Harman Technology plans for site redevelopment

Oren Grad · Jun 3, 2014

Not to worry, the factory's not closing. But perhaps Simon can tell us more about what sort of reconfiguration might be entailed as far as the main coating line is concerned:

http://www.knutsfordguardian.co.uk/news/10935755.Plans_for_375_homes_on_Ilford_s_site_in_Mobberley_submitted_to_council/

Simon R Galley · Jun 3, 2014

Dear Oren,

The story tells the story......

We will have a new and upgraded factory, be able to do all the things we do now, coating, finishing R&D and be able to continue to 'rightsize' for the future of silver based photography and the other things we do.

As people you have been on the ILFORD tours in the past will tell you, the factory as it is now ( and actually since the early 1990's ) is far, far too big and needs maintaining and heating, this will further improve our profitability as well as our carbon footprint.

We have always planned a smaller footprint, hopefully this will now happen over the next few years.

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology LImited :

paul_c5x4 · Jun 3, 2014

Overview of the proposed redevelopment: Dead Link Removed

Anything that secures the long term future of the Harman site must be a good thing for all concerned.

Tom Kershaw · Jun 3, 2014

Simon, yes it struck me on the tour how out-sized the buildings were or are compared to what seemed to be the size of your operation.

Tom

mr rusty · Jun 3, 2014

This looks to me like an excellent development. I like the spin-off community benefits, the fact that the housing density is quite low (realise a higher density means more £££ for the developer, so there is an element of pragmatism here) and as potential brownfield site development it fits exactly with the government strategy to build more houses to take some pressure off the market where demand outstrips supply.

I note from the news article, there is the usual "we object to anything/everything" pressure group "Residents against Mobberley Sprawl" that seem to spring up whenever anyone plans anything (we've just had the same in our village which is a similar size to Mobberley), and sometimes these groups have a point when some developers push a little to hard into green belt, but here where a brownfield site is planned for redevelopment, I suggest they haven't a hope of stopping it, and rather than hiring a planning lawyer (!!) they should find better uses for any funds they have at hand!

This is really exciting for the longevity of B&W, because operating from a new building purpose-made for the present market undoubtedly brings efficiencies and opens opportunities that are restricted by the present buildings, which are less than ideal, as we saw on the tour.

All the best and good luck!

Jessestr · Jun 3, 2014

Smart move. I should switch to Ilford film.

hdeyong · Jun 3, 2014

It sounds like a practical, well thought out move to help assure the future. Good, hopefully FP4+ will be around until I head for the next universe, or whatever happens then.

StoneNYC · Jun 3, 2014

hdeyong said:
It sounds like a practical, well thought out move to help assure the future. Good, hopefully FP4+ will be around until I head for the next universe, or whatever happens then.

I still think ilford should think about Delta400-2 in sheet film sizes after the site change

This is great stuff, go ilford! Just prepare for a sudden spike in demand if kodak does down, and stock those bulk master rolls appropriately

Oren Grad · Jun 3, 2014

Simon R Galley said:
As people you have been on the ILFORD tours in the past will tell you, the factory as it is now ( and actually since the early 1990's ) is far, far too big and needs maintaining and heating, this will further improve our profitability as well as our carbon footprint.

I remember it well, and came away with the same impression as Tom's. Plainly it does no good to have to pay the costs of maintaining an excessively large facility.

Given the voodoo involved in coating, one does worry about potential hiccups in the transition, so there will be a big sigh of relief once it is safely completed.

Good luck! I hope you'll be able to keep us posted when major milestones are passed.

UPDATE: Looks as though this had already been mentioned in passing in the March thread on the sale of Kodak Park, which I'd missed (thanks, Sal!). I hope Simon can continue to provide status updates here, as appropriate.

Simon R Galley · Jun 3, 2014

I will indeed......

Simon ILFORD Photo / HARMAN technology Limited :

donkee · Jun 3, 2014

Jessestr said:
Smart move. I should switch to Ilford film.

I did a while ago, you won't be sorry.

Bob Carnie · Jun 3, 2014

Fantastic move and very smart indeed, just think Simon if you start growing rhubarbs you can use for tanning devs.

very strong looking proposal.

Toffle · Jun 3, 2014

Great news!

pbromaghin · Jun 3, 2014

Ooooooh. They're going to need a stoplight at the corner of Ilford and Town.

omaha · Jun 3, 2014

Congratulations on the new project, Simon! Very nice to see this progress.

