Launch plant roll-up and the investor's 180M THB question

Decided (user, October 2026): the plant launches with everything in one
capital round, commissioned in sequence: one Newbilt Duplex system, one
Classic, a Pheenix galvanics line with ZLD water, the Sibert line, a
Sillitoe cutting room, and the modular steam and cooling plant (2 x 500
kg/h boilers, 2 x 250 kW chillers, rooms for four each). No bridge
stampers, no outsourced cutting; cassette and CD-R stay; the second
Duplex and further Classics are growth options, not in the investment.

total-investment.md: new 'Launch plant' roll-up, 4.9M to 8.9M USD,
161M to 292M THB incl. 15 % contingency (midpoint ~227M), with what is
left out (ramp-up reserve ~10-20M THB, CD replication, financing, FX,
archive shelving) and the BOI assumption. The investor's question (180M
THB, maybe +20 % = 216M): fits at the low end only; at the midpoint four
levers that keep every machine (solar via PPA, metrology launch tier,
galvanics near OMS's reference, visitor corridor later) give ~193M, plus
reserve ~203-213M, inside 216M; 180M needs low quotes. The quotes that
decide it: Newbilt (Duplex, Classic), Pheenix galvanics, building with
soil test, metrology. Old full vision and phased entry marked superseded
until the mirrors are re-based.

Utilities CSV: chiller bank two modules (4.9-7.9M THB), boiler note for
B-1 and B-2 at launch, ZLD and DI rows now launch scope (carried with
galvanics); baseline 28.47M-48.73M THB. README project status.

README.md

@@ -67,6 +67,15 @@ steps are open planning items.
   investor (October 2026). Post-show follow-ups with Pheenix, Sibert, OMS
   and SST are in the
   [exhibitor briefing](docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md#after-the-show).
+- The plant now launches with everything in one capital round (October
+  2026): one Newbilt Duplex system and one Classic, a Pheenix galvanics
+  line, the Sibert stamper-prep line, a Sillitoe cutting room and the
+  modular boiler and chiller plant. The investor asked whether it can be
+  built for 180M THB, possibly 20 % more: on current estimates it costs
+  ~161M to 292M THB (midpoint ~227M), so 216M is a realistic target with
+  four levers and 180M a low-quote case
+  ([total investment](docs/finance/total-investment.md#launch-plant-october-2026)).
+  The business plan is being re-based on it.
 
 ## Planning Documents
 

docs/finance/total-investment.md

@@ -12,7 +12,111 @@ wherever they appear next to their source document, and converted here at
 July 2026; the underlying THB estimates are unchanged, because EUR/THB at
 ~38 is where it was when they were made.
 
