diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 9d20e01..517a81c 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -78,7 +78,8 @@ The detail lives in dedicated documents: - [Galvanics and stamper prep equipment plan](docs/equipment/galvanics.md): the metal path from lacquer to press-ready stamper, from vendor datasheets: Pheenix Alpha's electroforming range as a second turnkey - vendor next to Digital Matrix, OMS as a third named by Sibert, Sibert's + vendor next to Digital Matrix, OMS as a third named by Sibert (reference + prices for a 4-cell wet room, EUR 224k to 311k), Sibert's VSP/VSF/VSC stamper prep line (USD 250k budget for the three confirmed), the utilities they need, a first cell-count estimate, and Sibert's optical-disc reference material @@ -87,6 +88,7 @@ The detail lives in dedicated documents: SDMS with integrated cutting automation at a published USD 125k), galvanics equipment (Plating Power / Digital Matrix, Pheenix Alpha, Optical Media Services), + used lathes and cutting-room contacts (via OMS), stamper preparation (Sibert), bridge stamper service (Stamper Discs), and automated presses (Pheenix Alpha) @@ -204,6 +206,8 @@ docs/ ├── equipment/ │ ├── newbilt/ Offers, site requirements, process schematic, │ │ service rates, 2026 product flyers (vendor PDFs) +│ ├── oms/ OMS introduction letter: wet-room units, reference +│ │ prices, capacities, lathe contacts (vendor docx) │ ├── pheenix-alpha/ Electroforming range flyers (vendor PDFs) │ ├── sibert/ Stamper prep specifications and line-up drawing │ │ (2021 issues in specs-2021/), 2008-09 diff --git a/docs/equipment/galvanics.md b/docs/equipment/galvanics.md index 92eb0e7..8040e50 100644 --- a/docs/equipment/galvanics.md +++ b/docs/equipment/galvanics.md @@ -17,7 +17,8 @@ line-up drawing, sent by Sibert's Ian Locke on 5 October 2026, in [`sibert/`](sibert/); the April 2021 issues they replace are in [`sibert/specs-2021/`](sibert/specs-2021/)), plus Sibert's 2008 to 2009 optical-disc literature (below). Every figure here is vendor-published, not -quoted; the only price is Sibert's budget confirmation by email (below). +quoted; the only prices are Sibert's budget confirmation by email and +OMS's reference prices in its introduction letter (both below). Digital Matrix / Plating Power stays the comparison; its datasheets are not in the repo yet (see the [vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)). @@ -122,8 +123,9 @@ and refurbishes vinyl electroforming equipment, including conversions of CD/DVD electroforming lines to 14" vinyl. The same directory gives Newbilt's equipment page as OMS's website, and that page announces new Newbilt electroplating equipment with the portfolio "presented here soon"; -whether OMS builds it is not confirmed, so ask both. No OMS datasheet or -price is on file. +whether OMS builds it is not confirmed, so ask both. OMS's introduction +letter (below) presents the units as its own designs (EFS2-200, AEFS4-250) +and does not mention Newbilt. What it adds: a third galvanics vendor next to Digital Matrix and Pheenix, named by a supplier who knows Lou Wullms and has installed equipment at @@ -149,9 +151,121 @@ will work on the project. Company details as OMS gives them: Alexander has replied to confirm (October 2026), with the split Lou asked about: Simona covers management and the audio side, Alexander the -technical side, so galvanics questions go to Alexander. **Next step: wait -for his material**, then file it here and answer the OMS questions below -from it. +technical side, so galvanics questions go to Alexander. + +#### OMS introduction letter (9 October 2026) + +Lou Wullms sent his material two days later: an introduction letter to +Alexander and Simona, filed as +[`oms/OMS_Introduction_letter_2026-10-09.docx`](oms/OMS_Introduction_letter_2026-10-09.docx). +He asks Alexander to give Simona a copy so that she can work through the +figures. **Open:** forward the letter to Simona. It is an introduction, +not an offer: the prices are "for reference only", final pricing comes +with an official quote, and a dedicated offer needs our plans first. Lou +would rather explain the options in Baarlo, where the equipment can be +seen. + +Background, as Lou gives it: from 1986 to 1994 at Philips' optical-disc +equipment business (ODM, then OD&ME and ODME, the company later called +Toolex Alpha); two years setting up a CD plant with mastering and +electroforming at WPME in Kaarst, Germany; then OMS, for service to the +optical-disc industry; involved in setting up Mimeos, a CD and later DVD +stamper service that closed in 2012; in vinyl stamper production since +2015. OMS runs an independent stamper service for vinyl plants and builds +the wet-room equipment to its own designs. + +The wet room for a turnkey line, with the letter's reference prices: + +| # | Unit | What it does | EUR, reference | +|---|---|---|---| +| 1 | Wet bench | Cleaning, rinsing, soaking, wetting