Goodbye JOBO USA?????

[chuck94022]

There is a rumor posted on the tell all rumor mill website www.****edcompany.com (pardon their french) that Jobo will shut down US operations and lay off all employees. Can anyone here confirm?

 

[chuck94022]

There is a rumor posted on the tell all rumor mill website www.****edcompany.com (pardon their french) that Jobo will shut down US operations and lay off all employees. Can anyone here confirm?

Well, thanks to auto filtering, I can't post the url, but suffice to say that the four letters start with f, end with k, and I think U C the rest...

 

[Nick Zentena]

It's been discussed on the Alt mailing list. Supposedly somebody else will be handling distribution. It's Jobo USA which is shutting down. IIRC Jobo USA was a separate company that handled US distribution.

 

[jd callow]

They also handle Durst and are located in Ann Arbor Michigan. I have had the oppertunity to talk with them a few times and they are very nice to deal with. It is too bad.

 

[shyguy]

I feel like a rat on a sinking ship.

I use a jobo processor and a Durst enlarger. Both are/were serviced from Ann Arbor. They are very nice people, and i think the products are solid.

I get this sinking feeling in my gut. like the support for my craft if falling away. I'll get over it, but i'm uneasy at the moment.

S.

 

[Digidurst]

Well, thanks to auto filtering, I can't post the url, but suffice to say that the four letters start with f, end with k, and I think U C the rest...

Is that really their web address?? LMAO - now that is just f'ing funny!

Too bad about Jobo

 

[Paul Sorensen]

Is that really their web address?? LMAO - now that is just f'ing funny!

Too bad about Jobo

Take a look at their store, I just love the "You can have my aeron when you pry if from my cold dead ass" mousepad.

(For those who were not part of the whole tech startup company culture, an aeron is an absurdly expensive chair that became a symbol of the dotcom bubble.)

They started just as the dotcom bubble started collapsing. It was kind of fun in a sick kind of way to read about the tech company that laid me off on f'dcompany, sort of cathartic.

 

[Bobby Ctkr]

heard that Omega (?) is going to be "handling" Jobo??

 

[Phong]

There is an official announcement at http://www.jobo-usa.com/.
Jobo USA will close down its current location and then reopen as Jobo Digital to continue the sale and support of Jobo digital products. OmegaSatter (manufacturer of Omega enlargers) is the new distributor of Jobo analog (film), Tetenal and Fujimoto products. I hope they will do as good a job as Jobo USA in the past in the support of Jobo processors. My best wishis to all Jobo USA employees.

- Phong

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Folks

I just finished an email contact with Omega and yes they will have Jobo inventory and they will need 2-3 weeks for the cataloging and set up . this is the best news I have had this week, except for the very large job my company got this week. I am a happy camper and will down a few beers this weekend.
By the way Jorge , if you see this , I also asked them to give me a price on building a unit to process up to 30x40 and if they are realistic in pricing I will go for it.

 

[ElrodCod]

As the film market shrinks it will become challenging to find many of the things we take for granted.

 

[DKT]

so what about the Printo? any word on whether omega will support that, or is there an alternate durst vendor in the US?

 

[edz]

so what about the Printo? any word on whether omega will support that, or is there an alternate durst vendor in the US?

The Printo is Durst not Jobo--- just as Nova is Nova and not Jobo. Both are no longer represented by Jobo in North America.

According to Dust (just checked) the consumer products are now handled by

Durst Image Technology US LLC
50 Methodist Hill Drive
Suite 100

Rochester, NY 14623
USA
Phone: +1 5 85 4 86 03 40
Telefax: +1 5 85 4 86 03 50

Contact person:
Ron Waters

and in Canada:

Macula Technik
6A - 49 The Donway
West, Suite 348
M3C 2E8 Toronto, Ontario
Canada
Phone:
Telefax:

Contact person:
Mr. Peter Kirkwood

and Mexico:

Foto Regis, Cia. Importadora
Fotografica S.A. de C.V.
Mier Y Pesado 131
Col. del Valle Mexico
03100 Mexico
Mexico
Phone: +52 555 4 48 20 00
Telefax: +52 555 6 82 01 91
www.fotoregis.com

 

[edz]

As the film market shrinks it will become challenging to find many of the things we take for granted.

At the same time I think many things that we have not been able to find will become available. I'd expect, for instance, an increased availability of printing out and gaslight papers, exotic emulsions and all kinds of esoteric goods for the film cognoscenti. Today there are more opportunities than there have been for over half a century. I'd expect to see within the next year several small artisan photographic paper smiths poping up.