-## Full vision, all blocks
+## Launch plant (October 2026)
+
+Decided (user, October 2026): the plant launches **with everything in one
+capital round**, commissioned in sequence, with no bridge stampers and no
+outsourced cutting:
+
+- one **Newbilt Duplex** system: two HRP 12 semi-automatic presses, an
+  EX 50 main and an EX 35 colour extruder
+  ([pressing line](../equipment/pressing-line.md));
+- one **Newbilt Classic** fully automatic press;
+- one **Pheenix Alpha** galvanics line (PASU, PPPU, one PDPU, PMPB) with
+  zero-discharge water treatment
+  ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md));
+- the **Sibert** stamper-prep line (VSF, VSP, VSC);
+- a **Sillitoe SDMS** cutting room
+  ([vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md#mastering-and-cutting-sillitoe-audio-technology-australia));
+- the **modular steam and cooling plant**: two 500 kg/h boiler modules and
+  two 250 kW chiller modules, in a boiler hall and a chiller compound
+  built for four each ([scale](../scale.md#utility-phasing-backbone-once-modules-with-the-presses)).
+
+Cassette and CD-R duplication stay in. The second Duplex system and the
+further Classics are growth options with room reserved, not in this
+investment. Three presses make roughly 0.7 to 0.95 million records a year
+on two shifts (estimate: the [scale](../scale.md) basis gives ~0.71 to
+0.97 million, the planning rates of the
+[fleet calculator](../fleet-calculator.html) ~0.94 million).
+
+| Block | USD | THB | Basis |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| Phase 0: BOI consultant, legal and lease work, soil test, re-quotes | 40k – 80k | 1.3M – 2.6M | estimate |
+| Newbilt Duplex system (two HRP 12, EX 50 + EX 35, trimmer, label oven, shrink wrapper, grinder, label punch) | 350k – 370k | 11.6M – 12.2M | 2024 quote EUR 200,500 for the Single 2.1 plus the quoted second press and extruder ~USD 115k; expired, re-quote |
+| Newbilt Classic | 290k – 460k | 9.6M – 15.2M | placeholder (the old AD12 band per press); **no Newbilt price on file** |
+| Pheenix galvanics line (PASU, PPPU, PDPU, PMPB) | 320k – 650k | 10.6M – 21.4M | estimate; **no Pheenix price on file**; OMS's reference prices for a 4-cell wet room (EUR 224k to 311k, ~USD 259k to 359k) sit at the low end |
+| Galvanics water: ZLD evaporator and DI water | 97k – 258k | 3.2M – 8.5M | [utilities CSV](utilities-investment.csv) rows, now launch scope |
+| Water-treatment building next to galvanics (~12 × 10 m, proposed) | 52k – 87k | 1.7M – 2.9M | estimate at the building rate below |
+| Sibert VSF, VSP, VSC | 250k | 8.3M | Sibert's budget confirmation, 5 October 2026; its time, spares, shipping and travel in the freight and working-capital lines |
+| Cutting room: Sillitoe SDMS, spare cutterhead and support, mastering console and chain, monitoring, room build-out | 200k – 350k | 6.6M – 11.6M | SDMS list price USD 125k (ex tax and shipping); the rest estimate |
+| Metrology and QC stack (XRF, laser confocal, wide-area profiler, inline vision on three presses, audio station) | 350k – 810k | 11.6M – 26.7M | estimate, phaseable ([quality automation](../quality-automation.md)) |
+| PVC lab, day-one tier | 55k – 150k | 1.8M – 5.0M | estimate, [quality automation](../quality-automation.md) |
+| Utilities, solar, battery, HVAC, clean zones, racking | 863k – 1,477k | 28.5M – 48.7M | [utilities CSV](utilities-investment.csv) baseline re-sized for three presses: chiller bank two modules instead of three |
+| Building ~1,500 m² plus civil and site works | 650k – 1,100k | 21.4M – 36.3M | estimate at 12,000 – 20,000 THB/m² plus ~20 % site works; soil is the main variable |
+| Overhead crane, runway, frame premium, machine door | 97k – 227k | 3.2M – 7.5M | estimate, [crane, workshop and tours](../crane-workshop-tours.md) |
+| Maintenance workshop and machine bay fit-out | 30k – 76k | 1.0M – 2.5M | estimate, same |
+| Visitor corridor and accessible entrance | 67k – 148k | 2.2M – 4.9M | estimate, same |
+| Utility yard built for four boiler and four chiller modules | 73k – 122k | 2.4M – 4.0M | estimate, [scale](../scale.md#detached-utility-yard-parking-and-what-that-moves) |
