factories in Pont-à-Marcq (France) and Leeds (United Kingdom). Faced with a significant and structural decline in demand in the extremely competitive offset printing market, Agfa says it has to optimize its printing plate manufacturing capacity by adjusting it to the changing market conditions. The decline in demand is characterized by a strong drop in printing plate volumes and substantial price erosion. Both plants produce Agfa’s Thermofuse printing plates. The market demand for this product has declines even more substantially than for most other Agfa printing plates. Unfortunately the market forecasts do not suggest any improvement in the years to come. In order to be able to continue its printing plate activities in a sustainable way, Agfa  says it needs to reorganize its global production facilities in the most efficient and competitive way.