A few highlights, very roughly - please bear in mind I ignore any background/context that might be obvious to other members:
- Jake Seal is now Ferrania's majority shareholder.
- Project Ferrania had started in 2017, an ambitious project that had, however 'lost momentum' - things are now 'restarting' thanks to the new shareholder
- The company had 'spoken American English' before, in 1964, when Ferrania was purchased by 3M
- Prior to Seals, the two Tuscan enterpreneurs Marco Pagni and Nicola Baldini had 'given new life to this market'
- Pagni: 'why Ferrania? Because it's one of the few sites in the world where quality film can be still be manufactured, and there's availability of local technicians who are still the keepers of the old techniques and can restart production'
- The project had kicked off in 2017; it was an ambitious, but complicated effort, because ideal working conditions are needed for this type of product: you work in complete darkness, at 21 degrees Celsius and 50% relative humidity
- Over the years - also due to COVID - business didn't go quite as hoped, and production slowed down considerably - however, film is now experiencing a resurgence also driven by cinema, of which Seals is an expert
- It's difficult to see what motivated Seal to invest in the region, but some details have leaked - he's a businessman and film producer, and had already invested in film in Europe (Inoviscoat and Filmotec) in order to produce cinema film under the 'Orwo' brand.
- Seal and Francesco Legario, CEO of the technology park Ferrania is part of, have met - Legario is optimistic and stated Seal has really good ideas on how to move things forward.
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