Kodak Brazil closures

[tim atherton]

Will the closure of the Kodak Brazil paper plant effect AZO, or have they moved production yet again?

Having just got going with AZO again after a number of years I don't really want to get pulled up short

[Ian Grant]

If Azo was to go out of production (I have no reason to think it will) then with Kodak already only supplying through one distributor it would be remarkably easy for Michael & Paula to approach an alternative manufacturer and have a similar paper made to order.

After all that is exactly what Chicago Albumen did with Kentmere for POP. after their french supplier ceased trading. Silver Chloride emulsions are by far the easiest of the Silver halde emulsions to manufacture, and most manufacturers would have formulae & production notes in their archives.

Ian

[John Z.]

What makes me nervous is that I believe it is a lot harder to produce than you may think, in addition to not being economical. This is why no one else is now making it. I have been told enough AZO has been made to last many years, but we always have to look down the road and speculate what may happen next.

John

[aldevo]

If Azo was to go out of production (I have no reason to think it will) then with Kodak already only supplying through one distributor it would be remarkably easy for Michael & Paula to approach an alternative manufacturer and have a similar paper made to order.

After all that is exactly what Chicago Albumen did with Kentmere for POP. after their french supplier ceased trading. Silver Chloride emulsions are by far the easiest of the Silver halde emulsions to manufacture, and most manufacturers would have formulae & production notes in their archives.

Ian

Ian,

It's a nice thought, but not so easy in practice.

Whoever approaches EK had better be offering them more cash then they would realize in a write-down of the AZO manufacturing plant, property, and equipment. That could prove to be a non-trivial amount.

[Michael A. Smith]

There is enough Azo already made to last many years. And for a number of years we have been working on an alternative. We expect fruition soon. I cannot say more at this time.

[Daniel Grenier]

There is enough Azo already made to last many years. And for a number of years we have been working on an alternative. We expect fruition soon. I cannot say more at this time.

Now there's positive news! Enough Azo for years to come and an alternative if ever we run out! Thanks Michael.

[noseoil]

Kodak will be selling off their capital equipment (cheap, most likely) to recover what they can salvage for their cash flow. There is an opportunity for someone with cash to walk in and buy some manufacturing machines at a good price. Any bets on it heading east or west? tim

[Ian Grant]

Now here's a forward thinker for you, and Michael exactly what I'd expect to here from you. Actually it's going on throughout the industry and will produce new life blood into traditional photography.

I think we'll see excellent new B&W papers from unexpected sources over the next two or three years.

Ian

[Ian Grant]

Err

The coating plant & emulsion manufacturing facilities can be switched from Azo, to Bromide to RA-4, inkjet what ever in a modern facility. Also from paper to film :-)


Ian,

It's a nice thought, but not so easy in practice.

Whoever approaches EK had better be offering them more cash then they would realize in a write-down of the AZO manufacturing plant, property, and equipment. That could prove to be a non-trivial amount.

[Woolliscroft]

Can I ask a dumb question. What is Azo? I have never come across it.

David.

[Ian Grant]

Can I ask a dumb question. What is Azo? I have never come across it.

David.
Azo is a silver rich silver chloride / gelatin paper only really suitable for contact printing due to the very slow emulsions speeds obtainable using AgCl.

As such it's in high demand from a small dedicated bunch of Large & Ultra Large Format photographers.

Chloride emulsions have a potential for far higher tonality and really require negatives exposed and developed to match their capabilities.

Ian

[sergio caetano]

Kodak closed its factory in São Jose dos Campos, São Paulo.
Official news: " Medical products will be made in our factory in Manaus, Amazonas. The rest of products will be supplied by Rochester."
The truth : Professional products disappeared from the shelves of the stores.
Good Bye Kodak.

[Ian Grant]

The truth : Professional products disappeared from the shelves of the stores.
Good Bye Kodak.
Quite wrong

They disappear because markets change and things evolve

Ian

[Aggie]

And somethings in the medical field things do not change. Strange they are retaining film to do exrays on mamograms, because they show more than digital capture does. Tells me what kind of medical equpiment I want when a diagnosis is needed.

[WarEaglemtn]

"What is Azo? I have never come across it."

In your local pharmacy you often come across it on the shelf of treatments for hemmoroids.

[sergio caetano]

Ian
At least 3 great distributors of Kodak here in SP have several orders not attended by Kodak. The owners of these stores are quite upset because they have demand (art schools, professional and hobbyist people) for these products. Kodak argues they are having some trouble with customs in Santos harbour.
I live here in SP, you live in UK. Don't say what you do not know.

[c6h6o3]

Will the closure of the Kodak Brazil paper plant effect AZO, or have they moved production yet again?

Having just got going with AZO again after a number of years I don't really want to get pulled up short

I emailed Michael Smith about this yesterday and he could only respond briefly because he and Paula are doing a workshop this weekend.

Azo has never been made in Brazil. The last master rolls of it that Kodak produced were made in Canada. At that time it was envisioned that any future production runs would take place in Brazil, but now that won't be possible.

However, the last run produced 6 years worth at current consumption levels. We're still at least 3 years away from the precipice, whether you're talking about either grade 2 or grade 3.

Michael will contact Kodak as soon as he can and report back to us as to what their avowed intentions are.

Jim

[tim atherton]

I emailed Michael Smith about this yesterday and he could only respond briefly because he and Paula are doing a workshop this weekend.

Azo has never been made in Brazil. The last master rolls of it that Kodak produced were made in Canada. At that time it was envisioned that any future production runs would take place in Brazil, but now that won't be possible.

However, the last run produced 6 years worth at current consumption levels. We're still at least 3 years away from the precipice, whether you're talking about either grade 2 or grade 3.

Michael will contact Kodak as soon as he can and report back to us as to what their avowed intentions are.

Jim

weird.

I thought in the past Michael said Azo was no longer made in Canada production had been moved to Brazil... probably no one really knows

[c6h6o3]

weird.

I thought in the past Michael said Azo was no longer made in Canada production had been moved to Brazil... probably no one really knows

When they shut down the Canadian operation after running the last master rolls of grade 3, Michael told us that they were planning at that time to move the operation to Brazil. He said this on the Azo Forum; I remember it well. Kodak never made the move for whatever reason. They may set it up somewhere else, they may not.

Anyway, I'm ordering a box this week. There's years' worth left.

[Jim Chinn]

I am confident that "if" the day comes that Kodak's AZO runs out, an alternative will be available. it may be a similar emulsion or the AZO formula produced by someone else. There is a substantial market to provide it as a niche product and from what I gathered at the Texas workshop more and more people wanting to use it.

Perhaps Michael could give us some input on what we, as AZO users, can do now to help make that a reality.