Sibert follow-up: USD 250k budget, current VS specs, OMS as galvanics option

Ian Locke's email of 5 October 2026 after Making Vinyl Europe:

- Budget of USD 250k for VSP, VSF and VSC confirmed; his time, spares,
  shipping and travel extra; itemised quotation on request. The
  total-investment block keeps its estimate until the re-base, the
  difference (+190k low case / +80k high case) goes into the
  not-yet-rolled-up table.
- Current specifications filed (VSF and VSC 2022, VSP 2023) plus the
  VSF/VSP/VSC line-up drawing (4958 x 833 mm); the 2021 issues move to
  sibert/specs-2021/. VSC is now 1000 kg with split OD hydraulic / ID
  pneumatic forming; VSF 0-30 psi, 4-station head. Crane table, supplier
  map, vendor landscape and the plant page details updated.
- Fully automatic VSPa exists; Sibert offers to move features to the VSP.
- Electroforming: OMS (Optical Media Services, Lou Wullms) named next to
  Pheenix; added as a third galvanics candidate with open questions.
- Sequencing advice (presses, boilers, operators and live feedback loops
  first) recorded in the exhibitor briefing, roadmap item 23, and as
  digital-factory design decision 9 (operators see the data first).

docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md

@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ Suppliers identified:
 |---|---|---|---|
 | Plating Power / Digital Matrix Corp. | Farmingdale, NY, USA | VLSS silvering, VLPP pre-plate, VLFP 2/4/6-cell electroforming, EC-1000 passivation, control rings | No water treatment or metal recovery in their scope; no SE-Asia distributor; alex.greenspan@digmatrix.com |
 | Pheenix Alpha | Sweden | PASU automatic silvering, PPPU pre-plating (four masters), PDPU dual-cell electroforming (up to 200 A per cell), PMPB passivation, cleaning and drying bench (nickel and DMM) | 2024 flyers in [`../equipment/pheenix-alpha/`](../equipment/pheenix-alpha/), summarised in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md); prices unpublished; PLC with network access; no water treatment in the flyers; same vendor as the AD12 presses (section 5), so one quote can cover both; info@pheenixalpha.com |
+| Optical Media Services (OMS) | Baarlo, Netherlands | Vinyl electroforming equipment, new and refurbished (including CD/DVD lines converted to 14" vinyl); independent stamper service from lacquers and DMMs | Named by Sibert after Haarlem (good equipment, very familiar with the Asian market); no datasheet or price on file; possible link to Newbilt's announced electroplating equipment, unconfirmed ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)); Lou Wullms, lou.wullms@gmail.com per the vinyl-pressing-plants.com directory |
 
 Open: industrial water-treatment vendor for the zero-discharge system;
 clean-room design/build contractor; fume scrubbing.
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ Suppliers identified:
 
 | Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes |
 |---|---|---|---|
-| Sibert Instruments | Alton, Hampshire, UK | VSP punch, VSF back-finisher, VSC coiner | 2021 specifications in [`../equipment/sibert/`](../equipment/sibert/), summarised in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md): single-phase 115 to 230 V, 6 to 8 bar air, 200 / 250 / 600 kg, no data interface listed; prices unpublished; confirm no overlap with press-integrated forming before buying the VSC; sales@sibert.co.uk, Ian Locke |
+| Sibert Instruments | Medstead, Hampshire, UK | VSP punch, VSF back-finisher, VSC coiner; a fully automatic VSPa punch also exists | Current specifications (2022 and 2023) and line-up drawing in [`../equipment/sibert/`](../equipment/sibert/), summarised in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md): single-phase 115 to 230 V, 6 to 8 bar air, 200 / 250 / 1000 kg, line 4958 × 833 mm, no data interface listed; budget of USD 250k for all three confirmed by email (October 2026), its time, spares, shipping and travel extra, itemised quotation on request; confirm no overlap with press-integrated forming before buying the VSC; sales@sibert.co.uk, Ian Locke (ian.locke@sibert.co.uk) |
 
 ## 4. Stamper Service (bridge / overflow, until in-house galvanics runs)
 

docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md

@@ -22,9 +22,37 @@ traceability spec, the steam decision, the Thai PVC lead, the 50/50 fleet).
   work made it clear to him that the project comes from the right
   direction. For the pitch to suppliers and investors, the data and
   control side is what makes a newcomer credible, so it leads.
+- **Sibert follow-up** (Ian Locke to Alexander, thanking him and Simona,
+  email 5 October 2026):
+  - *Budget*: USD 250k covers all three stamper prep machines; his time,
+    spare parts, shipping and travel are extra. A fully itemised quotation
+    follows if we go ahead ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md),
+    [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md)).
+  - *Sequencing advice*, given against his own interest: take the time to
+    get each main step right, and earn some return before every
+    manufacturing step is in place. He took on board that we are
+    constantly waiting for stampers on long lead times, but sees presses
+    and boilers running
+    efficiently, good operators and live feedback loops that the staff use
+    to improve production, rather than only for management reporting, as
+    what decides the outcome. Supplier advice, not buyer validation; it
+    bears on the open galvanics question in [roadmap](../roadmap.md) item
+    23 and is taken into the [digital factory](../digital-factory.md)
+    design decisions.
+  - *Electroforming*: Optical Media Services (OMS, Lou Wullms) for good
+    equipment and familiarity with the Asian market, or Pheenix for a
+    turnkey package of electroforming and presses
+    ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)).
+  - *Automatic punch*: Sibert builds a fully automatic VSPa, which he
+    thinks may not suit us; he offered to discuss it or carry some of its
+    features across to the VSP.
+  - He also sees Alexander's background in electronics and solar as well
+    placed to judge what the electronic reporting on daily production
+    needs: the data side again.
 - **Filed since**: the Newbilt flyers
-  ([pressing line](../equipment/pressing-line.md)), Sibert's VS
-  specifications and Pheenix Alpha's electroforming flyers
+  ([pressing line](../equipment/pressing-line.md)), Sibert's current VS
+  specifications and line-up drawing (with the 2021 issues kept), and
+  Pheenix Alpha's electroforming flyers
   ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)).
 