+| Factory software, ERPNext, artist platform public side | 115k – 310k | 3.8M – 10.2M | estimate: factory software 60k – 170k, ERPNext implementation 15k – 50k ([digital factory](../digital-factory.md#erpnext-the-plants-erp)), artist platform 40k – 90k ([artist platform](../artist-platform.md)) |
+| Cassette duplication and CD-R duplication | 55k – 190k | 1.8M – 6.3M | estimate, business plan sections 4.8 and 4.9 |
+| Freight, installation, commissioning, training (Pheenix, Sibert, Sillitoe, Newbilt beyond its quoted 5 days) | 150k – 300k | 5.0M – 9.9M | estimate |
+| Working capital, PVC stock, spares, lease deposit, first-year rent | 135k – 290k | 4.5M – 9.6M | estimate; land is leased, so no land purchase |
+| Subtotal | ~4.24M – 7.71M | ~140M – 254M | |
+| Contingency 15 % | ~0.64M – 1.16M | ~21M – 38M | |
+| **Total, launch plant** | **~4.9M – 8.9M USD** | **~161M – 292M THB** | midpoint ~6.9M USD, ~227M THB |
+
+Not in the total: a **reserve for the ramp-up** (staff hired before first
+revenue, overheads until volume covers them; ~10M to 20M THB, estimate),
+CD replication, financing costs, currency moves, and the archive's mobile
+shelving (to quote). The blocks are vendor prices without Thai duty or
+import VAT, so they assume BOI promotion: without it, ~5 % duty on ~2.3M
+USD of imported machinery (~0.11M USD) comes on top, plus ~0.17M USD of
+import VAT paid at the border and reclaimed later (estimates).
+
+### The investor's question: 180M THB, maybe 20 % more (October 2026)
+
+The project's investor asked whether the plant can be built for **180M
+THB (~5.45M USD), possibly up to 20 % more (216M THB, ~6.55M USD)**.
+
+| Case | Launch plant | Against 180M | Against 216M |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| Low end of every block | ~161M THB | fits, ~19M to spare | fits |
+| Midpoint | ~227M THB | ~47M over | ~11M over |
+| High end of every block | ~292M THB | ~112M over | ~76M over |
+
+**Read honestly: 216M THB is a realistic target for the full equipment
+list; 180M THB holds only if the open quotes land low.** At the midpoint
+four levers bring the plant inside 216M without dropping any of the
+machines decided above (midpoint values with their share of the
+contingency, estimates):
+
+| Lever | Saves | Launch plant after it |
+|---|---|---|
+| Rooftop solar and battery through a solar PPA (the EPC owns and finances the array, the plant buys the power) instead of buying them | ~12.3M THB | ~214M THB |
+| Metrology launch tier (XRF, inline vision, audio station), the laser confocal and the wide-area profiler bought from revenue | ~10.1M THB | ~204M THB |
+| Pheenix galvanics priced near OMS's reference for a 4-cell wet room | ~6.7M THB | ~198M THB |
+| Visitor corridor built later; the plant runs without public tours at first | ~4.1M THB | ~193M THB |
+
+Add the ramp-up reserve of ~10M to 20M THB and that is **~203M to 213M
+THB, inside the 216M**. Reaching 180M at the midpoint needs scope cuts on
+top: cassette and CD-R later (~4.6M THB) and renting a crane for the
+installations while the frame stays crane-ready (~3.7M THB) give ~185M
+before the reserve, still above 180M, so 180M is a low-quote outcome, not
+a plan.
+
+What decides it: the two largest machine lines have no price at all (the
+Classic and the Pheenix galvanics line), and the building depends on the
+soil. Four requests settle most of the band: the Newbilt re-quote for the
+Duplex and the Classic, a Pheenix quote for the galvanics line, the
+building RFQ with a soil test, and distributor quotes for the metrology
+stack. Until they are in, quote **~216M THB** to the investor as the
+target with the levers above, and 180M as the low-quote case.
+
+## Full vision, all blocks (July 2026, superseded)
+
+The five-press full vision below is superseded by the launch plant above.
+It stays until the documents that quote its 4.7M to 8.9M USD total (README,
+roadmap, revenue model, business plan) are re-based on the launch plant.
 
