Author Topic: Developments at Mobberley (worried face) (Read 5660 times)

LT · « **on:** September 14, 2015, 06:38:29 PM »

http://www.ilfordphoto.com/pressroom/article.asp?n=211

$:-\$

Late Developer · « **Reply #1 on:** September 14, 2015, 06:45:43 PM »

Concerned? Maybe. Distressed? No. Let's see how it pans out (no pun intended):

http://www.bjp-online.com/2015/09/harman-ilford-film-purchased-pemberstone/

Peter84 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 14, 2015, 07:39:21 PM »

well lets hope they invest to make it last and not for a quick return on investment.

Francois · « **Reply #3 on:** September 14, 2015, 08:17:38 PM »

I hope more that it's not just going to turn into another Polaroid...
A sale to a good company can be a good thing, a sale to a bunch of crooks that are just waiting to pull a Ponzi scheme on everyone is disaster.

Ricardo Miranda · « **Reply #4 on:** September 14, 2015, 09:50:51 PM »

The question I have to Harman is: why sell?

imagesfrugales · « **Reply #5 on:** September 14, 2015, 10:21:20 PM »

Quote from: Ricardo Miranda on September 14, 2015, 09:50:51 PM

The question I have to Harman is: why sell?

Cash up, retire and boogie til the cows go home.

Adam Doe · « **Reply #6 on:** September 15, 2015, 03:05:50 AM »

And then there's this:

http://www.adox.de/Photo/adox-acquires-ilfords-medium-scale-coating-line/

Indofunk · « **Reply #7 on:** September 15, 2015, 04:22:02 AM »

Nooooooooo (I'm not even a user of Ilford products, except their fixer). I just know that every company takeover results in the taken-over company's products declining in quality

My favorite beer company (Blue Point, on Long Island) was recently aquired by InBev, and their post-InBev brews are much lower quality

jojonas~ · « **Reply #8 on:** September 15, 2015, 09:39:17 AM »

ah, I saw the adox video first and that gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. now I'm torn.

02Pilot · « **Reply #9 on:** September 15, 2015, 12:48:33 PM »

I'm going to continue to resist getting drawn into speculation, but for one specific point.

[possibly ill-informed speculation] The Adox acquisition may be from a different Ilford, not the Harman-owned one in England but the one in Switzerland that was in some way associated with the old company, and which in the past was responsible for producing some papers (among other things). I seem to recall reading that the Swiss entity was no longer producing. /[possibly ill-informed speculation]

I'm sure someone who wishes to could look it up.

Francois · « **Reply #10 on:** September 15, 2015, 02:09:59 PM »

The swiss ilford actually went bankrupt a few years ago. They were mainly making high quality inkjet papers but just couldn't resist the market pressure of an already over saturated field.

Terry · « **Reply #11 on:** September 15, 2015, 02:59:44 PM »

I'm with Andrej and Paul; this might play out well. I remember when Les Zellan took over Taylor Hobson Cooke during the breakup of Rand Strand and the results for THC were pretty good.

LT · « **Reply #12 on:** September 15, 2015, 03:05:49 PM »

I understand that The ADOX acquisition is from the Swiss arm of the old Pre-Harman days Ilford company.

It apparently is the old ilforchrome/cibachrome coating machine. Hopefully this means ilforchrome might be redeveloped and produced.

That news did scare the bejesus out of me at first though ... I thought it was the small r&d coating machine that Harman has at Mobberley .... If they had sold that, that would mean no new IlfordPhoto products at all. Glad that isn't the case!

Terry · « **Reply #13 on:** September 15, 2015, 03:13:37 PM »

Cibachrome! Ah, that takes me back...

Thinking about Cooke I went to their website and found this:
http://www.cookeoptics.com/l/largeformat.html

jharr · « **Reply #14 on:** September 15, 2015, 04:25:18 PM »

Quote from: Terry on September 15, 2015, 02:59:44 PM

I'm with Andrej and Paul; this might play out well. I remember when Les Zellan took over Taylor Hobson Cooke during the breakup of Rand Strand and the results for THK were pretty good.

I think Les Zellan really declined after the release of the Zoso album in 1971. Robert Plant's voice peaked right around that time.

Terry · « **Reply #15 on:** September 16, 2015, 03:13:50 PM »

(cheese bomb)

James, your Crusty Old Geezer certificate is in the mail.

Adam Doe · « **Reply #16 on:** September 16, 2015, 07:19:54 PM »

Quote from: Terry on September 16, 2015, 03:13:50 PM

(cheese bomb)

James, your Crusty Old Geezer certificate is in the mail.

No, no, Geezer played in Black Sabbath.

Bryan · « **Reply #17 on:** September 16, 2015, 07:26:30 PM »

Quote from: Adam Doe on September 16, 2015, 07:19:54 PM

Quote from: Terry on September 16, 2015, 03:13:50 PM
(cheese bomb)

James, your Crusty Old Geezer certificate is in the mail.

No, no, Geezer played in Black Sabbath.

He still does.
http://www.blacksabbath.com/

Terry · « **Reply #18 on:** September 16, 2015, 09:25:17 PM »

James plays in Black Sabbath? Who knew?

Photo_Utopia · « **Reply #19 on:** September 16, 2015, 10:42:36 PM »

I read this news with a little trepidation, I think I will give the new owners the benefit of the doubt (even if they do refer to film as analogue photography)
One thing I do remember is someone (possibly here) saying they went on a Factory tour at Ilford and the site is leased until 2017, possibly they need a capitol injection to keep things going past that date.

