Forte back and forth again

[tim atherton]

Any comments on this thread and the availability of Forte? (film and paper)

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/499976.html

This is getting depressing

J&C? Anyone? or is it just one more anxiety inducing rumour....

A friend was talking to Lee Friedlander the other day and his advice was buy a big freezer and fill it with enough film for the rest of your life!

 

[clogz]

According to a posting on the Dutch forum the importer of Forte products in the Netherlands says the decision to restart production will be taken within two weeks from now.

 

[jandc]

Any comments on this thread and the availability of Forte? (film and paper)

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/lfforum/topic/499976.html

This is getting depressing

J&C? Anyone? or is it just one more anxiety inducing rumour....

A friend was talking to Lee Friedlander the other day and his advice was buy a big freezer and fill it with enough film for the rest of your life!

Forte got into the same financial hole Ilford did by selling film at sometimes cost or less just to keep the production going so the workers would have something to do. Some very large retailers pushed them over the edge by dangling the we'll buy a boat load of film from you but this is going to be the price carrot. Forte bit and the rest is history.

Traditionally we bought small batches from Forte very often. They are rethinking this approach and in the future orders will have to be large and placed well in advance.

In addition, prices will go up if they are to survive. 4x5 sheet film at $8 a box isn't going to happen any more. Granted there are still boatloads of the stuff out there at $8 but eventually they will be sold and expire. In the future I would expect the price for these films to be at least 50% higher.

If Forte and the receivers believe they can make a market out of these new realities there is an excellent chance they will go forward. The new reality is that the price wars for B&W film need to end and the manufacturers, be they Forte, Ilford or anyone else need to make money selling the stuff.

Forte film does not age well even in a big freezer. What you'll have in 5 years is lots of foggy film.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

At 50% more, it's still a good deal and still a good film.

 

[Adrian Twiss]

I pay approx $25 a box for 25 sheets of HP5+. Even $16 a box for Forte film is still excellent value as far as I am concerned.

 

[Snapper]

Bah. Just as Forte become my new favourite paper, they go out of business.

Does anyone have any idea how long this paper will keep, or its future availability?

 

[Ian Grant]

Had an email last week, and a letter today, from Fotoimpex in Berlin.

They had a delivery from Forte last week. However they haven't the sizes of Polywarntone FB I wanted yet.

I did put in a reasonable sized order, of 12"x16" (30x40cm approx) and metre wide rolls. hopefully they will arrive at some stage, could use them over Christmas

So this is new prodution sind Photokina !

 

[Max]

Exactly what David and Adrian said... I would (and will) still buy it at that price.

 

[Timothy]

For what it might be worth, I would also like to state that I will always be willing to pay even a much higher price for good quality paper and film as long as the quality and service are consistent. I hope that the number crunchers are not comparing the overheads of these operations against digital choices. In other words they might think that digital systems have become efficient enough to make their product obsolete. But I am hoping that there are enough other people like me who are willing to pay much higher prices to continue with film.

Tim R

 

[TPPhotog]

Tim I'm very much with you. Over the last few years we have enjoyed relatively low prices for our materials and to an extent our equipment. If we have to pay more realistic prices from now on to be able to keep using the things we love then so be it. Might mean we have to use our materials more efficiently and with less wastage but it will be worth the price.

 

[Lee Shively]

Agreed. I'm willing to pay more for quality and to keep a producer of quality products making a profit.

I was about to start another thread but I'll ask my question here--it's been a couple of weeks now since Forte said it would be a couple of weeks. Has anyone gotten any word as to whether or not the company will have a future? My fingers are crossed.

 

[jandc]

Here is an update on Forte. The receivers will begin looking over their situation in the next couple of days. The goal is to produce a plan to get them back into production. It is unclear if they will keep their entire product line or cut it back. All of this will be determined in the next few weeks. At the moment they still seem upbeat that they will go back into production minus the problems of the past.

In addition, we have purchased the last produced bulk roll of 400 sheet film from them. It will be cut and boxed in the next few weeks. With luck this roll will last until production is resumed and there will be no more supply disruptions for this film. We will be cutting this roll into 4x5, 5x7, 8x10, 7x17, 8x20 and 12x20.

We have also purchased the remaining inventory of Polywarmtone and Museum papers.

 

[jandc]

The receivers at Forte have allowed production to continue based on a revaluation of the price structure of their products. We have been invited to place orders for the next 6 months. New production of all items should be available early next year.

 

[photomc]

Thanks for the update...and Good News!!!

 

[James Bleifus]

That's good news! And I just read a newsletter from a photo supply place saying that Forte was dead. Makes you wonder.

Cheers,

James

 

[Black Dog]

Very relieved-but I'm still buying that freezer!