Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 13

Thread: more details about ilford

  1. #1

    more details about ilford

    here are some more detailes about ilford's insolvency.

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/story/0,3604,1289418,00.html

    maybe someone on this forum with a few million to spare could do a buyout?

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Posts
    115

    more details about ilford

    Why can't they manufacture in a lower cost country like China and India?

  3. #3

    more details about ilford

    That will be a great idea Aaron. The problem is that the euro is over evaluated related to the dollar, about 20%. The british are keeping the pound in such a high value that they don't have any companies anymore. Rolls Royce, Land Rover are owned by other countries and even the Meccano/Hornby centenary toy factory is now french. Ilford has many patents and good ones, like Ilfocrome (Cibacrome} sold to Ciba-Geigy their swiss partner. Why other companies like Efke a Berger are producing b&w products if it was so bad? I don't believe they will shut down, it will be sold. Imagine the loss of the share holders.

    Jacques

    >Why can't they manufacture in a lower cost country like China and India?

    >Aaron,

  4. #4

    more details about ilford

    Realising I'm running the risk of being OT, I must point out your analysis is flawed Jacques. Few companies are 'owned' by western countries these days, those that are tend to be obese monopolies that cannot compete on an open market. So whilst it is untrue to state that the British don't have any companies anymore, those that are left are loss makers such as transport providers, the postal system and British Nuclear Fuels - tasked with the horrendous costs of PowerStation decommissioning.

    Ilford will sink or swim depending whether an organisation think they can make money out of their products. If one does, and continues to operate in England, it will be taxed on any profits by the UK government, regardless of ownership.

  5. #5

    more details about ilford

    Well, Polaroid was in a similar,or perhaps worse situation a couple of years ago and their products are still being made. OK, these are really bad news, but I'm confident that Ilford will restructure and downsize; and they cannot do it around anything but the existing B&W products, right?

  6. #6

    more details about ilford

    Phillip hit the nail directly on the head. If you are an Ilford products user, please continue to do so as the absolute worse thing one can do is exaserbate the situation by getting into a tizzy and jumping ship. I am confident that their products will serve us for many years.

    Keep the faith and keep shooting!

    Cheers!

  7. #7
    MIke Sherck's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Location
    Elkhart, IN
    Posts
    1,312

    more details about ilford

    As troubling as this development seems to be for the industry as a whole, I don't think of it as a disaster (easier since I don't work there.) With sales worldwide of B&W materials falling, a shakeout of manufacturers is inevitable. They can't all survive a shrinking market. Some of the smaller, low-overhead niche manufacturers can survive and even prosper but among the leaders, it is beginning to appear that Kodak may have the best chance of enduring the longest. While I disagree with some of the Great Yellow Father's product decisions over the years, they still make a range of products widely available. With Ilford in serious trouble, Agfa dramatically cutting back, and Fuji never widely distributed in the US, at this point in time I'm rather glad that I stuck with T-max. I can imagine a future (distant, I hope,) where Tmax and Tri-X are the only B&W emulsions widely available in a range of formats, including sheets. I can live with that, even if I'm not ecstatic about it. Beats the heck out of going back to wet plates and mixing my own emulsions.
    Politically, aerodynamically, and fashionably incorrect.

  8. #8

    more details about ilford

    The article I read said that they have 300 million in sales supporting 740 employees .

    For a mature product, that should have highly automated processes, that sounds like they have some pretty bad management. I would expect to see about half that number.

    They seem to have ignored reality when times were good, and not made the kind of hard decisions that are required to keep a company healthy and assure resilience to market fluctuations.

    When you run a company to try to maintain jobs rather than sustaining the wealth producing resource, in the end you have neither.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Dec 1997
    Location
    Baraboo, Wisconsin
    Posts
    7,697

    more details about ilford

    "I'm confident that Ilford will restructure and downsize and they cannot do it around anything but the existing B&W products, right?"

    No, Ilford makes digital inks and media. Acording to an Ilford dealer who posted a message on another site, they say that's where they'll be concentrating their energies and resources.
    Brian Ellis
    Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you do criticize them you'll be
    a mile away and you'll have their shoes.

  10. #10

    more details about ilford

    i think neil has got it right. i was producing a publication of fineley reproduced black and white photographic prints three years ago here in spain and the cover design was a faxamil of an ilford box of multigrade paper. i thought that with a print run of 5000 copies, to be distributed through all the major spanish museums it would be good free publicity for ilford. so of course i wrote to the marketing department and asked for permission but to our suprise it was flatly refused, the publication went ahead with a variant cover and was a huge success, unlike the ilford marketing departmnt.

Similar Threads

  1. ANSI Film Holder Details
    By David Nash in forum Cameras & Camera Accessories
    Replies: 46
    Last Post: 13-Apr-2018, 12:10
  2. Off Topic: clear details enlarging 13-fold?
    By CXC in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 19
    Last Post: 23-May-2005, 11:11
  3. beginner's film/dev FAQ... but w/ some details
    By Kerey in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 5-Dec-2004, 18:00
  4. working out details for next project
    By domenico Foschi in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 29-Nov-2004, 23:22
  5. Replies: 0
    Last Post: 16-Sep-2003, 18:47

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •