Topic: Ilford issue Commitment to their range

[LT]

this is from Ephotozine today - http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Ilford-continues-with-black-and-white-products-13162

Steven Brierley, Marketing Director for Ilford Photo commented: "Over the course of our 130 year heritage, Ilford Photo has become more than just another photographic company - many of our customers see us as the custodians of the future of black and white photography. Due to recent news from many parts of the industry that some black and white products are being discontinued, we have had a number of queries from anxious customers asking about the future of our own range. As such, we want to confirm that we have no plans to reduce our range in any way."

reassuring.

[This-is-damion]

Nice work Ilford.

[moominsean]

of course, fuji said this just last month:

"Even as we continue to see advances in pro digital cameras, many photographers still have a passion for the art of traditional film photography and Fujifilm is committed to providing solutions that foster that creativity."

[LT]

of course, fuji said this just last month:

"Even as we continue to see advances in pro digital cameras, many photographers still have a passion for the art of traditional film photography and Fujifilm is committed to providing solutions that foster that creativity."

And I thought I was the one that saw the glass as half empty all the time ...

[choppert]

Eeyore!

[Ed Wenn]

of course, fuji said this just last month:

"Even as we continue to see advances in pro digital cameras, many photographers still have a passion for the art of traditional film photography and Fujifilm is committed to providing solutions that foster that creativity."

I think you're right to be cynical, Sean, but the Fuji announcement doesn't go as far as Ilford's when Steven Brierley says, "As such, we want to confirm that we have no plans to reduce our range in any way."

...for now that has me feeling somewhat reassured.

[vicky slater]

*fingers crossed and touching wood*

[Karl]

In most product life cycles, there are different phases of growth, innovation, peaks, levelling out, etc. It is perfectly legit, and quite clever, to run successful businesses at the 'decline' part of a life cycle and Ilford seem to be positioning themselves in that area very well (I pray, I hope!).

While we all feel the chill of the fuji announcement, Ilford as a premium, established brand, should benefit. I have said this in previous posts, that as one of the few remaining vanguards in our declining area of interest, we should get used to liking Ilford products and buy them. Lots of them. Forget your curly east european varieties

I'd guess that Kodak are next up on the list unless the movie industry is subsidising us. Do European producers have a good market? I can't see how it's any different to UK/USA/ASIA . The Big corps can duck out of film as they have so many other product lines, which will leave a select number of specialist companies to share the spoils of a smaller field.

Well, the chimay trappist beer is now making me think I have a crystal ball, when all I have is brown bottle.

Karl
ps I have no financial interest in Ilford and neither do I, or any of my family, work for them

[sapata]

As such, we want to confirm that we have no plans to reduce our range in any way."
Unless  sales are not enough to pay their commitments as a company of course !

[LT]

I do feel a level of trust for ilford's statement based on their committment to the amatuer Market. My only concern is that, now the competition is thinning out, what is there to keep prices competitive?

[LT]

Karl, when I visited the ilford factory a while ago, we were told that the Asian market was keeping film alive. Certain countries in the continent have ID card requirements that still relied on using a large amount mono film & rc paper. It was this Market that would kill off mono film at least for ilford once it goes digi. 
We'll have to wait & see I suppose. 

[This-is-damion]

I feel the burden of this issue lies primarly on the shoulders of Leon and Francois.   They seem  like they might be able to knock up some homemade film between them.

No pressure lads......

on my desk by 5pm......

[Francois]

Home made emulsion............ I don't know.

<geek talk on>
One thing I do know is about the silver used in films. I read recently that most films being made use around 93% recycled silver. Fuji regularly pick up the tanks of chemicals from their Frontier machines (and possibly the electrodes at the same time) so that they can properly dispose of the chemicals and at the same time recover the silver. I don't think things are much different for the other big manufacturers of color film processing equipment (Kodak and Noritsu).

On the other side, Ilford don't have access to this "internal" recycling loop (rare are the places where used B&W fixer is not just dumped down the drain). This means they must buy the silver from another source. This in term should make their film prices more sensitive to the market fluctuations when it comes to metals...
</geek talk off>

[LT]

very good point Francois.  And another one I remember the Ilford crew telling us about.  Apparently, very soon after the team got together to make the management buy out,  silver prices went through the roof, this coupled with a huge increase in utility costs at the same time almost put the whole set-up in total jeopardy.

[Francois]

I was thinking about something: Ilford should start making low volume silver recovery tanks.
These could consist of a simple large tank with a funnel built into the lid so you can easily pour your used fixer in the tank.
Once the tank is full, the user could drop in a chemical which would cause the silver to fall out of solution (that's how Kodak does it).
At the bottom, there could be a screen that would catch the silver precipitate. A bit like the honeycombs they use at sewage treatment plants.

The cool thing is it would be possible to let the screen pan dry and then put it into a special plastic envelope to mail it to Ilford. That way they could reclaim a ton of silver which would in turn lower the cost of film.

And they could send you a new pan and sedimentation chemical. The "un-silvered" fixer could be disposed of safely down the drain (or at least more safely).

These unite could be made and sold at a very low cost using injection molding like water bottles.

[christopher walrath]

Little by little my materials are being changed over to Ilford emulsions.  It is nice to know that someone out there gives a crap.  GO ILFORD!

[Skorj]

XP2 Super for me!

[astrobeck]

my husband and I have this conversation often, of how long will film for cameras be available.
We conclude that as long as movies are made with film, then our film is safe.  Once the big movies makers all go to digital, we might be sunk once the supply runs dry.
This of course means nothing, but it's gives me a little comfort thinking it could be true.

Fingers tightly crossed that film stays around!