Agfa

Agfa AG is a German chemicals, hardware and service company. It is especially active in the fields of photography and digital imagery. For example, the company manufactures scanners and photo printers. For the medical industry Agfa produces equipment for radiology, mammography, and several other pieces of equipment used in diagnosis and treatment.

The company ActienGesellchaft für Anilin-Fabrikation was founded in 1867 in Rummelsburg near Berlin as a manufacturer of dyes and stains. The founders were Paul Mendelssohn-Bartholdy (brother of composer Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy) and Carl Alexander von Martius. The Agfa trade mark appeared in 1897. During the Second World War Agfa became part of IG Farben, a conglomerate of all German chemical industries. When the Allies broke up IG Farben after it was found guilty of war crimes, Agfa reappeared as an individual business. An Agfa plant located in what was to become East Germany became the foundation of Orwo.

In 1964 there was a merger with Gevaert, a Belgian company originally called L. Gevaert & Cie. when it was founded by the photographer Lieven Gevaert in 1894.

See also: List of German companies

External links

• http://www.agfa.com/ - International
• http://www.agfa.de/ - German (includes a history section)