 | Block | USD | THB | Basis |
 |---|---|---|---|
@@ -54,10 +158,12 @@ building, software and stamper prep lines, and the contingency on top).
 | Archive mobile shelving for the father and mother archive (October 2026) | to quote | to quote | not in the sum: A-Z Solutions publishes no prices; quote it and a Thai supplier ([facility security](../facility-security.md#archive-room-mobile-shelving)) |
 | **Added so far** | **~678k – 1,027k** | **~22.3M – 33.9M** | about 13 to 17% on the full-vision subtotal |
 
-## Phased entry
+## Phased entry (superseded October 2026)
 
-A credible launch phase is far smaller, roughly **1.7M to 2.9M USD
-(~57M to 95M THB)**:
+Superseded by the launch plant above, which launches with galvanics, the
+cutting room and three presses. The earlier phased entry, kept for
+reference: a launch phase of roughly **1.7M to 2.9M USD (~57M to 95M
+THB)**:
 
 - Newbilt Single system (not Duplex yet)
 - Bridge stampers from Stamper Discs, so no galvanics line at launch
@@ -85,7 +191,7 @@ exactly this reason.
   start fleet (estimate)
 - **Buy vs lease** on land and building swings roughly **1.0M to 2.1M
   USD (~34M to 69M THB)** of upfront capital, and also moves the launch
-  date by about three quarters — see
+  date by about three quarters; see
   [project-timeline.md](../project-timeline.md)
 - **Biggest uncertainty bands**: metrology (partly a choice of ambition),
   the mastering/cutting room (bespoke vendor, no public pricing), the

