[pure-silver] Re: AgfaPhoto Insolvency

Hi again,

At 19:23 27.05.2005, you wrote:

>Fixed grade papers where killed off and staff put into retirement long long
>before the spin-off.

Not quite, at the Club I could still get the stuff late last year,=20
November. And I did get some. There is always a time lag, I think they got=
=20
a *lot* of stuff returned from the dealers, as they were handing back their=
=20
inventory after lack in demand.
And it was still on the product list this March.

> > gradation as well as fixed gradation baryt papers were gone. They=
 only=3D20
> > wanted to support multi-contrast (in RC anf FB).
>
>This has been the case for at least 2 years--- and the word was out at=
 least
>a year or so before that.

Again, see above. I think we at the Club were kind of privileged and could=
=20
tap into not so official sources...

> > Don=3DB4t know what will happen to Rodinal and the paper developers.
>
>Why? Easy to make, good margins.

Easy to make certainly, good margins too, but if you only sell three=20
bottles a month to some old foageys its probably not worth it.... I think=20
margins are not the problem besetting the traditional film industry. The=20
margins are probably vastly better than selling digital cameras, after all=
=20
they had over 100 years to tune their manufacturing processes. I think lack=
=20
of demand is the problem and you simply need an ample volume of stuff to=20
make it worth your while.


> > Incidentally I think this might also hit other film manufacturers=20
> because=3D20
> > AGFA makes the 35mm-film CARTRIDGES for a lot of other film companies=20
> (also=3D
> > =3D20
> > Fuji, Kodak etc).
>
>One needs to understand that in the management buy-out there was an influx
>of venture capital investment and unless AgfaPhoto was a "freak show" they
>got no less than 1/2 of the total from Kreditanstalt f=FCr Weideraufbau and=
=20
>other
>German government sources, tax credits etc.. The trick is to "invest"=
 without
>really putting any "real" money in, cut costs, increase short term=20
>profitability
>and quickly sell for a profit.

Well I think AGFA is an old-age pensioner club in my mind. I know several=20
people (through the club) who work at AGFA, and boy they were almost always=
=20
on holiday, taking off overtime etc. I think they were really only=20
productive for about half the time, the rest was time off...And the average=
=20
age of AGFA employees is well over 50 I believe. So not quite a freak show=
=20
but definitely an anachronism. Don=B4t get me wrong: they are wonderful=20
folks...but they are hardly ever there...

Ralph: the AGFA Club meets first Wednesday of the month in the AGFA=20
building in Munich....next meeting is Wednesday June1st. There is also an=20
AGFA Photoclub in Leverkusen (if thats closer to you), but I don=B4t know=20
when they meet, I can find out for you though.

Love
Snoopy

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