Agfa has become a member of the Paperboard Packaging Council (PPC), a North American non-profit body for paperboard packaging converters and suppliers.

The organisation offers member companies support in advocacy, industry contacts and education, with a focus on cooperation and development in the folding carton sector.

As part of PPC, Agfa will contribute its knowledge of digital inkjet technology, colour management and workflow automation.

The membership follows Agfa’s move into folding carton printing with the SpeedSet Orca, a single-pass water-based inkjet press.

The company said the machine is designed for digital folding carton production, with print quality comparable to offset, compatibility with a broad range of substrates and output of up to 11,000 B1 sheets an hour.

Agfa Packaging sales head Richard Cotterill said: “Meaningful progress in the folding carton sector starts with open dialogue and a commitment to shared learning. Joining the PPC enables us to engage directly with converters to listen to the challenges they are facing and work together on solutions that bring tangible business value.”

“As a PPC member, we look forward to sharing our insights and expertise from the SpeedSet Orca ecosystem and learning from converters about the evolving challenges and customer expectations they face. We are excited to collaborate with and contribute to the PPC community through our membership.”

Based in Mortsel, Belgium, Agfa's activities are structured across five business units - digital printing solutions, film and chemicals, digital radiology solutions, green hydrogen solutions, and healthcare IT.

Its main production and research sites are in Belgium, the US, Canada, Germany, Austria, China and Brazil. Agfa also has wholly owned sales operations in more than 40 countries.