docs/finance/utilities-investment.csv

@@ -1,18 +1,18 @@
 category,item,spec_summary,candidate_thai_suppliers,cost_low_thb,cost_high_thb,cost_basis,notes
-steam,Electric/gas once-through boiler bank,"2 x 500 kg/h modules at 10.5 bar / 180 C, lead/lag, shared feed tank, feed pumps, economizer, installed",Miura Thailand (Chachoengsao); Bangkok Industrial Boilers; STE Thailand,4500000,7000000,engineering estimate,"Five-press fleet 750-900 kg/h (steam-cooling.html); B-1 with the launch press, B-2 with Duplex 2; a third module for N+1 is an RFQ option; Miura-class modular once-through; service is Bangkok-centric, confirm northern dispatch SLA"
+steam,Electric/gas once-through boiler bank,"2 x 500 kg/h modules at 10.5 bar / 180 C, lead/lag, shared feed tank, feed pumps, economizer, installed",Miura Thailand (Chachoengsao); Bangkok Industrial Boilers; STE Thailand,4500000,7000000,engineering estimate,"Launch plant (October 2026): one Duplex system and one Classic, 450-540 kg/h at Newbilt's 150-180 kg/h per press, so B-1 and B-2 both at launch; the boiler hall is built for four modules (scale.md utility phasing); a third module for N+1 is an RFQ option; Miura-class modular once-through; service is Bangkok-centric, confirm northern dispatch SLA"
 steam,Biomass/wood-fired boiler package (option),"~1 t/h solid fuel (wood chips/pellets/rice husk) incl. fuel feed, grate, dust control, softener, installed",Getabec PCL (Thai fabrication and service),6000000,10000000,engineering estimate,"Sized for the five-press fleet (was ~0.5 t/h for one Duplex); sustainability path matching Deepgrooves NL precedent; higher capex, lower fuel opex in the North; NOT included in baseline total"
 steam,Steam balance of plant,"Traps, accumulator, condensate return",Forbes Marshall Thailand,0,0,included,Largely included in boiler package rows; line kept for RFQ completeness
 compressed_air,Screw compressor skid (oil-injected),"~7.5 kW VSD screw + refrigerated dryer (3 C PDP) + coalescing filters + ~500 L receiver, installed",Atlas Copco Thailand; Kaeser Thailand (SM-T/Aircenter); Ingersoll Rand Thailand,350000,600000,engineering estimate,14-30 m3/h demand is small (5-10 hp class); oil-injected + filter train meets 5 micron / 3 C spec
 compressed_air,True oil-free class-0 (option),Same duty in oil-free class-0,Atlas Copco (ZR/ZT); Kaeser,1200000,1800000,engineering estimate,Only if air contacts product stream; NOT included in baseline total
-cooling,Process chiller bank 3 x 250 kW,"3 x ~71 RT air-cooled screw/scroll chillers rated at 40 C ambient + primary pumps + plate HX + warm and cold tanks + VFD supply pumps + controls, installed",Trane Thailand; Carrier Thailand; Daikin Applied Thailand; Hitachi Thailand,6500000,10500000,engineering estimate,"Five-press fleet up to ~650 kW and 305-540 l/min (Newbilt site requirements, 20-25 C supply); one module per press stage; 3 x 350 kW for N+1 as the alternative (steam-cooling.html)"
+cooling,Process chiller bank 2 x 250 kW,"2 x ~71 RT air-cooled screw/scroll chillers rated at 40 C ambient (CH-1, CH-2) + primary pumps + plate HX + warm and cold tanks + VFD supply pumps + controls, backbone (HX frame, tanks, pumps, mains) sized for four modules, installed",Trane Thailand; Carrier Thailand; Daikin Applied Thailand; Hitachi Thailand,4900000,7900000,engineering estimate,"Launch plant (October 2026): Duplex system ~261 kW hot-afternoon peak (scale.md) plus the Classic up to ~125 kW (Newbilt per press), ~390 kW against 500 kW installed; was 3 x 250 kW at 6.5-10.5M for five presses, less one module at ~1.6-2.6M THB (estimate); CH-3 and CH-4 come with the growth options; 3 x 350 kW frame pads stay the alternative (steam-cooling.html)"
 cooling,Cooling tower + HX loop (alternative),Dry cooler or FRP tower ~650-750 kW reject + plate HX + pumps + tanks + water treatment,"Liang Chi Thailand (tower, large service org); Process Cooling Solutions; Tasaki (integrators)",2000000,3500000,engineering estimate,Cheaper capex but wet-bulb-limited; hybrid tower + trim chiller is the efficiency-optimal design; NOT included in baseline total
 water,Boiler feedwater duplex softener,~1.0-1.2 m3/h feedwater duty (five-press boiler bank),Veolia Water Technologies Thailand; Hydrotek; local RO/softener integrators,120000,300000,market estimate,May suffice alone for a small fire-tube boiler
-water,RO skid (option),0.5-1 m3/h low-TDS feed,Veolia; Hydrotek; local integrators,200000,500000,market estimate,Only if low-TDS feed needed; NOT included in baseline total
