Thank you for your reply.
Yes, I’ve heard about that peculiar network of companies too.
Regarding the history of the Combi-Plan, here is a quote from a marketing representative at ‘HP’:
No, it is currently manufactured in Gotene, Sweden. It has also been manufactured in Germany and in Newark, NJ.
But it was never designed in either Sweden or the US; it was designed in Germany and originally sold as the Krause Tank, as that was the name of the designer/manufacturer in Germany. It then became the Gepe Tank when Gepe purchased it in the early 70s. In the early 80s, we at HP Marketing Corp. purchased the system from Gepe and moved production to the US for a few years. When that did not work out satisfactorily, we transferred the tools back to Sweden, where it is still manufactured today at the BiWex factory.
--Bob Salomon, HP Marketing Corp.
(Source:
http://largeformatphotography.info/lfforum...ic/498859.html)
Translation:
No, it is currently manufactured in Gotene, Sweden. It was also produced in Germany and Newark (New Jersey).
However, it was developed neither in Sweden nor in the USA. It was developed in Germany and originally sold as the Krause tank, as that was the name of the German manufacturer.
It then became the Gepe tank when the company Gepe took over production in the early 70s.
In the early 1980s, the company ‘HP Marketing Corp.’ acquired the system from Gepe and relocated production to the USA for a few years. When this proved unsatisfactory, the tools (injection moulds?) were moved back to Sweden, where the cistern is still manufactured today at the BiWex factory.
More on the history of the Combi-Plan, probably by the same author:
The Combi line of tanks began in the 1940s as the Krause Combi Tank system in Germany. The inventor, Krause, was a machinist who enjoyed photography and wanted a simpler system for processing roll, 35mm, 45 and 57 films than the tanks currently available on the market. He invented and built the entire system (35mm and 120/220 centre-load reels that actually worked – loaded centre-out like stainless steel and could be loaded with one hand (we received letters from amputees stating these were the only reels they could load!
And he felt that inversion processing was best for consistent results. So all tanks, including the one for 5x7, were designed for inversion. As the tanks could hold various sizes, he named them the Combi system.
Eventually, Krause sold the entire system to Gepe, who retained the name and manufactured them in Gotene, Sweden, at their BiWex factory. When Gepe’s distribution switched to Braun in the US, Gepe had to either stop marketing these tanks in the US (Braun was the Paterson distributor in the US and Combi was a competitor with a better system featuring an easier-to-load reel; Paterson would have withdrawn the franchise if Braun imported Combi), so Gepe sold the system to HP Marketing.
We retained the established names (Combina for reel tanks and CombiPlan for sheet film systems) and manufactured them in Newark, NJ.
As the moulds were designed for European moulding machines, we found that our manufacturing and assembly facility was struggling to use and maintain them; so when we became part of the Gepe Group of companies in the early 1980s, we moved production of the tanks back to Gotene.
So the marketing genius was the inventor over 50 years ago. The name worked for him, Gepe and us, so why change it? The only other name we are aware of it being sold under was the Linhof tank, as Linhof has distributed it in Germany for more than 30 years.
(Source:
http://www.photographytalk.net/viewtopic.p...d=47260#p47260)
Translation:
The "Combi" range of development tanks first appeared in the 1940s as the "Krause Combi-Tank".
The developer, Krause, was a toolmaker who enjoyed photography and wanted a simpler system for developing roll film, 35mm film and sheet film than was available on the market at the time.
He designed and manufactured the entire system (stainless steel 35mm and roll film spools that were loaded from the centre and were so easy to use that it is said they could even be operated with one hand).
And he was a proponent of tilt-and-turn development.
Consequently, all tanks, including the 5x7" model, were designed for tilt-and-turn development.
As it could process various film sizes, the system was dubbed the "Combi-System".
Eventually, Krause sold the entire system to Gepe, who retained the name and manufactured it at their BiWex factory in Gotene, Sweden.
When Braun took over Gepe’s US distribution, Gepe had to stop selling these tanks in the US, as Braun was the US distributor for Paterson. The Combi-System was a superior competitor to the Paterson tanks, and Paterson would have revoked Braun’s distribution licence if Braun had imported Combi.
Gepe therefore sold the Combi system to HP Marketing.
The company retained the established names ‘Combina’ for 35mm and roll film tanks and ‘Combi-Plan’ for the sheet film tank, and produced them in Newark, New Jersey.
As the injection moulds had been developed for European machines, there were production problems (NB: presumably metric parts!), so that when HP Marketing became part of the Gepe Group in the 1980s, production of the tanks was relocated back to Gotene in Sweden.
So the marketing genius was the developer over 50 years ago. The name worked for him, for Gepe and for HP; so why change it?
The only other name under which this tank was sold is Linhof, as Linhof distributed this tank in Germany for over 30 years.
Please excuse the somewhat clumsy German; I’ve just jotted this down and haven’t polished it up. The meaning should be clear.
Perhaps the company name BiWex will be of some use, or maybe the email address of the author of the posts I’ve quoted.
I think I’ll send him an email now.
