FACTS ‘N’ FIGURES — Use of photographic silver rises

The use of silver by the photographic industry increased nearly 3% to 232.7 million oz. worldwide in 1997.

The increased use of silver by the industry in 1997 evolved primarily from increased demand for color films and prints in the amateur sector, along with growth in the use of x-ray films and expanded consumption of motion picture films.

In the amateur sector, the number of rolls of color negative film delivered by manufacturers increased 7% last year, equivalent to about 3.4 billion 24-exposure units. Color paper consumption increased by about 8.5%. The combined silver requirements for these two product categories totalled 71.4 million oz.

Overall, the annual volume of amateur photographs has been increasing in recent years at a rate of 5-6% in developed countries and up to 30% in developing countries such as India and China. Due to this steady growth, major manufacturers are significantly increasing their film and paper production capacities throughout the world. For example, U.S.-based photographic firm Kodak is scheduled to complete a new $200-million plant in Ireland this year where film cassettes for Advanced Photo System products are manufactured. Kodak also is enlarging its Australian color paper plant and is increasing its holdings in Chinese and Indian production facilities.

Japan-based Fuji has just completed new facilities in South Carolina at a cost of well over $300 million, and has planned to expand its activities in China. Agfa has also completed a new color paper and film finishing plant in North Carolina and invested $10.5 million in the Agfa Wuxi Film Production in China. Finally, Konica has increased its production capacity in North Carolina by 50%, and is planning the construction of a new $400-million manufacturing plant in Japan, which will be operational by 2000.

According to Washington, D.C.-based The Silver Institute, such capital investments as those described above show that there has been no retreat from silver-

based imaging systems. Even experts from high-technology firms such as Sony, Texas Instruments, Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba, Adobe and Microsoft have acknowledged that digital photography will develop as a separate industry serving to supplement, not replace, silver-based amateur photography.

The consumption of x-ray films increased by about 2.5% in 1997, while demand for industrial and dental x-ray films moved upward by about 5%. This brought the aggregate silver requirement for these three product types to 87.5 million oz.

Motion picture film consumption grew by 8%. Graphic-arts-type films and continuous-tone black-and-white papers remained nearly unchanged, while consumption of graphic-arts-type black-and-white papers continued to diminish appreciably.

Photography is among the top uses of silver, along with jewelry, silverware and industrial applications.

— From a release by Washington, D.C.-based The Silver Institute.