and pre-treating the lacquer | 20,000 | +| 2a | Silvering booth, manual (\*) | Silvering the lacquer | 16,000 | +| 2b | Silvering booth, automatic/manual (\*) | The same, automatic | 22,000 | +| 3 | Pre-plate, 4 positions (\*) | First plating of the silvered lacquer at lower temperature and current | 45,000 | +| 4a | Electroforming unit EFS2-200, 2 cells | Fast plating; the basic unit | 55,000 each | +| 4b | Electroforming unit AEFS4-250, 4 cells with PLC | The advanced unit | 155,000 | +| 5 | Cleaning / passivation | Extra cleaning of the stamper at high temperature and current; passivation | 25,000 | +| 6 | Spin dryer | Spin-drying DMMs, lacquers and stampers; scuffing (pre-treatment) of DMMs and lacquers | 14,000 each | +| 7 | Know-how transfer, including training at OMS | | 10,000 | +| 8 | Silvering recipe | | 5,000 | + +(\*) Not needed for stampers made only from DMMs: these are the lacquer +path. The model names of the electroforming units come from the +letter's expansion lines. + +The letter totals two configurations: + +| | Basic | Advanced | +|---|---|---| +| Units | 1, 2a, 3, 2 × 4a, 2 × 6, 8 | 1, 2b, 3, 1 × 4b, 5, 3 × 6, 8 | +| Cells | 4 (two EFS2-200) | 4 (one AEFS4-250, PLC) | +| Total in the letter | **EUR 224,000** (~USD 259k) | **EUR 311,000** (~USD 359k) | +| One 8-hour day (30 min lunch included) | "7 runs should be possible", then counted with 6: 6 × 4 = **24 shells** | 8 × 4 = **32 shells** | +| Doubling | 2 more EFS2-200, EUR 110,000, "over 50 stampers a day" | 1 more AEFS4-250, EUR 155,000, "over 68 stampers a day" | + +USD at the [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md) rate of +1 EUR = 1.155 USD. Reading the letter: + +- **The sums.** The basic total adds up; the advanced units add up to EUR + 314,000, not the 311,000 stated. A re-quote point. +- **Know-how transfer is left out of both totals**, with the note that + electroplating know-how "is already present at your facility". That is + not the case for CNX: nobody on the team has run a plating room. With + the EUR 10,000 item (training at OMS included) the totals are EUR + 234,000 and 321,000, ~USD 270k and 371k (our reading). +- **The basic set has no cleaning/passivation unit** (item 5). Ask how + parts are passivated between generations without it. +- **Installation is extra**: training and start-up on site at EUR 1,200 a + day each, travel days at EUR 600, all other costs invoiced on top. +- **Used equipment** is also on offer ("good used/pre-owned equipment"). +- **Finishing is not OMS's scope.** For back-polishing, centre punching and + forming/trimming the letter points to Sibert and Ian Locke as the + reference, as Sibert pointed to OMS for electroforming. + +What it changes in the plan: + +- **Price.** A complete 4-cell wet room at ~USD 259k to 371k, depending + on the configuration and the know-how item, is at or below the low end + of the USD 320k to 650k galvanics block in + [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md). Neither includes + water treatment (its own block) or installation days. Reference prices, + so the block stays until quotes exist. +- **Capacity.** 6 to 8 runs in a 7.5-hour working day is roughly an hour a + run, which matches the 1 to 1.5 hours per part the cell count below + assumes. Full capacity needs 8 to 20 parts a working day, so either + 4-cell configuration covers it on one shift, and the doubling options + buy headroom only. This is the first vendor figure on cycle times. +- **Staff.** One person runs about 20 stampers a day; from about 30 a day + it takes two. Lou asks for people who work accurately and precisely, + attentively, and like clean work. At the plant's 8 to 20 parts a day that + is one operator per shift ([scale](../scale.md) people estimate). +- **Utilities and rooms.** Compressed air, a demineralised-water system, + waste-water collection or treatment, and cooling water, which Lou says + can be passive, with no active chiller (he expects this needs more + discussion). The Pheenix PDPU asks for 12 to 20 °C cooling water, so + whether passive cooling holds at 30 °C and more ambient is a question for + Lou. Space beyond the wet room: an acid cabinet with fume extraction for + mixing chemicals, storage for stampers, lacquers and DMMs, a quality + room with turntable, speakers and inspection microscope, spare parts and + consumables. Smaller items: a drill stand for removing lacquer from the + back of lacquers, lab ware (glass and PP ware, temperature sensor, + density meter, pH meter), and a laundry washing machine and a concrete + mixer for cleaning the anode baskets and anode bags. +- **Data.** The AEFS4-250 has a PLC: programs of up to 20 steps, each step + setting time, voltage, current, flow and rotation; an automatic wake-up + function and pump-curve calibration; a modified cell flow that allows + higher current "without stretching the bath solution". Lou calls it very + energy-efficient with extremely low maintenance (vendor claims). The + protocol is not stated, so the [digital factory](../digital-factory.md) + RFQ clauses apply. The letter mentions no PLC for the basic EFS2-200, + which would keep galvanics a manual check-in station. +- **DMM.