Agfa managers shuffle in major reorganization

Agfa returned a veteran American manager to medical imaging lastmonth as part of a broad restructuring of its U.S. operations.John McGlynn was named president of a new Technical Imaging BusinessGroup. TIBG combines sales, marketing and service responsibilitiesfor Agfa's medical, motion picture, micrographics and industrialimaging businesses, McGlynn told SCAN.

McGlynn was president of Agfa-Gevaert Rex, Agfa's x-ray filmand film processing business, from 1978 until two and a half yearago, when Agfa purchased Matrix Instruments (SCAN 12/14/88). Hewas made president of Agfa's photo business shortly after theMatrix acquisition.

Gerald Wagner, former president of the combined Agfa Matrixbusiness (SCAN 1/30/91), has returned to Europe where he willbe responsible for Agfa's worldwide equipment operations and R&Dfor the main Technical Imaging Business Group in Germany.

Belgium-based Agfa-Gevaert is owned by Bayer AG of Germany.Agfa in the U.S. is a subsidiary of Bayer USA. Also effectivein July, Helge H. Wehmeier was named president and CEO of BayerUSA. Wehmeier had been Agfa's president in the U.S. He replacedretiring Bayer USA president Konrad M. Weis. Wehmeier was, inturn, replaced by Erhard Rittinghaus at Agfa.

Agfa Matrix was split into two business units: McGlynn's TIBGand Medical Equipment Systems. The latter will handle R&D,manufacturing and OEM sales for film imagers, digital image recordersand removable disk systems.

The reorganization effectively completes a shift of sales andmarketing functions out of the old Matrix facility in Orangeburg,NY, and into the facility that formerly housed Agfa-Gevaert Rexin Ridgefield Park, NJ. TIBG is headquartered in Ridgefield Parkand MES in Orangeburg.

"Manufacturing and R&D in the U.S. is an extensionof our total manufacturing capability headquartered in Europe.(The new organizational structure) will provide better coordination,"McGlynn said.

Andra Racibarskas was appointed vice president of MES. Racibarskas,a former Matrix executive, had been in charge of Agfa Matrix'sElectronic Imaging Storage Systems Group in Torrance.

The medical imaging field has undergone many changes sinceMcGlynn left the field, he said.

"At that time, laser systems were just beginning to beaccepted. Since then, they have proliferated. Now we are lookingat miniaturization of laser systems and other new approaches tohard-copy imaging," McGlynn said.

Smaller laser cameras might allow multiple units to be attachedto a single MRI scanner or expand the reach of laser technologyinto ultrasound and other lower cost imaging modalities, he said.

X-ray film and processing remains a significant business forAgfa. The firm has been an innovator in developing automated processingsystems and will introduce its newest technology, Curix Plus,at the European Congress of Radiology in Vienna next month, McGlynnsaid.