Don't panic and buy some HP5

x100art · « **Reply #20 on:** September 17, 2015, 01:59:08 AM »

I did a little panicking and bought a bulk roll of hp5 and kentmere 400 from B&H.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Gimenosaiz · « **Reply #21 on:** September 17, 2015, 12:22:52 PM »

Quote from: x100art on September 17, 2015, 01:59:08 AM

I did a little panicking and bought a bulk roll of hp5 and kentmere 400 from B&H.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk

Hehehe, me too and four boxes of 4x5 :-)

Adam Doe · « **Reply #22 on:** September 17, 2015, 07:28:10 PM »

This from the Amateur Photographer web site:

Quote

Harman’s managing director Peter Elton said: ‘Film has become an interesting medium for young photographers to work with again.

‘We are seeing this very clearly. Our new owners will assist us to connect more effectively to this younger generation in the future, and we will prioritise this as our main goal over the next five years.’

Read more at http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/latest/photo-news/ilford-photo-totally-committed-to-film-photography-after-investment-firm-buyout-60901#yP28x37xEIKIdhWg.99

I see bringing new blood to the art of film photography and introducing younger generations as a not only a good thing, but vital to the long-term health of the photographic film industry. Hopefully these younger photographers will grasp on to film work as a life-long craft and not just the latest trend.

John · « **Reply #23 on:** September 20, 2015, 10:56:42 AM »

I'm being positive about the news about Harman. A buy out is probably a good thing. It does show that film photography is worthy of outside investment, and not on borrowed time like it was several years back. It makes me feel that film is here to stay.

Part of the Harman site at Mobberely is not used, Harman tried to sell the land to build houses on but locals stopped that project. Perhaps an investment could put something else in those unused buildings - colour film?

The Adox news is obviously about Ilford Switzerland and not Harman.

I imagine when Ilford B&W film company was saved as today's Harman, the patent company Ilford let them use the Ilford name because they thought it wouldn't last 5 minutes. Well they've outlasted them and now their stuff is being sold to Adox. Film won.

Late Developer · « **Reply #24 on:** September 21, 2015, 09:10:57 AM »

I was in a camera shop on Saturday when a couple came in to buy a 35mm film SLR for their son / daughter as the local college requires its sudents to learn how to use film as part of the photographic course curriculum.

I didn't know which college but I was tempted to ask and then send them a note congratulating and thanking them.

Sal Santamaura · « **Reply #25 on:** September 21, 2015, 09:44:31 PM »

Quote from: John on September 20, 2015, 10:56:42 AM

...Part of the Harman site at Mobberely is not used, Harman tried to sell the land to build houses on but locals stopped that project...

HARMAN technology Ltd. is a tenant on the site. It does not own the land or buildings. In 2014, its landlord, LPC Living, applied to Cheshire East Council for permission to further develop the site, including construction of residential housing and relocation of HARMAN's plant into new, smaller (i.e. more appropriately sized) buildings. The council rejected that application. LPC Living has appealed the rejection to a central government authority. There will be a public hearing and decision on that appeal next year.

Late Developer · « **Reply #26 on:** September 22, 2015, 09:31:18 AM »

Quote from: Sal Santamaura on September 21, 2015, 09:44:31 PM

Quote from: John on September 20, 2015, 10:56:42 AM
...Part of the Harman site at Mobberely is not used, Harman tried to sell the land to build houses on but locals stopped that project...
HARMAN technology Ltd. is a tenant on the site. It does not own the land or buildings. In 2014, its landlord, LPC Living, applied to Cheshire East Council for permission to further develop the site, including construction of residential housing and relocation of HARMAN's plant into new, smaller (i.e. more appropriately sized) buildings. The council rejected that application. LPC Living has appealed the rejection to a central government authority. There will be a public hearing and decision on that appeal next year.

If you check LPC Living's website:

http://www.whoarewe.com/lpc-living/

LPC's plans are clear. So long as there is no threat to jobs, downtime / mothballing or lost production, it seems a compelling argument but I'm always suspicious of things that look too good to be true.

Kayos · « **Reply #27 on:** September 22, 2015, 05:39:44 PM »

I thought I'd read somewhere moving the coating machines was risky, as they take a huge amount of fine fettling to get them set just so?

Francois · « **Reply #28 on:** September 22, 2015, 08:03:48 PM »

Moving any machine that is not made to hit the road is risky, but they do move houses so I don't see why it can't be moved...
Lucky for us, Switzerland has good roads... something I can't remember seeing around here.

Ricardo Miranda · « **Reply #29 on:** September 22, 2015, 08:57:27 PM »

Quote from: Francois on September 22, 2015, 08:03:48 PM

Moving any machine that is not made to hit the road is risky, but they do move houses so I don't see why it can't be moved...
Lucky for us, Switzerland has good roads... something I can't remember seeing around here.

Excuse me, but what does Switzerland has to do with Ilford/Harman in Mobberley, England?

Francois · « **Reply #30 on:** September 22, 2015, 10:26:39 PM »

Oops... my brain was still stuck at Orwo buying the Ilford machines...

I must admit that British roads are not the best place to put trucks with sensitive equipment...

LT · « **Reply #31 on:** September 23, 2015, 01:03:54 AM »

The coating machine bought by ADOX is in Switzerland. It's the old Ilford Geigy ilfochromr coating machine. Ilford was split into two companies ... One in the UK and one in Switzerland.

Author Topic: Developments at Mobberley (worried face) (Read 5660 times)

Terry

Terry

Terry

Terry

Gimenosaiz