Ilford Imaging Switzerland in trouble

[Robin P]

My brother who lives in Switzerland near the Ilford factory just sent me this link
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/culture/Film_photography_soon_to_be_a_luxury.html?cid=36982226&rss=true
He said "They’ve already “almost” gone under twice in the last 2 years. They must have found another nostalgic backer with loads of spare cash!
A bloke in the village left Ilford last month as his August salary couldn’t be guaranteed and took a job as a solar panel installer (former electrician)"

 

[David_Manning]

Sad to see. I've never had a Cibachrome printed, but thought about it. Cost was the barrier.

 

[bsdunek]

Just another sad event in the film to digital process. I guess you can make digital/printed photos as good as Cibachrome, bit I've never seen one. Still, labor and material cost are so much more than digital...

 

[Sparrow]

Ilford photo is a pioneering professional imaging specialist based in Mobberley, Cheshire in the centre of the United Kingdom.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Ilford photo is a pioneering professional imaging specialist based in Mobberley, Cheshire in the centre of the United Kingdom.

And, to make things still clearer, is under NO threat whatsoever from whatever happens to the entirely separate company in Switzerland.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sparrow]

And, to make things still clearer, is under NO threat whatsoever from whatever happens to the entirely separate company in Switzerland.

Cheers,

R.

... sorry for the nuance, I forgot this was the internet

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

Wait another two months and the "news" that Ilford is in trouble will pop up again...
(There is no history if it is not in the net, and that history will go away in two months...)

 

[Robin P]

And, to make things still clearer, is under NO threat whatsoever from whatever happens to the entirely separate company in Switzerland.

Cheers,

R.

Which is exactly why I made sure the word Switzerland was in the subject of the thread, no intention of raising scare stories about the UK based source of many folks' film.
Personally whilst never being in the market for Cibachrome I have been a regular satisfied user of the "Swiss Ilford" inkjet paper.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Which is exactly why I made sure the word Switzerland was in the subject of the thread, no intention of raising scare stories about the UK based source of many folks' film.
Personally whilst never being in the market for Cibachrome I have been a regular satisfied user of the "Swiss Ilford" inkjet paper.

Indeed. I was merely reinforcing the point for those who might not realize. For my money, it was very unfortunate that the Swiss held on the Ilford name at all.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Sparrow]

Indeed. I was merely reinforcing the point for those who might not realize. For my money, it was very unfortunate that the Swiss held on the Ilford name at all.

Cheers,

R.

... and I was just pointing out it was bollocks

 

[HHPhoto]

Oh my good, what a badly written article.
So much nonsense and misleading information!!
Shame on the person who has written this crap.

For years Ilford Imaging Switzerland has been a company with major focus on digital photography, not on traditional photography.
Ilfochrome and their micrographic color microfilm have been their niche products.
Their main products for about ten years have been inkjet papers.

And the inkjet paper market is in trouble:
- inkjet printing is much too expensive because of the outrageous prices of the inks (600 - 1100 € per litre depending on the printer)
- having the digital files printed via online labs or local labs with laser printers on traditional silver-halide RA-4 paper is much much cheaper, and delivering better quality
- therefore RA-4 paper is still the global market leader with highest market share of all printing paper types (more than 600 million m² p.a. RA-4 are sold)
- there is a gigantic competition and enormous pressure on margins in the inkjet paper market; too much manufacturers, too high capacities.

Ilford Imaging has the problems because of the inkjet market.
Nevertheless they will continue. The latest news is that the insolvency has been avoided successfully.

Cheers, Jan

 

[Robin P]

Oh my good, what a badly written article.
So much nonsense and misleading information!!
Shame on the person who has written this crap.
Cheers, Jan

Absolutely! - but I didn't comment on that because regretably it seems to be the norm for internet articles about niche interests to be sensationalist rubbish - ever watch a television program about a subject you know well...... exactly the same problem.

 

[Rangefinderfreak]

The whole rant should have been deleted in the first place...