(22/01/2004) Agfa awarded new contract with Premier, Inc

Agfa is named a preferred provider of computed radiography solutions for Premier's nearly 1,500 member hospitals. Mortsel (Belgium) - January 22, 2004 - Agfa today announced that its HealthCare division has been awarded a new, 3-year, multi source contract by the group purchasing division of Premier, Inc., Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P. ('Premier'), to provide Computed Radiography ('CR') products to the alliance's nearly 1,500 member hospitals. With a value of approximately $35 million a year, the contract names Agfa a preferred provider of Computed Radiography solutions. Agfa's entire line of ADC(tm) CR hardware, software and service maintenance agreements is covered in this contract. Agfa's CR line includes the ADC Compact Plus(tm) high capacity multi-plate system; Agfa's two single plate systems, ADC Solo(tm) and the entry level ADC Initia(tm). All Agfa CR solutions are powered by Agfa's award winning MUSICA(R) image processing algorithms. In addition, the full line of unique Agfa HealthCare software solutions and accessories are included in this award. Agfa was recently awarded one of only two Premier dry imager contracts, which facilitates state of the art print solutions for those customers using hardcopy display for CR. Agfa was awarded this new CR contract following Premier's comprehensive product and contract evaluation process, which is largely based on recommendations from Premier's Imaging Committee and consists of radiologists and other key Premier facility representatives. Effective January 1, 2004, this new contract is the latest in Agfa's ongoing relationship with Premier and its member facilities that spans back to 1995 Agfa HealthCare works in a consultative relationship with its customers in order to achieve seamless integration and connectivity across the enterprise. Agfa's success is based on its 100+ years of radiology experience and the accumulated knowledge that comes from deploying more PACS installations than any other vendor in the world. About Premier Premier is a healthcare alliance enterprise entirely owned by approximately 200 not-for-profit hospitals and healthcare systems, which operate or are affiliated with approximately 1,500 hospital facilities and hundreds of other kinds of care sites. Through its various operating units, Premier provides its members resources to support members' efforts to improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of care. These resources include group purchasing and supply chain management services, operated in Premier Purchasing Partners, L.P., performance improvement support including comparative data, benchmarking, and consulting support, and insurance programs. Premier is headquartered in San Diego, CA, with other service locations in Charlotte, NC, Chicago, IL, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.premierinc.com. About Agfa The Agfa-Gevaert Group is one of the world's leading imaging companies. Agfa develops, manufactures and markets analog and digital systems, intended mainly for the graphics industry, healthcare, micrographics, motion picture and photography markets. Agfa's headquarters are in Mortsel, Belgium. The company is active in 40 countries and has 120 agents throughout the world. Together they achieved a turnover of 4,683 million euros in 2002. Product and company information can be found on Agfa's home page on the World Wide Web at: www.agfa.com. Agfa, the Agfa-Rhombus, ADC, initia and IMPAX are registered trademarks or trademarks of Agfa Corporation or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Contact: Agfa-Gevaert Johan Jacobs Corporate Press Relations Manager Tel: ++ 32 (0)3 444 80 15 Fax: ++ 32 (0)3 444 74 85 E-mail: johan.jacobs@agfa.com Renee Stacey Manager, Media Relations HealthCare Tel: ++ 1 905-785-7017. E-mail: renee.stacey@agfa.com (C) Companynews