Ilford & Covid 19

Lachlan Young · Mar 30, 2020

Ilford have just posted on their Facebook page that as of 1st April they're entering suspended animation on the manufacturing side to protect staff etc - production has been ramped up over last month & they can continue shipping for a while (I guess as long as carriers are running) - given that April is reckoned to be the month of highest demand on the NHS with the COVID bug, this is not surprising.

jgboothe · Mar 30, 2020

It's a shame of course, but entirely understandable.

pentaxuser · Mar 30, 2020

Lachlan Young said:
Ilford have just posted on their Facebook page that as of 1st April they're entering suspended animation on the manufacturing side to protect staff etc - production has been ramped up over last month & they can continue shipping for a while (I guess as long as carriers are running) - given that April is reckoned to be the month of highest demand on the NHS with the COVID bug, this is not surprising.

Seems just a little at odds with its 5% Off offer until 2nd April if there is any chance that it may not be able to meet demand. Don't get me wrong it is nice of Ilford to make the offer of course. It may even be reconcilable with its shutdown, I suppose, if events are moving so fast that when the offer was made on Friday last it had not made its decision on shutdown. Mind you I got the offer repeated to me today but I suppose the reminder machine may have been set and locked in and could not be stopped

pentaxuser

Lachlan Young · Mar 30, 2020

pentaxuser said:
Seems just a little at odds with its 5% Off offer until 2nd April if there is any chance that it may not be able to meet demand. Don't get me wrong it is nice of Ilford to make the offer of course. It may even be reconcilable with its shutdown, I suppose, if events are moving so fast that when the offer was made on Friday last it had not made its decision on shutdown. Mind you I got the offer repeated to me today but I suppose the reminder machine may have been set and locked in and could not be stopped

pentaxuser

They were very clear that they have plenty of stock.

NortheastPhotographic · Mar 30, 2020

Hopefully this won't affect stock too much or anyone's ongoing projects.

pentaxuser · Mar 30, 2020

Covid-19 Update
Whilst we will always aim to deliver your order on the next working day, please be aware that there could be some short delays at this time.

This is all I could find on its own website as I opened it as of 1 minute ago. Maybe it hasn't yet got round to announcing this on its own site?

pentaxuser

BrianShaw · Mar 30, 2020

jgboothe said:
It's a shame of course, but entirely understandable.

Indeed!

R.Gould · Mar 30, 2020

pentaxuser said:
Covid-19 Update
Whilst we will always aim to deliver your order on the next working day, please be aware that there could be some short delays at this time.

This is all I could find on its own website as I opened it as of 1 minute ago. Maybe it hasn't yet got round to announcing this on its own site?

pentaxuser

If you go to yhe Ilford photo site, yhe main site, and click on the news it is there, just found it

AgX · Mar 30, 2020

Here an opposite stand. (Though I admit one hardly can compare both companies.)
https://www.agfa.com/corporate/covid-19-outbreak-message/

Lachlan Young · Mar 30, 2020

AgX said:
Here an opposite stand. (Though I admit one hardly can compare both companies.)
https://www.agfa.com/corporate/covid-19-outbreak-message/

Agfa, Foma, Carestream are all going to have to keep going as they manufacture essential healthcare products - x-ray film amongst other items. Still a critical product for a lot of healthcare systems around the world.

foc · Mar 30, 2020

Not wanting to sound disrespectful but this Covid 19 pandemic is very serious (the hint is in the name)
I think it is very responsible of Ilford to do what they did. Their employee's health comes first, sounds good to me.
So what if supplies of film or paper run out (worst case scenario) .
Better to be alive with out film. There are no pockets in a shroud.

Yes it will pass and we will recover, eventually. There are always casualties from an economic downturn. That's just life and business, it was always survival of the fittest (in business). Hopefully we don't lose too many products but think of the future "bring back" threads !!!!

I have seen how people behave during this crises, in my own country, where some people treated it like a holiday, until the lockdown. And then they try to cause panic in the supermarket as they try to hoard supplies.

MattKing · Mar 30, 2020

There is at least a possibility that some people with time on their hands will end up using a bunch of darkroom supplies while practicing social isolation, and will therefore need to order a lot more when things return to something like normal.

