Tetenal revival project

[KB Photo]

Like I said, you can answer (after registering- sorry for that I can´t open the forum). Or just answer here

The thing I cannot help wondering is how processing labs are dealing with their increase in business and, at the same time, the difficulty obtaining chemicals? It feels sometimes like analog is trying hard to come back and, at the same time, the industry is killing itself between the high costs of films (mainly Kodak) and the difficultly of having sufficient supplies of chemicals in packages large enough for commercial labs. No doubt having another company producing larger packages of C-41 and RA-4 would help matters.

 

[koraks]

No doubt having another company producing larger packages of C-41 and RA-4 would help matters.

There's absolutely no sign of major labs facing a shortage of C41 and RA4 chemistry. Firms like Fuji Hunt are pumping out this chemistry by the metric ton - literally. I'm saying this because your argument seems to rely on the logic that firms like Adox might be a bottleneck in the growth of the analog photography industry.

One notable problem with this argument is that to a large extent, this analog revival revolves around color film, and the majority share of this color film is processed by labs. These labs vary in size from tiny one-man operations that may run only a couple of dozen rolls/week to reasonably sizeable ones that run thousands of rolls/ week. Basically every lab that uses minilabs or even larger processing machines (RT/continuous, dip & dunk) use chemistry from manufacturers like Fuji and Champion, and certainly not from Adox. Adox is very good at catering to the requirements of home users, which is typically a high-mix/low-volume business. The low-mix/high-volume business that still processes the bulk of the film shot today is a different realm. There's no bottleneck there. Quite the opposite: that part of the spectrum is characterized by still massive overcapacity.

 

[Lasurit]

I love Tetenal 3-bath e6 but recently I found Ilford 3-bath e6, to a certain extent, it replaced the Tetenal's

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I enjoyed working with the C-41 Colortec in the Filmomat. Now I have C-41 chemicals from Bellini that I have yet to try.

I don't care anymore whether it says Tetenal on a package or another name, the main thing is that I can work with it. In a configuration for home users, in my case 500 ml of diluted solution.

 

[koraks]

Why and how Tetenal went belly-up, I don't know. I do know it hasn't seemed to impact commercial labs much (or at all), and the only people I see complaining about it (and with good reason) are amateurs who process their own film and paper. As such, I don't have the impression that Tetenal's bankruptcy has somehow hindered the 'analog revival'. It had some people resorting to alternative sources for chemistry. I don't think that's a major issue overall, although I welcome Adox' efforts to bring back Tetenal's products.

 

[Andreas Thaler]

I haven't followed the topic. Tetenal has already been revived by a reboot of former employees. Did that fail now too?

Their site is still available:

https://tetenal.com/en/

It all looks very lively there.

 

[koraks]

I haven't followed the topic. Tetenal has already been revived by a reboot of former employees. Did that fail now too?

Yes, it did.

 

[ChrisGalway]

I haven't followed the topic. Tetenal has already been revived by a reboot of former employees. Did that fail now too?

Their site is still available:

https://tetenal.com/

It all looks very lively there.

Emails to info@tetenal.com and orders@tetenal.com (which worked 3 months ago) now bounce. Tetenal appears to be kaput.

Thank goodness for Bellini 7-bath E6, it works well when you get used to it.

 

[ChrisGalway]

I love Tetenal 3-bath e6 but recently I found Ilford 3-bath e6, to a certain extent, it replaced the Tetenal's

Ilford 3-bath E6??? Can you provide a link please?

 

[Andreas Thaler]

Emails to info@tetenal.com and orders@tetenal.com (which worked 3 months ago) now bounce.

Seeing their site still online:

As a PR man, I can only shake my head at this. This is like a ship that is still at sea with its navigation lights on, even though it no longer has a destination or a crew. A ghost ship. Something like this shouldn't happen. Despite everything, there are still customers and interested parties who don't know what's going on. And the memory of a good brand.

 

[koraks]

When a firm goes bankrupt, it effectively ceases to function. It would be up to a curator to fix loose ends like a running website, but they generally have no interest in doing so.

 

[KB Photo]

There's absolutely no sign of major labs facing a shortage of C41 and RA4 chemistry. Firms like Fuji Hunt are pumping out this chemistry by the metric ton - literally. I'm saying this because your argument seems to rely on the logic that firms like Adox might be a bottleneck in the growth of the analog photography industry.

One notable problem with this argument is that to a large extent, this analog revival revolves around color film, and the majority share of this color film is processed by labs. These labs vary in size from tiny one-man operations that may run only a couple of dozen rolls/week to reasonably sizeable ones that run thousands of rolls/ week. Basically every lab that uses minilabs or even larger processing machines (RT/continuous, dip & dunk) use chemistry from manufacturers like Fuji and Champion, and certainly not from Adox. Adox is very good at catering to the requirements of home users, which is typically a high-mix/low-volume business. The low-mix/high-volume business that still processes the bulk of the film shot today is a different realm. There's no bottleneck there. Quite the opposite: that part of the spectrum is characterized by still massive overcapacity.

