Group Logistica Industriale Purchases 7 Polaris Systems To Improve Quality And Automate Prepress. IFRA, Barcelona, Spain – 15 October 2002 – Agfa announced the purchase of seven Polaris Systems by Group Logistica Industriale, based in Rome, Italy. This marks a milestone for Agfa, having now sold more than 500 Polaris CtP systems worldwide. According to managers Luca and Michele Colasanto, the company chose Agfa because of its experience in integrating newspaper systems and Agfa’s strong service organisation. In addition, Luca Colasanto praised the systems technical advantages. "The new Polaris XCV perfectly satisfies our needs. It offers high-speed, minimum footprint, high quality and automation." Other features Colasanto values are the system’s flex exposition table, automatic multi resolution, automatic multi-size cassette, and automatic anamorphic distortion. Group Logistica Industriale produces over 25 newspapers throughout Italy and plans to expand its reach into Central and Northern Europe. The first step in this ambitious plan is a new, modern plant in Brussels where Agfa will install the Polaris 100 E. Another Polaris 100 E will be installed in a plant in Budrio. Four Polaris XCV systems will be installed in two other plants in Italy—in Carsoli and Oricola. Colasanto sees these installations as a milestone for the printing group as well. Part of his expansion plan includes automating these plants and improving print quality. Among the titles printed by Group Logistica Industriale are Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune, Il Sole 24 Ore, Il Giornale, L'Unità, Il Foglio Quotidiano, Il Corriere dello Sport, Il Giornale della Toscana and La Verità. Kurt Smits, newspaper business manager for Agfa Europe explained that the Polaris family represents several generations of improvements based on customers’ increasing requirements. "The first Polaris platesetter produced 80 plates per hour," said Smits. "Our most recent produces 350 plates per hour with greater accuracy and automation." About Polaris X Polaris X is Agfa’s newest generation of Polaris platesetters for newspapers. Agfa offers three Polaris X systems, Polaris XC (Cassette plate loading), Polaris XT (Trolley plate loading) and Polaris XD (Double width). Each is available in traditional visible-light FD YAG laser or Violet-laser diode. At more than 350 plates/hr, the Polaris XDV (Violet) is the fastest platesetter on the market. The Polaris X family includes violet-laser technology, innovative registration system, up to 3 cassettes with multiple plate sizes online and automatic handling to deliver a higher level of plate-making quality, productivity, reliability and economy. The small footprint of the Agfa’s new platesetter family requires minimal floor space. Key operations such as cassette loading, slip-sheet removal, electronics serving take place at the end of the system provide ease of use and allow multiple systems to fit side-by-side.