Lachlan Young · Mar 30, 2020

MattKing said:
There is at least a possibility that some people with time on their hands will end up using a bunch of darkroom supplies while practicing social isolation, and will therefore need to order a lot more when things return to something like normal.

That's essentially what Ilford are encouraging...

Black Dog · Mar 30, 2020

MattKing said:
There is at least a possibility that some people with time on their hands will end up using a bunch of darkroom supplies while practicing social isolation, and will therefore need to order a lot more when things return to something like normal.

If this thing carries on for a while, then some of us will end up accumulating more negatives than Gary Winogrand… I'm expecting to be putting in some serious time in the darkrooms at Stills (Edinburgh) or Street Level (Glasgow).

Ernst-Jan · Apr 1, 2020

Black Dog said:
If this thing carries on for a while, then some of us will end up accumulating more negatives than Gary Winogrand…

Just to be sure I stocked up some more Ilford products: Fp4+ and ID11. And since I am ordering something I decided to give Acros II also a try[

Black Dog · Apr 1, 2020

I recommend Catlabs X-Film 80 if you can get hold of it, also Rollei Retro 80s-I've been getting some very nice negs from both in ID-11 1+1. With the weather being sunnier at the moment, these slower films start to come into their own, However, I did use a few rolls of the Catlabs very successfully in Glasgow last October...at one point I got brilliant sunshine and torrential rain at once!

Ernst-Jan · Apr 1, 2020

Catlabs is not sold by Fotoimpex.de, that's were I usually buy things. I will try Retro80S the next time I order some stuff.

pentaxuser · Apr 1, 2020

It will be interesting to see how long the restrictions last - longer than most think I suspect - and if this is the case then a serious drop in income which looks likely to affect most of society I feel is likely to seriously dent Ilford's sales. Only time will tell

pentaxuser

Ian Grant · Apr 2, 2020

NortheastPhotographic said:
Hopefully this won't affect stock too much or anyone's ongoing projects.

As most of us are on lock down and no unnecessary journeys stocks shouldn't run down much.

Ian

Philippe-Georges · Apr 2, 2020

What about KODAK and Covid-19?
As they manufacture a lot of ciné film for the studios (in Hollywood and London) and these are halting a lot of productions...

Sirius Glass · Apr 2, 2020

Philippe-Georges said:
What about KODAK and Covid-19?
As they manufacture a lot of ciné film for the studios (in Hollywood and London) and these are halting a lot of productions...

Kodak is making hand sanitizer for NYC by the tanker truck load of 11,600 gallons per load.

Philippe-Georges · Apr 2, 2020

Sirius Glass said:
Kodak is making hand sanitizer for NYC by the tanker truck load of 11,600 gallons per load.

Yes, I knew that.
BTW, Belgian Gin distillers ar doing this for weeks now, they were the first in Europe to do this on their free initiative (and unpaid)...
doing so is a very important for fighting, surviving and winning from that nasty virus, and it's a good lesson in conviviality too.

But, of lesser importance, what about film production?

Ai Print · Apr 2, 2020

pentaxuser said:
It will be interesting to see how long the restrictions last - longer than most think I suspect - and if this is the case then a serious drop in income which looks likely to affect most of society I feel is likely to seriously dent Ilford's sales. Only time will tell

Aside from the obvious human toll of all this, the point above is my primary concern. All these companies operate on tight margins in a what has been otherwise a good steady niche. I am now fairly stocked up but I suspect that many are simply not able to put forth the cash to buy supplies right now, one large and very popular US retailer alluded to me how much sales have already dropped off. B&H shows stock in about 95% of Ilford offerings, usually with announcements like this things move pretty fast.

I have to sell some more luxury items since I am now up to $4K in paper purchases in the past two weeks and my commercial work will likely see a reduction of 80% this year.

These are uncharted and untested waters, I really hope above all else, Ilford makes it safely to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Tom Kershaw · Apr 2, 2020

Ai Print said:
These are uncharted and untested waters, I really hope above all else, Ilford makes it safely to the light at the end of the tunnel.

I hope this is the case as well, with the full product range coming back online.

Black Dog · Apr 2, 2020

Well, I expect to be able to save a fair bit, what with not being able to go to pubs or cafes and not travelling, so my photography will benefit!

Ilford & Covid 19

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