Ilford/Harman Acquires Kentmere

[Jan Pedersen]

My bad. Wasn't aware that Centennial was made by Kentmere.
Simon Galley did over on the APUG forum state that there would be no change to the current product line but time will tell i guess.

[Pete Watkins]

Simon Galley wouldn't even answer my e-mails when I offered to drive to the factory to collect some 11x14 sheet film so his opinions are best disregarded. We have a word to describe people with such attitudes in England, but I'm far too polite to use it. Document Art was discontinued due to problems obtaining the correct paperbase BUT Kentmere were looking for a replacement, I doubt Harman Technologies will bother. I understand that a similar paper is available from eastern Europe, has anybody tried this stuff?
Best wishes,
Pete.

[Toyon]

This could be good. Maybe Ilford will eliminate the edge fogging characteristics of some of the Kentmere papers.

[jwaddison]

Simon Galley wouldn't even answer my e-mails when I offered to drive to the factory to collect some 11x14 sheet film so his opinions are best disregarded. We have a word to describe people with such attitudes in England, but I'm far too polite to use it. Document Art was discontinued due to problems obtaining the correct paperbase BUT Kentmere were looking for a replacement, I doubt Harman Technologies will bother. I understand that a similar paper is available from eastern Europe, has anybody tried this stuff?
Best wishes,
Pete.

To me this sounds quite unfair. You weren't doing Ilford a favour by offering to pick it up at the factory. I doubt they normally do factory sales, so someone would have to pluck it out of a production line and deliver it to the front desk. And just because you have an unanswered email doesn't mean his opinions should be disregarded.

[Colin Robertson]

Pete, with all respect, you better get your head round the fact that if you want to be shooting film in ten years time you better pray Ilford/kentmere make it.
Kodak? B&W paper gone, film will go as soon as the motion picture industry move to digital.
Fuji- god bless them, but they major in colour, and and they're unlikely at this late stage in the game to begin expanding their B&W range. Who else? Foma, Rollei, Slavich, Lucky? Right now Ilford are it. A full range of film from 50 to 3200 ASA, traditional and T-grain. Papers, RC and FB, graded and multigrade, in a variety of tones and surfaces. Chemistry, including a new toner, reintroduced SFX200 to please the public. Involved in ULF film. Promoting silver photography actively. Right now, Ilford come about as close to one-stop-shopping for traditional B&W photography as we'll ever get. No, they don't make Alt process kits like Fotospeed, but do you buy those?
Just what more is it you want from them? Simon Galley to come round your house and wash your car for you???

PS My favourite paper of all time? Kodak Royal Bromesko. Now, where did that go?
My favourite Colour film? Kodachrome 25. Now, where did that go?

[evan clarke]

In 10 years, the majority of active photographers will no longer have any link to film based photography. Ilford needs to pay the rent, the employees, the shareholders and the taxes. As the market shrinks and film fades into the past, prices need to spiral upwards for this product to exist. Ilford equipment has the capacity to coat MILLIONS of square yards of product and needs to run continuously once started, the purchase of a couple boxes of film has no impact on their sales picture...Evan Clarke

[Colin Robertson]

Hi Evan. Not sure exactly what you're saying. Should all film manufacturers quit today, because of what things will/might be like in the future? Perhaps I personaly don't buy hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of materials each year, but I spend steadily and regularly. I'm guessing that I'm not yet alone.
What I can forsee is Ilford (who apparently don't own their current premises )downsizing at some point. Just possibly that's why their aquiring Kentmere now- as a future fall back location.
Is the market shrinking? Of course it is. In another thread I myself pointed out that the loss of new, affordable film cameras is a disaster for film manufacturers. However, with seven billion human beings on the earth, just possibly there will be enough business to support some kind of silver halide industry. Even if, in the end, it is a tiny market, the only way to be last man standing is to stay in business now. From what I see, Ilford certainly intends to try being there for the end game.
Me? I'm still shooting Pan F 120, 5x4 FP4, and 35 mm HP5 every chance I get.
Gotta go, got a bundle of 20x16 prints (Ilford FB warm-tone) washing.
Cheers, and good shooting Evan.

[scott_6029]

Combine marketing, distribution, sales, acctg, overhead, etc...good for the industry I would think...should serve to preserve it.

[Oren Grad]

In 10 years, the majority of active photographers will no longer have any link to film based photography. Ilford needs to pay the rent, the employees, the shareholders and the taxes. As the market shrinks and film fades into the past, prices need to spiral upwards for this product to exist. Ilford equipment has the capacity to coat MILLIONS of square yards of product and needs to run continuously once started, the purchase of a couple boxes of film has no impact on their sales picture...

The equipment at the Mobberley factory is actually well-suited to manufacturing in batch mode, and that is how it's used. This may have been a competitive disadvantage 15 years ago, but it's a good match to today's market, which demands smaller quantities of a range of products.

Also, Harman's new inkjet papers take advantage of the existing infrastructure to serve a new, growing market, and thereby preserve the economic viability of that infrastructure even as the market for traditional silver products continues to shrink. Wish them success in this new venture.

And a PS, to address the earlier point: Harman is not equipped to conduct retail sales in Mobberley. There is no retail storefront. The accounting and materials handling systems in the warehouse are set up to process orders from dealer and distributor accounts and pick and deliver product, packaged for shipping, to a truck loading dock. Just receiving a visitor requires somebody to drop what he's doing and escort the visitor for as long as he's on the factory grounds, which is costly in itself.

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

To me this sounds quite unfair. You weren't doing Ilford a favour by offering to pick it up at the factory. I doubt they normally do factory sales, so someone would have to pluck it out of a production line and deliver it to the front desk. And just because you have an unanswered email doesn't mean his opinions should be disregarded.

Right on!