34 replies to this topic

[concept]

First of all does anyone know why Standard sold out to black cat or when home based manufacture ceased, I seem to remember buying some mines in 98 or 99 that were made in England (Golden bee's I think was the name). I noticed that as soon as Black cat took over they made changes(for the worse), they kept the union jack on the standard label for 1 year, then the labels read standard fireworks, now they just say standard. The labels now are so unimaginative, the names are boring as well eg. Caribbean pirates Roman candle and volcano meltdown fountains. What happened to traffic lights and mine or serpents? In my opinion Black cat have ruined standard, but I’ll still be sad to see the day they stop using the brand name and Britain’s most famous firework company fades into the history books.

[skyrocket]

First of all does anyone know why Standard sold out to black cat or when home based manufacture ceased, I seem to remember buying some mines in 98 or 99 that were made in England (Golden bee's I think was the name). I noticed that as soon as Black cat took over they made changes(for the worse), they kept the union jack on the standard label for 1 year, then the labels read standard fireworks, now they just say standard. The labels now are so unimaginative, the names are boring as well eg. Caribbean pirates Roman candle and volcano meltdown fountains. What happened to traffic lights and mine or serpents? In my opinion Black cat have ruined standard, but I'll still be sad to see the day they stop using the brand name and Britain's most famous firework company fades into the history books.

i grew up watching standard fireworks and also astra and brocks can remember standing out there for hours watching when my dad and my uncle fired them, then i went on to do the fireworks when i was old enough, sadly today my garden isnt big enough to fire them but then now i work on displays so i get to set fireworks off for others. anyway what i was going to say it is sad that these companies go, and i guess it would be very difficult for someone to try and make them here now with all the rules.

[pyrotechnist]

I do believe people can still make fireworks here and it isn't way to complicated to do so, it is just the fact people don't want to spend all the money on doing so when it is so much cheaper to import them from china were people are paid pitons to make hundreds of fireworks each and every day.

It is like for instance chicken, I buy chicken pieces and every container I buy is imported from Thailand and why? I think the reason being is 1) people are paid less 2) No need to pay lots of money on keeping the chickens healthy and insured etc and 3) its so much cheaper to import large quantities of it and then send stuff back to them like containers etc etc than paying some poor old farmer more £'s. It is just the same with fireworks, it all balls down to money and how much you can make without spending the majority of it on buying more goods in, paying staff, insurances etc.

Edited by pyrotechnist, 04 October 2008 - 02:30 PM.

[Mortartube]

"It all balls down to money".

Lol. I think you mean boils down to money.

[phildunford]

Yes you are right - all down to money...

I've always thought that the mad flurry of outsourceing to China would not be forever. Sooner or later the people we are exploiting (mostly unknowingly) will want a better standard of living and safety, and when they get it (which they will, communism not withstanding) the advantage to the west, will dwindle.

The only thing that has surprised me is how quickly this is happening. I was amazed to see a 'vox pop' on the news the other day. A western interviewer talking to a woman in a Beijing supermarket about the baby milk scandal. Amazing that this would be allowed in China and amazing to see how 'western' the supermarket looked...

Good job there are people here ready to take up manufacturing again - you will be needed!

[Arthur Brown]

As my personal estimate 50% of the world's fireworks are made in China, 40% in other non G7 countries then about 10% in Britain Germany USA etc.

Realistically if the fireworks factories of China stopped sometime the other countries would have such huge works needed to replace the missing supplies that most would not be able. To get a whole catalogue of new fireworks through classification and testing would take so long that most markets would not get the fireworks they want at the right time if year. However many firework making factories there are in the UK we would need 10 x their annual production to replace the Chinese material, that means getting more of all the raw materials.

[pyrotechnist]

"It all balls down to money".

Lol. I think you mean boils down to money.

Oops lol my bad. Whenever I see the Chinese make fireworks it is great watching them but I always get a feeling that they are just like robots doing the same job constantly and nothing else working and even living at times within the factories which are just slums with dangerous goods inside. O'Well maybe this country will see the sparks fly once again and we will actually make crowds happy with english made fireworks and not eastern goods.

[phildunford]

If there was the requirement and will to produce again in the UK we could do it.

Yes, we shoot ourselves in the foot with legislation, but if China can obtain raw materials so can we - it's just (as has been said) economics...

[pyrotechnist]

I have high hopes and do believe we can make individual companies within the UK producing fireworks though probably not possible now I do believe soon or in the future we all can.

[crystal palace fireworks]

What we need in this country is importation quota`s on fireworks coming into the country, this in turn will give uk firework manufacturing a chance to establish itself once again to supply its own market, we also need less but clearer legislation that in turn encourages small business without compromising our own high standards of safety, plus we need a vote on wether to stay in the EU.

The other problem; is our breeding of deluded & corrupt politicians (who mostly happen to be former lawyers who go to the same posh schools) along with big business that will resist this purely on self interest reasons of explotation of foreign labour (cheap labour).

[pyrotechnist]

Putting it simple this country sucks and so does the EU, a point was made that we cannot make as many fireworks as china. I know this is true but a lot of fireworks from china sold to the general public are to my standard a load of b*lls and are either poor pieces of art or are the same firework put into another label or set of packaging. So I do think we can make a lot of fireworks but fireworks that are actually good and pieces of art.

[Arthur Brown]

Now a strange thing I Know but my nearby 52 week supplier is dropping the Kimbolton range that they hod in favour of the Chinese brands simply because the customers prefer the "Battle to Armageddon" type names rather than the descriptive names.

[crystal palace fireworks]

Couldn`t put it better myself pyrotechnist!

Arthur;- I guess those type of firework names say a lot more about our culture than we imagine.

I wonder what consumer age or demographic group buy the most fireworks nowadays?

[dogsbody]

I popped into my (not so) local supermarket last night and almost in the doorway was the lovely display cabinet bearing standards name/logo, so looks like the seasonal stuff is coming out

[GZ22]

Stumbled across these today:

This is an old poster for Standard:

http://www.corpun.com/14694.jpg

This is a CV for a graphic designer who worked on packaging for Standard (search for '1985' on the page, and there's also a link to the pack he designed):

http://www.stuartraith.me.uk/cv.html#

Edited by GZ22, 11 October 2008 - 04:20 PM.