Gast
Dear Mirko,
I saw an update about Forte on the forum.
The automatic translation from German to English is causing some confusion.
Could you please provide a summary and an update on the Forte situation?
Many thanks
Daniele
MirkoBoeddecker
Daniele,
the only real news is that they completed the first run with a small profit and the administrator decided to continue production for another coating cycle.
So this does not mean they are out of the woods yet, but the order volumes that we and other key customers placed with them, along with the advance payment we provided, enabled them to carry out profitable production.
They are currently reducing surplus staff (with severance pay) and the initial reorganisation process has begun.
The administrator appears to be trying to assess how profitable the company can be under Chapter 11 in order to gather information for discussions with potential investors.
So at this stage, the news is as positive as it can be. We cannot expect more at this point.
We will have new warm-tone paper available in about two weeks and will continue to do everything we can to help Forte as far as it is within our means.
I have also asked all customers once again to provide us with their demand forecasts in advance or to place orders in good time so that we can organise supplies as effectively as possible for you all. If you could let us know something like: ‘In August, I need 40 boxes of 8x10 Warmtone, glossy’, we can ensure you receive them. If you contact us just two weeks before that date, there is a chance we may not be able to supply the full order in time.
If you are from the US, please contact John at JandC; he will consolidate orders and forward US allocations to me. The same applies to Nigel in the UK (Retrophotographic.com)
Best regards from the North Sea coast of Germany,
Mirko
PS I am on a very slow mobile connection here and won’t be able to check again until Monday.
Gast
Hello Mirko!
In France, there are some rumours about Forte:
The first is that it will close very soon. Apparently, this isn’t true?
The main one is that Bergger is going to buy Forte in order to have its own production plant for film and paper.
Another rumour is that a joint venture is going to be ‘set up’ to buy Forte.
Will you be part of such a joint venture, or will Forte soon be called Bergger?
Cheers!
MirkoBoeddecker
Georges,
I cannot comment on this.
All I can say is that whoever “buys” Forte, should the administrator decide to sell it, will need turnover, turnover, turnover.
A paper mill the size of Forte has extremely high fixed costs and needs thousands of square metres of production to be profitable.
It is theoretically possible that Bergger could become part of such a joint venture, as could anyone else who is willing and able to invest or can guarantee a certain minimum annual turnover.
But as I said: nothing has been decided yet and there is no point in getting worked up about it.
We’ll see what happens. Any help is appreciated. The most important thing is that they carry on.
Whoever provides the money in the end isn’t that important, I think.
Regards,
Mirko