+water,RO skid (option),0.5-1 m3/h low-TDS feed,Veolia; Hydrotek; local integrators,200000,500000,market estimate,"Launch scope since October 2026 as the DI water supply for the galvanics PMPB (with polishing); carried in the galvanics water block of total-investment.md, so NOT included in this baseline total"
 water,Closed-loop cooling water treatment,Side-stream filtration + dosing + conductivity blowdown control,Veolia; Hydrotek; local integrators,200000,500000,engineering estimate,"Sized for the five-press loop with its open return tank (Newbilt press outlets are open, max. 2 bar); chemicals are ongoing opex on top"
-water,Galvanics ZLD evaporator (future),"Small MVR or low-temp vacuum evaporator for plating rinse, installed","Core unit imported (WTEYA, Greenlan, Fred); Thai integration via Veolia or Hydrotek",3000000,8000000,market estimate,"For the future galvanics line, zero-discharge requirement; NOT included in baseline total"
+water,Galvanics ZLD evaporator,"Small MVR or low-temp vacuum evaporator for plating rinse, installed","Core unit imported (WTEYA, Greenlan, Fred); Thai integration via Veolia or Hydrotek",3000000,8000000,market estimate,"Launch scope since October 2026 (galvanics in-house from the start); carried as its own block in total-investment.md, so NOT included in this baseline total"
 storage,Pallet racking and shelving,"100-200 pallet positions selective/heavy-duty (beams sized 1000-1500 kg/pallet, records are dense) + archive and finished-goods shelving, installed","Jenbunjerd; LPI Rack Range (Thailand), Bangkok/Samut Prakan, racking and office mobile shelving; local fabricators (Sahawatthanakit, UPR, SD Shelf); SSI Schaefer (premium)",800000,1500000,published list prices + engineering estimate,SSI Schaefer premium tier ~1.5-3M for same scope; ~1000-2000 THB per pallet position at local tier
 hvac,Whole-factory HVAC,"~1500 m2 at 20-26 C, 35-60% RH, ePM1/F7-F9 filtration sized for burning-season PM2.5, ducting and controls","Daikin Thailand; Trane; Mitsubishi Electric; Carrier; filtration: Camfil Thailand, AAF",7500000,15000000,engineering estimate at 5000-10000 THB/m2,"RH low end of 35% is aggressive for tropics and drives desiccant cost; if 45-60% RH acceptable, cost drops materially"
 hvac,Clean-room-grade zone adder,"Cutting room + galvanics clean room, ~2 x 60 m2, ISO 7/8 with HEPA terminals, positive pressure, airlocks",Same HVAC vendors + clean-room contractors; Camfil HEPA,1200000,3400000,engineering estimate at 10000-28000 THB/m2 adder,Applied only to the two tight zones
 solar,PV rooftop EPC (illustrative 300 kWp),"Turnkey C&I rooftop EPC incl. Deye hybrid inverters, at 25000-35000 THB/kWp",Solar Nicolo (Deye tier-1 distributor); Banpu NEXT; SCG Cleanergy; Sermsang; local Chiang Mai installers,7500000,10500000,market rate per kWp; size illustrative,"Final kWp open until site selection; PEA TOU 3.2.2 plus Ft (Sep-Dec 2026): self-consumed PV worth ~3.7 THB/kWh, ~4.5-7 yr payback (sustainability.md, grid tariff)"
 solar,Battery stack 271 kWh (Gobel),"GP-SRA-HV314 HV LiFePO4 rack, 15 x 18 kWh packs, direct from Shenzhen, 50-60 day lead",Gobel Power (no Thai distributor; integration by solar EPC),1400000,2030000,vendor listed price USD 39900-58000 at ~35 THB/USD,Confirm Deye BMS protocol compatibility and that the EPC warrants a mixed-vendor DC bus; certs (UN38.3/IEC 62619/CE) to be requested
-total,BASELINE TOTAL,Electric steam bank + oil-injected air + chiller bank + softener + loop treatment + local racking + HVAC + clean zones + 300 kWp solar + 271 kWh BESS,,30070000,51330000,sum of baseline rows,"Five-press fleet (October 2026; was 23.98M-41.63M THB for one Duplex); ~790k-1350k EUR at 38 THB/EUR; excludes options rows (biomass premium, oil-free, tower alternative, RO, ZLD evaporator, SSI premium tier); all figures budgetary +/- 30%, get RFQs before BOI/finance filings"
+total,BASELINE TOTAL,Electric steam bank (2 modules) + oil-injected air + chiller bank (2 modules) + softener + loop treatment + local racking + HVAC + clean zones + 300 kWp solar + 271 kWh BESS,,28470000,48730000,sum of baseline rows,"Launch plant, one Duplex system and one Classic (October 2026; was 30.07M-51.33M THB for five presses, 23.98M-41.63M for one Duplex); ~750k-1280k EUR at 38 THB/EUR; excludes options rows and the galvanics water rows (ZLD, DI), which total-investment.md carries with galvanics; all figures budgetary +/- 30%, get RFQs before BOI"