StoneNYC · Jun 3, 2014

I'm confused about something, maybe it's the difference between English and American language but this sentence confused me.

“It’s a massive development and 375 is a huge amount and that will turn Mobberley into a town."

Isn't Mobberley already a town? That's why it has people working at the factory and living near the factory?

AgX · Jun 3, 2014

The current plant is quite new, it is not the original Ilford plant. And newer at least than Mobberley. It is not one of those plants having own housing estates around.

Seemingly people at Mobberley find their place still to be too small. It is not yet a town legally.

Ricardo Miranda · Jun 3, 2014

Stone,
The British version of Google lists this as its first entry from Wikipedia:

Mobberley is a semi-rural village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, situated between Wilmslow and Knutsford. (...)According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 2,546.

Some images: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=M...nA7AaQ04H4BQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=871

Truzi · Jun 3, 2014

StoneNYC said:
I'm confused about something, maybe it's the difference between English and American language but this sentence confused me.

Its a massive development and 375 is a huge amount and that will turn Mobberley into a town."

Isn't Mobberley already a town? That's why it has people working at the factory and living near the factory?

Sometimes the designation is arbitrary, and sometimes is based on population, services, or other things. I do remember a couple villages in North East Ohio becoming cities (despite not wanting to) because of population growth, although "village" is still part of the official name. It can be a bit confusing, on paper at least.

This won't give a final word, but may shed some light on the concept:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Town

StoneNYC · Jun 3, 2014

AgX said:
The current plant is quite new, it is not the original Ilford plant. And newer at least than Mobberley. It is not one of those plants having own housing estates around.

Seemingly people at Mobberley find their place still to be too small. It is not yet a town legally.

Ricardo Miranda said:
Stone,
The British version of Google lists this as its first entry from Wikipedia:

Some images: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=M...nA7AaQ04H4BQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1280&bih=871

OH!! It's a VILLAGE... It did say village in the article it just never clicked, and I grew up in a city of 150,000 people, my brain doesn't even differentiate between a town and a village haha, they are all "quaint" places I don't see how a place of 2,000 people adding 375 more homes would be so bad that it would upset the populous of that area. Though I could see that adding 375 more homes would mean some might move from their current home to the newer homes leaving 375 abandoned homes in an area that doesn't have any other industry to support people moving in. Unless somehow the new factory would employ MORE people, but I don't know how that could be possible, I would think it would mean less because of smaller scale. I suppose the addition of whatever is built in place of the old factory they are tearing down (like the parks proposed) means some need for caretakers but I can see how it would upset the balance of the area.

pbromaghin · Jun 3, 2014

Stone, 375 homes represents about a 50% or more increase in population. More traffic, more noise, more stress on infrastructure. Take a look at Mobberly in Google Earth view and compare to the pdf of the development. The new development is replacing a half-empty factory with fairly dense housing.

Ken Nadvornick · Jun 3, 2014

Where I grew up (Los Angeles) developers often put 375 homes on a single postage-stamp-sized lot...

Ken

pbromaghin · Jun 3, 2014

Ken Nadvornick said:
Where I grew up (Los Angeles) developers often put 375 homes on a single postage-stamp-sized lot...

Ken

Yeah, I've live nearly all my adult life in well-planned, fast-growing suburbs. It works pretty well when infrastructure is put in first, but not so fast as to outpace the tax base. The Ilford factory development though, is on a little 2-lane road out in the countryside. There's even one of those little red phone booths at the corner. Man, it's a pretty area.

StoneNYC · Jun 3, 2014

pbromaghin said:
Stone, 375 homes represents about a 50% or more increase in population. More traffic, more noise, more stress on infrastructure. Take a look at Mobberly in Google Earth view and compare to the pdf of the development. The new development is replacing a half-empty factory with fairly dense housing.

But the housing increase doesn't mean populous increase, the people already living near the factory would most likely move into the new homes, that's where they abandonment issue of the other older houses comes into play that I mentioned.

Either way we will sit back and watch

It's possible ilford has plans for creating additional products in the new factory that require more workers, but that's internal knowledge I'm sure.

AgX · Jun 3, 2014

StoneNYC said:
But the housing increase doesn't mean populous increase, the people already living near the factory would most likely move into the new homes, that's where they abandonment issue of the other older houses comes into play that I mentioned.

Here in Europe new house on the countryside means new, added population.

Harman Technology plans for site redevelopment

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