Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Kershaw  Ian,
From your various comments, do I take it that you worked for Kentmere Photographic at some point?
Tom. |
No the only contact I've ever had with Kentmere has been at trade shows, and as a customer. I knew they recruited a new emulsion chemist a few years ago because I saw their adverts, which looked as if they knew exactly who they wanted. Within a very short period of time Kentmere launched variable contrast papers.
Because I worked as a photographic chemist for 10 years I had a little contact with Kodak, they sent a sales rep who had previously worked on emulsion research at Harrow (for many years) to see what we were doing.. For a short period I trialled an Ilford emulsion, so had contact with some of their research & sales people. Alongside this I worked with a consultant who's mother was a member of the Lumiere family, the French pioneers of the Autochrome process.
Although I changed direction in 1986 I still had contacts through work with a number of senior people in the film & paper side of the photo trade, including manufacturers & wholesalers.
So no I don't have any inside knowledge of Kentmere. But I do know Kentmere's always been fairly well run, was able to invest in a new coating line and as other companies suffered quietly held its own. I know another member of APUG looked at their accounts filed with Companies House (UK) just over a year ago and was very surprised how healthy their sales were compared to the shrinking sales of all their competitors.
Ian