The main reason for the decline of companies such as Jobo is not just the decline in the film market but also the reduction in transaction costs for used gear through the Internet. Combined with a shift in demand this has led to a free fall in used prices and a total collapse of demand for new goods.

Already now we have seen through the collapse a major move upwards in the technical quality of our amateur darkrooms. I don't know about you but these days we are starting to "take for granted" the best gear ever made for small change.

 

[DKT]

thanks for the info--I need to get a new energy therm before the Printo becomes an obsolete piece of esoteric lab equipment like an Ilford processor. in other words, a money pit...a source of constant frustration....a piece of crap...

that's my take on this---great. you can get all the lab gear you never could afford before, except no parts. I'd be really concerned about it if I owned an ATL machine. I'd be stockpiling all the major parts right now.

 

[Changeling1]

BUY JOBO Now?

Bob or anyone else with ideas-


Do you think it would better (cost wise) to wait to buy Jobo equipment such as a CPP-2 w/lift until after the takeover or now if you have the opportunity at higher than previous prices? I finally found a lift and CPP-2 processor (probably the last 2 or three NEW processors left in this country) after much searching but the company wants a couple of hundred more for the outfit than the previous New York mail order prices. In fact the lift was actually on a floor display and they want $300 for it! Other retailers are saying they won't have any Jobo shipments until late October. Do you think Omega-Satter will sell Jobo equipment direct to consumers or just be a supplier? Any advice GREATLY appreciated!
Jim

 

[Nick Zentena]

Do you think Omega-Satter will sell Jobo equipment direct to consumers or just be a supplier? Any advice GREATLY appreciated!
Jim

Omega is a distributor. If they sell to consumers it'll be at full list price most likely.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Jim
I believe Omega will sell to anyone with a Valid Visa or Mastercard.
For example I am not a reseller but I have been able to buy from manufactures in the past. It helps that I have a factory trained technicion on staff who can isolate problems and just order part #s.

I truly believe the reason Omega is taking over this line is because they will develop a line of nearly affordable digital heads for their omega chassis.
If they do this then they need to offer the small shop and hobbists a method of running the prints. It has been shown in the past that Jobo is an excellent
product line for doing film and prints of all types(ciba,ra4 black and white).

I think if I am right , Omega is making a brilliant move and this step is of great interest to all of us as the traditional end product will be now required by both camps*digital* and *traditional*

Deveere has already started this and with some success*San Miquel * labs for one example.

Regarding, is the time right to buy, I don't know your situation, for me I would buy old 2300's and buy the working parts from Omega.
I have had to replace the lift arms for both my Jobos more than twice, Without my tech guy I definately would not be able to do it. Therefore I first would want to find out *who in your area can tear one of these units apart and put back together* if you have someone then by all means by the machine now and get parts from Omega.. A typical Alt2300 has approximately 36,000 lifts before it will give you problems and you can find out on any jobo how many lifts are on the machine you are thinking on buying.
I think I can buy a used Alt2300 for around $1500-$4500 , the first thing I would do is count the lifts , if it is over 30000 then I would drop my bid by $1000, as this is what I approximate the cost of a new arm and the installation of it. We have done over 6 lift changes since I bought into the Jobo line.

I am deeply relieved that Jobo product will be around for a longer period of time as I would not know how to produce film of the same quality any other way.

hope this post helps in your decision

 

[edz]

thanks for the info--I need to get a new energy therm before the Printo becomes an obsolete piece of esoteric lab equipment like an Ilford processor. in other words, a money pit...a source of constant frustration....a piece of crap...

Durst ist not Ilford and the Printo is a more modern piece of gear sold in larger numbers. While it is, I think, no longer in production it is still a current item (and shall remain probably for some years to come) and Durst policy is to continue support (spare parts) for no less than 5 but typically as long as a decade after final customer delivery. There are also many dealers and distributors that have stocks of spares so even when Dust no longer has "official" support on offer there can well continue to be spares available--- just as there are parts still available for enlargers that Durst stopped making over 30 years ago.

As to Dust modules: they are cheap on the used market (at least in Germany).

that's my take on this---great. you can get all the lab gear you never could afford before, except no parts. I'd be really concerned about it if I owned an ATL machine. I'd be stockpiling all the major parts right now.

Unless you get them from the junk pile I don't see the reason. Spare parts for the Jobo ATL machines tend to be very expensive--- at his point in the game something like a pump, motor or controller will be more expensive than the purchase of a whole backup system on the used market. Unless there is a bigtime renaissance in these I suspect over the next few years we will continue to see a good supply of good condition ATLs entering the market at lower than low prices.