Agfa-Gevaert has relied on Orange for 25 years

Agfa-Gevaert, a specialist in analogue and digital imaging systems and IT solutions, is one of the oldest customers of Orange. Rudy Peeters, Global Purchasing Manager for IT at the company, describes the years of collaboration as follows: “At first, you work together as a customer and supplier, but over the years you grow into partners. Orange has a good understanding of how our company is structured and knows the different needs of our various departments.”

SIM cards for person and machine

Agfa-Gevaert calls on the expertise of Orange for mobile communication and data connections, among other things. The company has bought 1,300 SIM cards from Orange and the phones themselves also come from Orange. Today, many machines at its factory are equipped with a SIM card too. “For example, if a pump is idle, or the temperature or humidity exceeds a certain threshold, these machines send an alert via text message to a pre-set number. This enables our technicians to solve the problem quickly,” says Peeters.

Voice over IP

For fixed telephony, Agfa-Gevaert had its own telephone exchange for a long time at the head office in Mortsel, to which some 5,000 phones were connected. Recently, the company switched to VoIP Trunking. With this solution, Orange connects all the phones behind this telephone exchange to the public telephone network via IP VPN. “The main reasons for moving to VoIP were cost, reliability and call quality. There was also an ecological advantage, since this means we can stop using copper wire,” says Peeters.

Business Experts Team

But the technical solutions aren’t the only reason Agfa-Gevaert chooses Orange. “The collaboration with the Business Experts Team of Orange is crucial,” explains Peeters. “Our account manager follows up on everything from A to Z. At our monthly meeting, we look at what's new on the market together and whether it's something for us. Orange always start from our needs; they never force any solutions on us.” The service manager also participates in these meetings. “We have a dynamic team sitting around the table. This ensures that we find a solution to every problem.”

Market evolution

The smooth collaboration prompted Agfa-Gevaert to agree a new long-term telecoms contract with Orange last year. “In the telecoms field, this is unusual: every few months, new telecoms bundles come out and market prices change. What's more, needs are also changing rapidly because new technologies are constantly being developed,” says Peeters. “But Orange does the right thing there: if market prices or our needs change, their offering simply evolves with them.”