FOMA Bohemia Ltd. is a producer of photographic materials with long tradition. It has been founded in March 1995 through the privatization of the National Enterprise FOMA (FOTOCHEMA before 1990). FOMA Bohemia one the filial companie – FOMAMURES S.R.L. in Romania.

The History

The firm's origin is dated from 1921 when a company named FOTOCHEMA Ltd. in Hradec Králové has been founded. Its products were delivered with a brand name FOMA. At first only photographic plates and processing chemicals were produced.
After a period of ten years the production of black-and-white papers and a year later the production of black-and-white roll films were opened.
In 1949 after the National Enterprise FOTOCHEMA was established, the range of products has extended comprising X-ray films, black-and-white positive copy film, black-and-white papers for industrial use, black-and-white reversal film, colour paper, colour negative film and colour reversal film.
After 1990 essential changes were made and the production of black-and-white light sensitive materials has become the dominant production program of the company.

Present times

At the present time at about 300 employees work for FOMA.
At the same time as the new production tendency was defined, a lot of attention was paid to improvement of new technologies with an aim to develop materials of new generation to be able to stand up to competition with foreign materials on the market.
Since September 1997, when this has been confirmed with a certificate all activities of FOMA comply with the international standard ISO 9001.

The actual offer of FOMA Bohemia Ltd comprises the following products

– for amateur and professional photographers FOMAPAN black-and-white negative films, FOMASPEED black-and-white papers with fixed and variable contrast, FOMABROM black-and-white papers with fixed contrast, FOMATONE black-and-white papers with warm tone; – for medical use MEDIX X-ray films for medical use - for conventional and up-to-date diagnostic methods, in a wide choice of general and special types including dental X-ray films. – for industrial defectoskopy INDUX X-ray films for industrial use – for non-destructive testing (NDT), completed by an additional assortment of products, service and consulting; – special materials papers and fotopapers for inkjet printers, films for dosimetry, black-and-white films for aerial photography, films for surveillance of indoor spaces and traffic, foil for use in criminal investigations, registration paper for tachographs of motorized rail vehicles; processing chemicals for all kinds of delivered materials as liquid concentrates or in solid form, toning solutions and wetting agents.

Significant dates of the firm's history

1921 – establishing of the company

1931 – production of black-and-white papers

1932 – production of roll films

1935 – golden medal at the international exhibition in Brussels

1937 – golden medal at the international exhibition in Paris

1938 – golden medal at the international exhibition in Lublin

1949 – production of X-ray films MEDIX for medical use

1953 – production of cine positive films

1958 – production of colour papers FOMACOLOR

1966 – 1972 reconstruction of the factory in Hradec Králové

1972 – production of colour reversal films FOMACHROM

1988 – production of X-ray films for industrial radiography

1990 – change of the firm's name to FOMA, production of black-and-white
            papers resumed

1995 – production of dental X-ray films DENTIX
         – privatization of the enterprise
        – FOMA Bohemia Ltd has come into being

1996 – production of films for personal dosimetry,
        – purchase of the Polish company FOTON Bydgoszcz

1997 – implementation of the quality control system according
            to ISO 9001 standard

1999 – production and sale ot inkjet materials

2000 – production of registration papers for transport
         – certification of medical products EN 46001:1996 and recertification
            EN ISO 9001

2001 – acquirement of the certificate CE for medical X-ray films

2002 – development and production of NDT X-ray diagnostics for radioscopy

2003 – production and sale of radiographic systems for health service
         – receiving of the certificate CE for sale of radiographic devices

2004 – establishment of the Romanian company FOMAMURES S.R.L.

           – initiation of cooperation with FUJIFILM Netherlands, establishment of

           the subsidiary company FOMAMURES in Romania

2005 – expansion of black-and-write paper assortment of the type FOMABROM Variant, expansion of NDT film assortment of the type Fomapak

2006 – expansion of black-and-write paper assortment of FOMATONE 532

2007 – defence of EN ISO 9001 for the period of 2007 - 2010

2008 – expansion of NDT film series of Indux R3 .Indux R2

2009 – investments in ecology and sewerage water purity, expansion of dental film assortment of the type Dentix X-Stream E/F

2010 – power supply recostruction (reduction of emissions CO2 +NO2) 

Economic

The rightness of the way that was chosen after 1990 is confirmed with a constantly increasing export. In 2003 the FOMA materials were exported nearly to 50 countries, such as Germany, Spain, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, Italy, Great Britain, USA, India, Nigeria, Venezuela etc.

FOMA Bohemia Ltd. member of BOCHEMIE GROUP

Main area of firm's activity development, production and purchase of photographic films, papers and processing chemistry

Membership in associations:

Chamber of Commerce of the Czech Republic
Association of Industry of the Czech Republic
Chamber of Photographers of the Czech Republic
Union of Trade the of the Czech Republic, section Photo
Czech Society for Non-Destructive Defectoscopy
Association of manufacturers and suppliers of Medical Devices
American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT)