Ilford, the latest news

Les McLean · Oct 20, 2004

I've just had a conversation with my contact in Ilford UK and can report the following. Ilford are now manufacturing and selling normally having made up the back orders that were generated just after the news broke that they were in receivership. The range of chemical products will be back in the shops quite soon and will continue to be made, in fact no product has been discontinued. The receivers are actively looking for a buyer but I do not have any more information as to who etc, clearly anything relating to that is a closely guarded secret in the present circumstances.

One thing that came across strongly during our conversation is that Ilford are exremely grateful for the response from both dealers and end users in both purchasing their products and the messages of support from many people. Clearly there is a long way to go but I now have a much more optimistic outlook with regard to future supplies of some of my favourite analogue products.

sparx · Oct 20, 2004

That's great news. Lets hope there's more to come.

Jim Chinn · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks Les for keeping us posted on the Ilford situation.

bmac · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks for being our "inside Man" Les.

BWGirl · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks Les for the good news! Give them our best, and let them know that we are in their corner!

jim kirk jr. · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks for the update and great news Les.

dr bob · Oct 20, 2004

Tell 'em "We love 'em!", Les.

ex. The Colonies....

geraldatwork · Oct 20, 2004

Good news, and we can continue to support them by purchasing their products and asking our retailers to stock them.

jrong · Oct 20, 2004

This is brilliant news, the best I've heard all day. Thanks a lot, Les!

Lee Shively · Oct 20, 2004

Thanks, Les. I will try to remain optimistic.

Kathy Harcom · Oct 20, 2004

Well this sounds more promising than previous news I had heard. The fact they are now manufacturing/selling all items during this time of uncertainty is a good, giving them the best chance!

Thanks for passing on the news Les.

Kathy

Leon · Oct 20, 2004

Hurrah

papagene · Oct 20, 2004

Good to hear, thank you very much Les for this shot in the arm.

gene

jovo · Oct 20, 2004

whew!!........Thanks

mikewhi · Oct 20, 2004

Wow, this is great news. I was always under the impression that US products would continue, but having a healthy world-wide Ilford organization is good news for us all - there is no substitute for profit!

<insert irreverant part, I can't help myself>
Unfortunately, I am Les' source and as everyone knows by now I don't know anything. I just made up all that stuff to make him feel better. So now everyone can go out and cancel all your orders with jandc and go buy 10 years worth of Ilford film\paper. Then we can have rumors about jandc going under and we can cancel all the Ilford orders and re-order from jandc. Man, are we powerful or what?
<end of irreverant and irrelevant part>

Thanks, Les!

-Mike

Steve Roberts · Oct 21, 2004

Hi All,
Someone I have spoken to in the photographic retail trade tells me that he's heard from his "mole" that the feeling within the "analogue" part of Ilford is that things there have been neglected by those in high places in favour of promoting and pushing the digital side (no great surprise!) and that if there had been a more balanced view the current problems would never have arisen. Apparently one of the main factors in securing the future of the Ilford products is the huge volume made and sold very profitably to the medical market.
Steve

argentic · Oct 21, 2004

Steve Roberts said:
Apparently one of the main factors in securing the future of the Ilford products is the huge volume made and sold very profitably to the medical market.
Steve

I don't know anything about Ilford sales. But at each hospital visit in the past two years I was amazed at how much analog stuff has been replaced by digital equivalents. E.g. here in Holland no Xray is made on traditional film anymore.

G.

jandc · Oct 21, 2004

Steve Roberts said:
Hi All,
Someone I have spoken to in the photographic retail trade tells me that he's heard from his "mole" that the feeling within the "analogue" part of Ilford is that things there have been neglected by those in high places in favour of promoting and pushing the digital side (no great surprise!) and that if there had been a more balanced view the current problems would never have arisen. Apparently one of the main factors in securing the future of the Ilford products is the huge volume made and sold very profitably to the medical market.
Steve

The wet film X-ray business is shrinking to digital and also dry film technologies. Ilford is not a player in dry film X-ray which Kodak has pretty much wrapped up because of tying the film cartridge to the machine and not allowing it to work with anything else.

Ilfords problems were accelerated by the dumping of huge amounts of film on the market at cost or near cost to anyone who would buy bulk quantities. Their largest customers got big concessions in price for the main line films so their profit margins improved significantly. Ilford on the other hand saw rising costs and declining profits from production lines that were being run at a high capacity.

TPPhotog · Oct 21, 2004

jandc said:
Ilfords problems were accelerated by the dumping of huge amounts of film on the market at cost or near cost to anyone who would buy bulk quantities. Their largest customers got big concessions in price for the main line films so their profit margins improved significantly. Ilford on the other hand saw rising costs and declining profits from production lines that were being run at a high capacity.

Yep that sums up the decline of virtually every company here in the UK, when will management learn

Les - many thanks for the latest update, as the white bearded man said only time will tell. Please pass on our best wishes to the staff especially with Christmas bearing down at a rapid rate of knotts.

Max Power · Oct 21, 2004

jandc said:
The wet film X-ray business is shrinking to digital and also dry film technologies. Ilford is not a player in dry film X-ray which Kodak has pretty much wrapped up because of tying the film cartridge to the machine and not allowing it to work with anything else.

I dunno, but I was under the impression (mistaken?) that a good number of these wet-film machines were making their way to hospitals and clinics that never had x-ray facilities previously and cannot afford to go digital. I.e. that they were going to less-fortunate nations.

Is this possible?

jandc · Oct 21, 2004

Max Power said:
I dunno, but I was under the impression (mistaken?) that a good number of these wet-film machines were making their way to hospitals and clinics that never had x-ray facilities previously and cannot afford to go digital. I.e. that they were going to less-fortunate nations.

Is this possible?

The problem with this is that these places only buy the very cheapest film. It's a market where the profit margin on the film is mesaured in pennies. The profit margin for say dry x-ray film is huge. Which business would you rather be in?

Dave Miller · Oct 21, 2004

argentic said:
I don't know anything about Ilford sales. But at each hospital visit in the past two years I was amazed at how much analog stuff has been replaced by digital equivalents. E.g. here in Holland no Xray is made on traditional film anymore.

G.

The day job has me working on the construction of a large new hospital in the West Midlands. Quite by coincidence, I was today taking-off materials required for the extensive darkrooms and processing laboratories, complete with Beehive safe lights. I could be wrong, but dont think they need those for digital processing.

argentic · Oct 22, 2004

Dave Miller said:
The day job has me working on the construction of a large new hospital in the West Midlands. Quite by coincidence, I was today taking-off materials required for the extensive darkrooms and processing laboratories, complete with Beehive safe lights. I could be wrong, but don?t think they need those for digital processing.

You could be right about the digital processing. Was this equipment for XRays? Or for other processes? Or is technology in Europe in advance on the States ?

G.

eclarke · Oct 22, 2004

"Management"

TPPhotog said:
Yep that sums up the decline of virtually every company here in the UK, when will management learn

When will companies replace "management" with leadership?..EC

argentic · Oct 22, 2004

eclarke said:
When will companies replace "management" with leadership?..EC

LOL

G.

Ilford, the latest news

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argentic

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Ilford, the latest news

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