My statement was a general one not directed at Adox in the least. You appear to be correct that large labs are able to obtain chemicals.

 

[mshchem]

Someone (Adox) should buy Tetenal's website. Still functional it's got nice technical information etc. I don't know how Ilford is managing their chemistry business??? Maybe Harman could get into the business??

 

[koraks]

I don't know how Ilford is managing their chemistry business??? Maybe Harman could get into the business??

What do you mean? Ilford Photo = Harman.

My statement was a general one not directed at Adox in the least.

Ah, I see. It seemed to me that you did direct your post at Adox, since you quoted them.

 

[pentaxuser]

Ilford 3-bath E6??? Can you provide a link please?

Yes that was my immediate question as well

pentaxuser

 

[BMbikerider]

If Tetenal revive, I will keep them at arms length because of the unreliability they have shown over the recent years. They will have to prove themselves to be reliable on the open market before I will use them again.

 

[mshchem]

What do you mean? Ilford Photo = Harman.



Ah, I see. It seemed to me that you did direct your post at Adox, since you quoted them.

Ah, names. I only meant that since I understand that Tetenal produced Ilford branded black and white chemistry for Harman Technology in Germany, that maybe Harman should make their own chemistry like the old days.

 

[Ernst-Jan]

Ah, names. I only meant that since I understand that Tetenal produced Ilford branded black and white chemistry for Harman Technology in Germany, that maybe Harman should make their own chemistry like the old days.

An Ilfosol 3 bottle that I bought in summer from Fotoimpex, next to one I bought last month.

It looks like Harman is not producing it in-house in Mobberly, since it says "made in EU". The Amsterdam address most likely just is a postbox with no real office.
The Harman Technology BV was founded in august last year and "Harman Limited UK" is mentioned as executive. The "branche codes" are "manufacturing of optical equipment" and "manufacturing of computers and related hardware"

https://drimble.nl/bedrijf/amsterdam/53106970/harman-technology-bv.html

 

[DREW WILEY]

Back to HC-110 original style. MSDS sheets aren't required to list every ingredient, just hazardous ones, and with trace or trade secret ingredients exempt from being listed. I know someone who didn't formulate a personal batch; but he had access to a major research lab, and the right background to do it. It was tricky. Certain ingredients aren't ordinarily available.

 

[MattKing]

An Ilfosol 3 bottle that I bought in summer from Fotoimpex, next to one I bought last month.

It looks like Harman is not producing it in-house in Mobberly, since it says "made in EU".

Harman have never made any of the chemicals at Mobberly. I don't know when the pre-Harman Ilford manufactured them at Mobberly, and when they started contracting out manufacture.

 

[mshchem]

An Ilfosol 3 bottle that I bought in summer from Fotoimpex, next to one I bought last month.

It looks like Harman is not producing it in-house in Mobberly, since it says "made in EU". The Amsterdam address most likely just is a postbox with no real office.
The Harman Technology BV was founded in august last year and "Harman Limited UK" is mentioned as executive. The "branche codes" are "manufacturing of optical equipment" and "manufacturing of computers and related hardware"

https://drimble.nl/bedrijf/amsterdam/53106970/harman-technology-bv.html

Well, very good news to see Ilford chemistry coming through without a problem!

 

[mshchem]

Harman have never made any of the chemicals at Mobberly. I don't know when the pre-Harman Ilford manufactured them at Mobberly, and when they started contracting out manufacture.

I remember the time Ilford went through the executive buyout. I panic purchased 10 boxes of Bromophen from B&H. It was made in UK. Took several years before the Ilford powder chemistry was restored.

 

[koraks]

The Amsterdam address most likely just is a postbox with no real office.

Looks like it. There's a couple dozen firms on the same address, virtually all of them in services and likely without any physical presence on that address. For Harman/Ilford, this is clearly intended to circumvent taxes & duties for their European business.

 

[Keith Tapscott.]

This is possibly more for our european customers but because we have to assume that Tetenal is never coming back, we started a little poll which products are missed the most by you guys.
This helps us to focus on what to possibly bring back first.

Link to poll (German)

To be honest, none of the actual Tetenal branded products as there are plenty of suitable alternatives.

Ultrafin T+Plus looks like a TMax developer type and Neofin Blue can be replaced with FX39. Other of their products likewise.

 

[brbo]

Ultrafin T+Plus looks like a TMax developer type

But without Tetenal there is also no T-Max Developer. I'm happy enough with XTol (which is now apparently substituted by XT-3) for everything, but T-Max does do better with TMZ, imho.