al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 To nobody's surprise, I'm sure. The consumer film unit is up for sale. http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/040819/belgium_agfa_gevaert_1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 It's been sold and this has been posted, more than once. Use the search engine, or just look through recent posts and these repetitive posts would be a lot less likely to occur. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 No Jeff - it isn't repetitive nor has the unit been sold. Goldman Sachs is trying to put together a deal to sell the unit. None has been announced. According a Wall St. Journal Online article (which I can't post the link of) - there are no prospects at present. This has been speculated, but Agfa did not commit to a sale of the unit until today. They only announced in the past that Goldman Sachs had been retained to examine the possibility. So it isn't old news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_james Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Jeff, the story has a date of 8/19. It identifies a buyer, and states that the sale will be completed in November. So it hasn't been sold yet, and it isn't old news. I also found no recent posts about Agfa's film business being sold. Where did you find them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 The outfit that is buying them has a bit of a "buy and re-sell" reputation. I would not be surprised if the unit were to change hands again shortly...which may mean that they will leave well enough along until the unit is moved. Or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joris_van_looveren Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 <a href="http://news.agfa.com/corporate/news.nsf/news/F07C0210ECC86EA9C1256EF3004D27CE?opendocument">Agfa's own press release</a> is a bit more readable... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 <a href="http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=009DZt">Here.</a> Posted yesterday. A pending sale was announced. That's very different than being "up for sale." Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don_james Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I've never ventured into the "Photography News" forum, so I appreciate Al posting it here, where Agfa's B&W products are discussed daily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 This could be good news for the future of their B&W products. Though a management buyout, I don't know what sway the vc company will have in the arrangment. I simply can't imagine a vc company getting involved in something so "moribund" as film now without some big payout down the road, such as through sale of the unit. But in the short-term this could have turned out much worse I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott_eaton Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 I have respect for many of Agfa's B/W products, but I wouldn't offer a pocket's worth of change for their color division; which happens to be $3.47 at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 Scott, It's very possible that the entire value proposition for the VC company backing the management buyout IS the color division. And it has nothing to do with *making* film. Agfa has gotten the snot beaten out of it in the color *film* market, yes, but it more than holds its own with processing equipment. At what point (and possibly still to this day...wouldn't know) they had an exclusive supplier arrangement with WalMart to supply C-41 processing equipment. I agree that most of Agfa's C-41 film stuff is plain awful. To my eye, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth_harper Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Does this mean that Agfa will keep in it's own hands the pro film. Can I assume APX is safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_divenuti Posted August 20, 2004 Author Share Posted August 20, 2004 Gareth - I would assume nothing. All we know is that the unit will no longer be part of Agfa Gevaert. What will and will not survive survive the management teams's and VC's reaper is not known. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ann_clancy6 Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 fyi http://news.agfa.com/corporate/news.nsf/news/F07C0210ECC86EA9C1256EF3004D27CE?opendocument Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 <i>Does this mean that Agfa will keep in it's own hands the pro film. </i><p> It's not that difficult to read the reports on Agfa. There are two divisions that manufacture film. One is the Consumer Division that is being bought out. The other is a special products division that sells motion picture film and a few other special products to General Electric. That's it. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth_harper Posted August 20, 2004 Share Posted August 20, 2004 Sods law, just as I'm starting to get into APX100/400 it appears it may be under threat.Now what about Rodinal? It doesn't bear thinking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arachnophilia Posted August 22, 2004 Share Posted August 22, 2004 yeah, ditto on the apx. great stuff. well, the 100 anyway. the 400 developed too thin for me. hopefully it's safe, otherwise i'm buying a couple of bulk rolls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_waller Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 I'd be very sad to see the end of APX and mortified by the prospect of the demise of Rodinal. Mind you, that latter could easily be made by anybody else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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