 The briefing below is kept as written before the show.
@@ -401,17 +429,21 @@ the best-documented one on the market. Not on the 2021 supplier list.
 **What they are.** Precision OEM (optical-disc heritage) making stamper
 preparation equipment: **VSP** stamper punch, **VSF** back finisher, **VSC**
 coiner (trim and form in one pass). Contact in this repo: sales@sibert.co.uk,
-Ian Locke. Installed equipment at Pheenix Alpha in January 2025.
+Ian Locke (ian.locke@sibert.co.uk). Installed equipment at Pheenix Alpha in January 2025.
 
 **On file** (filed with the Making Vinyl material, October 2026): the VSP,
-VSF and VSC technical specifications (2021) and Sibert's 2008 to 2009
+VSF and VSC technical specifications in their current versions (2022 and
+2023) with a line-up drawing of the three, sent by Ian Locke after the
+show, the 2021 issues they replace, and Sibert's 2008 to 2009
 optical-disc SPS literature, in [`../equipment/sibert/`](../equipment/sibert/),
 summarised in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md). They
 answer part of the list below: all three machines run single-phase 115 to
-230 V, so no three-phase supply is needed; the VSC claims tooling for every
-vinyl mould; the VSP centres manually under ×100 optics; no data interface
-is listed. Prices, tooling cost per mould, the Pheenix installation and
-service in Asia stay open.
+230 V, so no three-phase supply is needed; the VSC forms to each customer
+mould profile; the VSP centres manually under ×100 optics (a fully
+automatic VSPa exists); no data interface is listed. Sibert confirmed a
+budget of USD 250k for the three (its time, spares, shipping and travel
+extra) and offers an itemised quotation. Tooling cost per mould, the
+Pheenix installation and service in Asia stay open.
 Site: https://www.sibert.co.uk/
 
 **Why they matter.** Exactly the gap between the plating line and the

docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md

@@ -130,18 +130,34 @@ Pheenix Alpha (below) now offers a competing line unit for unit; the
 datasheets and the comparison are in
 [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md).
 
+## Electroforming equipment and stamper service: Optical Media Services (Netherlands)
+
+Optical Media Services B.V. (OMS, Baarlo, established 1996) builds and
+refurbishes vinyl electroforming equipment, converts CD/DVD electroforming
+lines to 14" vinyl, and runs an independent stamper service from lacquers
+and DMMs. Sibert's Ian Locke named it after Haarlem as the alternative to
+a Pheenix turnkey line: Lou Wullms is "a long-standing industry colleague
+who makes good equipment" and very familiar with the Asian market. A
+directory listing points OMS's website at Newbilt's equipment page, which
+announces new Newbilt electroplating equipment; whether the two are linked
+is unconfirmed. No datasheet or price on file yet; details and open
+questions in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md).
+
 ## Stamper preparation: Sibert Instruments (UK)
 
 [Sibert Instruments](https://www.sibert.co.uk/) (Hampshire, in this niche
 since the early 1970s) makes the machines that turn a raw electroformed
 nickel shell into a press-ready stamper: the VSP center punch, VSF
-back-finisher, and VSC coiner (trim and form in one pass). One-off capital
-equipment filling exactly the gap between the plating line and the presses.
-The 2021 technical specifications are in
+back-finisher, and VSC coiner (trim and form in one pass), plus a fully
+automatic VSPa punch. One-off capital equipment filling exactly the gap
+between the plating line and the presses. The current technical
+specifications (2022 and 2023) and a line-up drawing are in
 [`../equipment/sibert/`](../equipment/sibert/): all three run on
-single-phase power and 6 to 8 bar air, weigh 200, 250 and 600 kg, and list
-no data interface; centring on the punch is manual under ×100 optics.
-Figures, mould fit and the service model are in
+single-phase power and 6 to 8 bar air, weigh 200, 250 and 1000 kg, stand
+in a 4958 × 833 mm row, and list no data interface; centring on the punch
+is manual under ×100 optics. Sibert has confirmed a budget of USD 250k for
+the three, with its time, spare parts, shipping and travel extra. Figures,
+mould fit and the service model are in
 [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md).
 
 ## Stamper service, as a bridge: Stamper Discs (UK)