Update README: remove em dashes, add packaging/dropshipping, 50/50 press fleet strategy

README.md

@@ -1,14 +1,15 @@
-# CNX Vinyl — Poy Records
+# CNX Vinyl / Poy Records
 
 A vinyl record factory in planning for the Chiang Mai area of northern
 Thailand (site candidates include Lamphun and Lampang provinces). This
-repository is the source of truth for the project: planning documents, cost
-data, and — as the factory takes shape — the data and software used to run it.
+repository is the source of truth for the project: planning documents and
+cost data today. As the factory takes shape it will also hold the data and
+software used to run it.
 
 ## Team
 
-- **Simona Meesaiyati** — Project Lead
-- **Alexander Grabowski** — Technical Consultant
+- **Simona Meesaiyati**, Project Lead
+- **Alexander Grabowski**, Technical Consultant
 
 [buildfor.life](https://buildfor.life) supports the project in a consulting
 capacity.
@@ -16,26 +17,32 @@ capacity.
 ## Vision: Full-Service Production
 
 The goal is the complete vinyl production chain under one roof, from audio
-file to finished record:
+file to delivered record:
 
-1. **Mastering** — audio mastering for vinyl
-2. **Lathe cutting** — cutting the master disc
-3. **Silvering** — metallizing the cut master
-4. **Stamper production** — electroforming nickel stampers in-house
-5. **Pressing** — extrusion and pressing of the finished records
-6. **Finishing** — trimming, labels, shrink wrapping
+1. **Mastering**: audio mastering for vinyl
+2. **Lathe cutting**: cutting the master disc
+3. **Silvering**: metallizing the cut master
+4. **Stamper production**: electroforming nickel stampers in-house
+5. **Pressing**: extrusion and pressing of the finished records
+6. **Finishing**: trimming, labels, shrink wrapping
+7. **Packaging**: folded paper cartons (jackets and sleeves), produced in
+   collaboration with local packaging manufacturers
+8. **Fulfillment**: dropshipping directly to end customers on behalf of
+   labels and artists, alongside conventional bulk delivery
 
-In-house galvanics (steps 3–4) removes the dependency on overseas stamper
-suppliers — a common bottleneck for pressing plants — and shortens turnaround
-for clients. The current planning documents cover the pressing line (step 5–6)
-in detail; equipment and budgets for mastering, cutting, and galvanics are
+In-house galvanics (steps 3 and 4) removes the dependency on overseas stamper
+suppliers, a common bottleneck for pressing plants, and shortens turnaround
+for clients. Partnering with local carton manufacturers keeps packaging
+sourcing close to the plant, in line with the local-sourcing preference for
+materials. The current planning documents cover the pressing line (steps 5
+and 6) in detail; equipment, partners, and budgets for the other steps are
 open planning items.
 
 ## Project Status
 
 **Planning stage** (as of mid-2026).
 
-- Industry outreach has been ongoing for several years — equipment vendors,
+- Industry outreach has been ongoing for several years: equipment vendors,
   material suppliers, and independent consultants.
 - Alexander and Simona will soon travel to
   [Making Vinyl](https://makingvinyl.com/) in Haarlem, Netherlands, to gather
@@ -45,17 +52,25 @@ open planning items.
 
 ## Pressing Line: Equipment Plan
 
-The core pressing machinery under evaluation comes from
+The target press fleet is a **50/50 split between fully automated and
+semi-automatic presses**: automated presses for standard production volume,
+and semi-automatic presses for splatter and other color effects, special
+editions, and small runs, where an operator working the mold directly is an
+advantage rather than a cost. The semi-automatic side is covered by the
+Newbilt evaluation below; a fully automated press line is an open
+procurement item.
+
+The core semi-automatic machinery under evaluation comes from
 **Newbilt machinery GmbH** (Alsdorf, Germany):
 
-- **Newbilt Single 2.1 system** — one VEX 50 extruder feeding one HRP 12
+- **Newbilt Single 2.1 system**: one VEX 50 extruder feeding one HRP 12
   hydraulic press (~150 t press force), pressing 12" records at 140 or 180 g
   with a Newbilt book mold set. A Vario trimmer handles 12" cuttings, with
   a 7"/10" upgrade path.
-- **Duplex upgrade path** — the hydraulic aggregate is already sized for a
-  second press; an additional press and extruder are quoted options, so the
-  plant can scale from Single to Duplex without replacing infrastructure.
-- **Supporting equipment** — label dry oven, shrink wrapper, PVC grinder
+- **Duplex upgrade path**: the hydraulic aggregate is already sized for a
+  second press, and an additional press and extruder are quoted options, so
+  the plant can scale from Single to Duplex without replacing infrastructure.
+- **Supporting equipment**: label dry oven, shrink wrapper, PVC grinder
   (scrap feeds back as the ~20% recycled share of the feedstock), 7" center
   label punch, buffer spindles and separator plates.
 
@@ -66,9 +81,10 @@ Thailand**: a ~400 kg/h steam generator (with water treatment) and a ~250 kW
 cooling water system. The quotation has passed its validity date and will need
 re-confirmation before ordering.
 
-Site planning works from Newbilt's Duplex requirements: roughly 200 m² of
+Site planning for the semi-automatic line works from Newbilt's Duplex
+requirements: roughly 200 m² of
 production floor, 32 kVA connected electrical load, saturated steam at 10 bar,
-and compressed air and cooling water circuits — plus side rooms for materials,
+and compressed air and cooling water circuits, plus side rooms for materials,
 compressor, chiller, and finished goods.
 
