Maco buys Agfa !!!

[david b]

Can someone translate this:

http://www.worldofphoto.de/meldung.htm$N18576

Maco Photo Products liefert Agfa S/W Material

Maco Photo Products, Hamburg, hat die Vorräte der Multicontrast S/W-Papiere von AgfaPhoto und des Rodinal Entwicklers übernommen. Ab Januar 2006 stehen diese Produkte damit wieder zur Verfügung.

Maco Photo Products wird die Lagerbestände des Agfa Multicontrast MCC 111, MCC 118, MCP 310 und MCP 312 sowie den Filmentwickler Rodinal anbieten. Die Lieferung erfolgt, solange der Vorrat reicht.

 

[Daniel Lawton]

If this proves to be true then it is wonderful news indeed!

 

[Dave Parker]

Here is a direct translation from babel fish:

Maco photo Products supplies Agfa S/W material Maco photo Products, Hamburg, took over the supplies of the Multicontrast of S/W papers of AgfaPhoto and the Rodinal of developer. Starting from January 2006 these products thereby are available again. Maco photo Products will offer the stocks of the Agfa Multicontrast MCC 111, MCC 118, MCP 310 and MCP 312 as well as the film processor Rodinal. The supply takes place, as long as the supply is enough.

 

[david b]

What the hell does "The supply takes place, as long as the supply is enough. mean?

 

[ann]

they have bought what is in the warehouse.

 

[clay]

I think Ann has hit it on the head. They are buying the remaining stock at a discount and will sell it off. Kind of a one time factory outlet sort of thing. Hoo ha!

 

[Dave Wooten]

thanks Dave,

they will supply as long as they have supplies....i.e. when its gone its gone

 

[df cardwell]

Did they buy the stock, or the stock and the formulae ?

.

 

[Ole]

They bought the stock. It says "delivery while supplies last".

 

[mono]

Where do we get Rodinal from afterwards???

 

[pauldc]

Maybe if we all support Maco and they find there is a continuing market for these products they might be able to put together a business case to buy the actual production lines as well from Agfa and start production again. Optimistic I know but what drives business is always the market.

 

[Jim Chinn]

At least if you liked the Agfa paper you now have an opportunity to stock up and put a few boxes in the freezer.

 

[komet]

Maco have purchased the remaining Agfa stocks and will be flogging them off as long as supplies last.

I follow the discussions on the various German photography boards and it seems pretty clear that Maco have no intention of purchasing the paper or film production lines, nor would that be economically feasible.

As for Rodinal my understanding is that the A&O company who have taken over the chemicals plant will continue making it.

 

[df cardwell]

Makes sense.

Thanks

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Has Maco ever manufactured anything anyway? My sense is that all of their products have always been rebranded from manufacturers like Efke.

 

[edz]

Has Maco ever manufactured anything anyway?

Sure they have... a lot of stories.. hype, missinformation, noise,...... dissapointment and anger..

 

[edz]

On Agfa, Whores and "Good News"

Maybe if we all support Maco and they find there is a continuing market for these products they might be able to put together a business case to buy the actual production lines as well from Agfa and start production again.

We are talking about large and expensive to maintain machines and Schroeder (Maco) is just a little pisser and market caller. The deal they cut was to get a large block of the rest papers and films (at probably distress prices) to then re-sell. Its said that he's dropped all dealer margins to those poor saps that he distributed Agfa materials to and raised the prices by, I think, 30% or so. Its, in my view, about more market confusion, garbled information and hype. Hardly good news! It could, of course, be worse.. looking back at Maco/Cachet's little adventure with the "Seagull" brand following Oriental's bankruptcy 10 years ago.. (the details I leave the reader to explore)..
The B&W photographic market needs stability and the possibility for makers to plan things. Opportunists like Schroeder (who even when he might mean well seems to handle things with the grace of a playground bully) looking time and again to sell sow's ears as silk purses (a long tradition going back decades to even when he had a little darkroom supply company) don't help. Most people in these forums, I think, want a reliable supply of good materials at fair prices and not a round of "Three Card Monty" in the parking lot....

 

[srs5694]

At least if you liked the Agfa paper you now have an opportunity to stock up and put a few boxes in the freezer.

At least in the US and who like certain products, that opportunity already existed. B&H shows lots of Agfa RC paper as in stock, although the only two FB papers they've got on their site are listed as out of stock. Then there's the recent J&C one-time offer (announced in another thread about two weeks ago), albeit at high prices.

 

[Brac]

I don't know anything about the person/people behind Maco but I can't see the point of hurling a load of abuse at them. Surely we should be grateful for what they have provided to photographers, such as, to pick a few at random, 127 colour film in negative & slide, infra-red film in roll-film, various developerss, films & papers. They have widened our choice and for that we should, in my view, be grateful. If we don't like it, we don't have to buy it. As to where it's all made, well it's always interesting to know, but that's probably the least important aspect. As they are now apparently involved with Rollei in new projects, it's difficult to believe they are as "bad" as has been suggested elsewhere in this thread.

 

[edz]

Sorry... but the drug dealers and pushers are NOT your friend..

I don't know anything about the person/people behind Maco

Ignorance is bliss, eh?

but I can't see the point of hurling a load of abuse at them.

I'm being polite and given him the benefit of assumption that sometimes he means well.

