Agfa has won the Essenscia Innovation Award 2014 for its low-migration UV inkjet inks, which are designed for printing directly onto primary packaging.

The inks, which are compliant with European guidelines for printing on food packaging, can be customised for specific packaging materials and used for printing on labels, blister foils and lids for food and pharmaceutical packaging applications.

Agfa said the award was an example of its successful strategy “to grow further in new business domains such as industrial inkjet and healthcare IT”, but added that local press reports that the company could potentially open a new ink manufacturing facility on the back of the win were wide of the mark.

A spokesman for the company said: “The low-migration inks in particular gain interest in various industries not the least the packaging environments for obvious reasons. But as we produce also other inks (e.g wide format inks) this business unit is growing.

“When asked about opportunities for growth and investments, the answer was that the growing potential for inkjet, and therefore for inkjet inks, may well leed to adaptations in the facilities/resources following the growing demand. This was a general remark.”

Agfa business development manager, Industrial Inkjet Inks, Marc Graindourze added: “As an innovator in the development of industrial UV inkjet, Agfa defines the most practical and efficient methods available for package printing.”