Agfa and Bekaert working together world-wide to market new Orgacon™ film

Mortsel  (Belgium), 4 May 2000 – Agfa-Gevaert N.V.(Mortsel, Belgium) along with IST (“Innovative Sputtering Technology”, Zulte, Belgium) and ISF (“Innovative Specialty Films, LLC” - VSA) , both part of the Bekaert Group, are pleased to announce world-wide collaboration for the purpose of marketing Orgacon™. Developed by Agfa, this transparent conducting film has major application possibilities in the field of electroluminescence lighting and flexible displays, such as background lighting for consoles, and LCD displays in portable appliances, such as mobile telephones and PDAs (“personal digital assistants”). Other application areas include point-of-sale displays, illuminated posters, dashboards for cars and touch screens for e.g. Internet kiosks.

Patrick Van Loon, manager of Agfa´s Industrial Imaging Division: “Orgacon™ is a product on
which the various core skills of Agfa-Gevaert have been brought together in order to tap into fast-growing consumer electronics markets. Although these markets are new ones for Agfa, we are confident of success in them. Agfa is therefore delighted to have, in IST-ISF, a skilled partner with powerful backing from Bekaert that is active world-wide and capable of accompanying us in the course of a rapid and successful marketing drive.”

Guy Haemers, general manager of Bekaert Advanced Materials (BAM): “100% polymer, transparent conducting materials like Orgacon™ complement IST-ISF’s existing product range. This extension means we can place greater emphasis on offering solutions rather than technologies. This also marks a further step in the development of BAM as the supplier of innovative products that are based on technologies accessible to us and on those from partners such as Agfa-Gevaert”.

Furthermore, both companies are pleased to announce their intention to combine their respective strengths in the area of organic and inorganic coating technologies - produced from both a liquid state as well as in vacuum - in order to develop other films and components for new, fast-growing markets, such as flexible displays made entirely from plastic.

A word about electroluminescence

Electroluminescence (EL) lighting has a thin and flexible design and can be produced in virtually any shape. It works on the basis of certain inorganic materials that possess the property of emitting light in the presence of an alternating electrical field generated between two conducting films. This lighting can be manufactured entirely by means of screen printing, making it one of the most cost-efficient manufactured lighting systems. In comparison with existing transparent conducting films, 100% organic (polymer) Orgacon™ differs by virtue of its enhanced scratch resistance and good deformation capability. This opens up the way to entirely new applications and results in higher yields during the manufacture of EL lighting. Moreover, conductive patterns can be produced in a single step by applying an eco-friendly de-activation ink.

A word about Agfa

The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world’s leading imaging companies. Agfa develops, produces and sells analogue and digital systems aimed chiefly at the graphics industry, medical and industrial radiography, micrographics and cine-film, and desk-top publishing and photography for consumers.

The SFC (Specialty Foils and Components) division was set up within the Industrial Imaging segment with the aim of valorising the core skills of Agfa-Gevaert in the area of developing and producing advanced coating systems in film form to target new, fast-growing markets. Further information about the SFC Division’s products can be found at: sfc.agfa.com

Agfa’s head office is located at Mortsel (Belgium). The firm employs 21,872 staff in 40 countries and has 120 agents throughout the world. In 1999, it produced total turnover of 4.731 billion euros. Further information about Agfa can be found at: www.agfa.com.

A word about Bekaert

Bekaert is best known as the world leader in steel wire, steel cord and merchant products (primarily fences). Over the past few years, Bekaert has been developing its fast-growing   “Bekaert Advanced Materials” (BAM) division, which is active in the area of thin metal fibres, composite materials and advanced coatings. BAM produces an array of finished products in the form of burners and filters made out of thin metal fibres. Bekaert recently announced plans to start work on photovoltaic cells for the production of solar energy via a new joint venture, “Bekaert ECD Solar Systems LLC”.

IST-ISF is a subsidiary of BAM specialising in the application of special high-technology coatings by means of sputtering.

Around the world, Bekaert has more than 70 production centres in 23 countries as well as an extensive network of sales offices. In 1999, the Group produced turnover of 2.5 billion euros and employed 16,500 staff. Further information about Bekaert can be found at: www.bekaert.com