Surely we should be grateful for what they have provided to photographers,

Grateful for what?

such as, to pick a few at random, 127 colour film in negative & slide,

That's not MACO but Efke and by putting his own name on packages he's worked to undermine the Ekfe tradename and to de-couple the film from their producer. Given that Efke is one of the few remaining companies coating its not in our interests.

infra-red film in roll-film, various developerss, films & papers.

Like Oriental papers where he pushed the price up to levels where hardly anyone in Europe was willing to pay? Do you think high margins (direct imports from high priced Japanese shops is below what German wholesale was and in the US these papers sold at 1/2 the German price from the mailorder discounters) on low volume (many people I know really liked the paper but hardly used it due to its exorbitant price) for Maco is good for keeping the Oriental paper coating machines running? Its not. And... rumours have it once again that the machines have stopped..

If we don't like it, we don't have to buy it. As to where it's all made, well it's always interesting to know, but that's probably the least important aspect.

It means a lot to the margins and planning of the companies doing the coating.

As they are now apparently involved with Rollei in new projects,

Rollei is NO longer even Rollei but a marketing company with the brand Rollei. Most of what they do is sell their brand on an assortment of products, especially cheap low grade Asian point-and-shoot digital cameras to be sold with a nice sounding brand name at electronic chains and supermarkets. The well known 6x6 cameras and professional German photographic items are now made by a reborn Franke und Heidecke as "Franke und Heidecke GmbH" (what was previously Rollei Produktion GmbH ) in Braunschweig. The company Rollei (Rollei GmbH) is located in Berlin and their focus is wholly mass market multimedia (digicams, MP3 players etc.) branding--- seeing, I guess, what they can suck out of the brand as they probably run it into the ground (seems like both have found their match in a marriage Rollei-Schroeder made in Heaven).

 

[cvik]

What is the problem with Maco? It's not like Efke or others are forced to make film for Maco - they do so because they get money for doing so. Efke produces film originally made by Adox - so what? Maco sell "new" Rollei films originally made by Agfa such as Retro 100 and 400 (apx 100 and 400) produced at Geveart. Is that a problem too?

AFAIK Efke doesn't sell "Efke Ortho 25". Maco, however, sell Maco Ortho 25. I really don't care who actually produce it nor who developed the formulae.. It is unimportant as long as I can buy it. (of course, if the production itself was done by poor children held as slaves in some third world country things would be different). Efke chooses to produce films for Maco. I can buy the film I want, Maco gets money, Efke gets money. What is there to complain about?

About the remaining stocks. AgfaPhoto is bankrupt. It is run by administrators in bankruptcy whos purpose is to get as much money for the creditors as possible. AgfaPhoto probably won't be around long enough to sell out the stock so they sold it to someone who will - a far better solution (for everyone) than to dump it at the nearest disposal site.

 

[edz]

What is the problem with Maco? It's not like Efke or others are forced to make film for Maco - they do so because they get money for doing so.

And the Efke that we all knew is bankrupt and liquidated and the property sold. There is a new company "New Efke" (the old brand I hear is still tied up) but I'm not quite clear what they are doing. The move by one of their major importers (Fotoimpex in Berlin) to slap the brand Adox on their films I don't think is a good sign.

The volumes of Ekfe films sold are so miniscule by industry standards that there is no reason to assume any has been coated within the last few years. How many years after the collapse of OrWo was Ekfe still coating and selling films made on their bases?

Efke produces film originally made by Adox - so what?

Efke sell films mainly made by Efke. To my knowledge they never imported films from Adox (they did long import their base materials from OrWo though).

Maco sell "new" Rollei films originally made by Agfa such as Retro 100 and 400 (apx 100 and 400) produced at Geveart. Is that a problem too?

Those films were NOT made by Agfa but where cut down from master rolls of APX100 and APX400 materials coated in Leverkusen BUT finished in Hungry (Forte, in need of cash). Nothing to my knowledge was produced at Gevaert (Belgium) and now that the coating machines have been shut down in Leverkusen (the final run of film and paper was last month) they can only sell from stocks (which can last some time).

AFAIK Efke doesn't sell "Efke Ortho 25". Maco, however, sell Maco Ortho 25.

Excellent film. As close to a match to AgfaOrtho25 as one could ever find. Not quite sure what it is, who made it and if its still being coated or if its not old stocks--- keep in mind the keeping properties and that even more briskly selling films like Technical Pan were last coated maybe 7 years before it got discontinued.

I really don't care who actually produce it nor who developed the formulae..

You should! Given the large stockpile of old stocks in warehouses one needs to view these materials as direct competition to those from companies that are still trying to coat film and paper and need to keep their machines running and maintained.

Sure they'll sell to who comes along. They all need the business and the cash. "If we don't sell them the films cheaply then Chaim Jankel will sell his Nebishpan cheaper".. We have oversupply and declining demands.

The problem is not films and papers today but keeping the machines running for tommorrow.

 

[Fotohuis]

The problem is not films and papers today but keeping the machines running for tommorrow.

I think more or less you're right about this point of view. Maybe there are some (rich??) APUG investors who would like to buy some coating, slitting and other machines in Leverkusen to start up some production elswere.

End December we will do an effort to reach an agreement with the administrators in bankruptcy. You will never know.....

Robert

 

[abeku]

Maybe there are some (rich??) APUG investors who would like to buy some coating, slitting and other machines in Leverkusen to start up some production elswere.

A collective effort, some APUGpan 100 would be nice... ;-)

 

[Fotohuis]

A collective effort, some APUGpan 100 would be nice... ;-)

Yes, a good combination with the RoVonal (TM) R09 developer.