 ## Sustainability
@@ -76,27 +92,27 @@ compressor, chiller, and finished goods.
 Two commitments are fixed design requirements for this plant, not aspirations
 to be traded away during engineering: run on as much renewable energy as
 possible, and discharge no contaminated water. Both are decisions we can
-actually make, because the two biggest utility systems — steam and cooling —
+actually make, because the two biggest utility systems (steam and cooling)
 are explicitly excluded from the Newbilt scope and will be sourced and
 installed locally in Thailand. That gives us a free hand to spec them green
 from day one.
 
-### Renewable energy — large solar installation
+### Renewable energy: large solar installation
 
 The pressing machinery itself is a modest electrical load: 32 kVA connected,
 ~21 kW average for a full Duplex line. The real energy demand sits in the
-utilities around it — above all the steam generator (400 kg/h saturated steam
+utilities around it, above all the steam generator (400 kg/h saturated steam
 at 10 bar / 180 °C) and the 250 kW cooling system.
 
 - A large rooftop/ground PV installation is planned. Northern Thailand's solar
   irradiance is favorable, and daytime-heavy production shifts align well with
   PV output.
 - The machine load and cooling system are straightforward PV targets.
-- Steam is the open engineering question: options under evaluation include an
+- Steam is the open engineering question. Options under evaluation include an
   electric boiler (maximizes the solar share), a biomass boiler (locally
   abundant fuel), and solar-thermal pre-heating of boiler feedwater. No
   technology choice has been made yet; it will be driven by honest numbers on
-  load profiles, storage, and grid backup — not by what sounds greenest.
+  load profiles, storage, and grid backup, not by what sounds greenest.
 - System sizing (kWp, storage, grid-connection model) is open until the site
   is chosen.
 
@@ -105,18 +121,18 @@ at 10 bar / 180 °C) and the 250 kW cooling system.
 The reference process schematic shows a conventional open "dirty water"
 cooling loop. We will not build it that way.
 
-- Cooling (up to 250 kW, 220 l/min peak — ~98% of it mold cooling) will run as
-  a closed loop with a cooling tower/chiller, so process water is recirculated
-  rather than discharged.
+- Cooling (up to 250 kW, 220 l/min peak, roughly 98% of it mold cooling) will
+  run as a closed loop with a cooling tower/chiller, so process water is
+  recirculated rather than discharged.
 - Steam condensate will be recovered and returned to the treated feedwater
   cycle instead of being dumped.
 - The planned in-house galvanics line (silvering and stamper electroforming)
-  involves plating chemistry — silver solutions and nickel baths. This is the
-  hardest part of the zero-discharge commitment: rinse water will need
+  involves plating chemistry: silver solutions and nickel baths. This is the
+  hardest part of the zero-discharge commitment. Rinse water will need
   closed-loop treatment and metal recovery, designed in from the start rather
   than retrofitted.
 - Solvent handling (flagged in the site requirements) will be contained and
-  disposed of as controlled waste — never via wastewater.
+  disposed of as controlled waste, never via wastewater.
 - Target: no process-water discharge to the local environment. Detailed water
   balance and treatment design are pending site selection.
 
@@ -129,7 +145,8 @@ landfill.
 
 For the virgin compound itself, the preference is **local (Thai/regional)
 PVC sourcing if the quality meets vinyl-record specifications**. The current
-supplier list (2021) is entirely European plus one US option; qualifying a
+supplier list (2021) is almost entirely European, with one US option;
+qualifying a
 local compound would cut shipping distance, cost, and the carbon footprint of
 the feedstock. European suppliers remain the fallback where quality demands
 it.
@@ -139,22 +156,22 @@ it.
 Worker safety is a founding priority, on equal footing with the environmental
 commitments:
 
-- **Safety training** — proper, structured training for all operators and
+- **Safety training**: proper, structured training for all operators and
   maintenance staff, starting with the vendor-led commissioning training and
   extending into an ongoing in-house program. The pressing line combines
-  hydraulics (~180 bar), saturated steam (10 bar / 180 °C), and hot PVC —
+  hydraulics (~180 bar), saturated steam (10 bar / 180 °C), and hot PVC, and
   every one of these demands trained, deliberate handling.
-- **Clean rooms for galvanics** — silvering and stamper electroforming will
+- **Clean rooms for galvanics**: silvering and stamper electroforming will
   run in dedicated clean rooms with controlled access, proper ventilation and
   exhaust, and decontamination procedures for people and equipment leaving
   the area. Plating chemistry stays inside its containment.
-- **Personal protective equipment** — appropriate PPE (overalls, gloves,
+- **Personal protective equipment**: appropriate PPE (overalls, gloves,
   goggles, and process-specific protection) is mandatory per work area, in
   line with the equipment vendor's site requirements (exhaust work benches,
   fire protection) and local regulations.
 
-Safety infrastructure — training program, clean-room specification,
-decontamination workflow — will be planned alongside the equipment, not after
+Safety infrastructure (training program, clean-room specification,
+decontamination workflow) will be planned alongside the equipment, not after
 it.
 
 ## Repository Layout
@@ -169,12 +186,12 @@ docs/
 ```
 
 Documents are primary sources (vendor PDFs and spreadsheets) and reflect the
-state of negotiations at their file dates — treat prices and lead times as
+state of negotiations at their file dates. Treat prices and lead times as
 snapshots, not commitments.
 
 ## Roadmap for This Repo
 
-- Accumulate planning and vendor documents as decisions firm up — including
+- Accumulate planning and vendor documents as decisions firm up, including
   the mastering, cutting, and galvanics chain
 - Add structured data (inventory, orders, production batches) once operations
   begin