** The lacquer-path units (2a or 2b, and 3) are EUR 61,000 to + 67,000 of either configuration; a plant cutting only DMM would not need + them, which bears on the Sillitoe DMM question in the + [vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md). +- **Cutting lathes.** The letter ends with five contacts for buying a + lathe, second-hand included; they are in the + [vendor landscape](../suppliers/vendor-landscape.md#used-lathes-and-cutting-room-contacts-via-oms). ### Cycle times and cell count @@ -190,7 +304,9 @@ first version of this page assumed 2 to 3 hours per part and concluded that the high end needed two. One PASU, one PPPU (pre-plate is for the masters, 2 to 4 a day at full capacity, and the unit takes four at once) and one PMPB cover the rest. Ask Pheenix for measured cycles at the -plant's thickness before this goes into a budget. +plant's thickness before this goes into a budget. OMS's letter (above) is +the first vendor figure: 6 to 8 runs on 4 cells in a 7.5-hour working day, +roughly an hour a run, which fits these times. ## Stamper prep: the Sibert VS line @@ -222,7 +338,9 @@ What this changes in the plan: 2026) that a budget of USD 250k covers "all 3 auto-machines"; Ian Locke's own time, spare parts, shipping and travel come on top. This is a budget confirmation, not a quote: Sibert offers a fully itemised - quotation once we go ahead. It sits above the 60k to 170k estimate in + quotation once we go ahead. Ian Locke repeated on 9 October 2026 that + equipment footprints and formal quotations follow when we are ready, and + advised settling the pressing side first. It sits above the 60k to 170k estimate in [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md), which carries the difference in its not-yet-rolled-up table until the next re-base. - **Single-phase power.** All three run on 115 to 230 VAC, 50/60 Hz, ~2.5 @@ -340,10 +458,17 @@ goes ahead. works or a regional partner); the roughness the VSF reaches; crated sizes and weights (the VSC is now 1 t); what it installed at Pheenix in January 2025, and whether Pheenix sells Sibert machines with its line. -- **OMS (Optical Media Services)**: equipment range and datasheets, a - budget for one line next to Pheenix and Digital Matrix, installations and - service in Asia, stamper service prices and turnaround, and whether it - builds the electroplating equipment Newbilt announces. +- **OMS (Optical Media Services)**: a dedicated offer once we send our + plans (lacquer, DMM or both; parts per day; shifts), ideally after seeing + the equipment in Baarlo (the February 2027 Europe trip could fit); + datasheets for the EFS2-200 and AEFS4-250 (dimensions, empty and filled + weights, power, cooling water); how parts are passivated in the basic set + without the cleaning/passivation unit; the advanced total (the units add + up to EUR 314,000, the letter says 311,000); whether passive cooling holds + at Thai ambient; the AEFS4-250's PLC protocol and tag list; the used + equipment on offer; installations and service in Asia; stamper service + prices and turnaround; which water-treatment partner his customers use; + and whether OMS builds the electroplating equipment Newbilt announces. - **Press vendors** (Newbilt, Pheenix, M-Tech): the stamper centre hole and edge form each mould expects, so the punch size and coiner tooling can be ordered to match ([pressing line](pressing-line.md)). @@ -362,6 +487,12 @@ goes ahead. Medstead, Hampshire, UK, by the email signature (the specification sheets still carry the older Alton address); sales@sibert.co.uk, ian.locke@sibert.co.uk. +- [`oms/`](oms/): OMS's introduction letter of 9 October 2026 (Word; + sent as "Introduction letter BUILDFOR.LIFE.docx", attached to Lou + Wullms' email of the same day): wet-room units with reference prices, + two configurations, capacities, utilities, staffing, used equipment and + lathe contacts. Optical Media Services B.V., Tangweg 16, Baarlo, + Netherlands. - [`sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/`](sibert/sps-optical-disc-2009/): SPS punching and finishing literature (2008 to 2009), the punch-and-die return form, and the Blu-ray stamper characteristics paper (2008). diff --git a/docs/equipment/oms/OMS_Introduction_letter_2026-10-09.docx b/docs/equipment/oms/OMS_Introduction_letter_2026-10-09.docx new file mode 100644 index 0000000..a6ede3a Binary files /dev/null and b/docs/equipment/oms/OMS_Introduction_letter_2026-10-09.docx differ diff --git a/docs/finance/total-investment.md b/docs/finance/total-investment.md index 1904435..c82b0ec 100644 --- a/docs/finance/total-investment.md +++ b/docs/finance/total-investment.md @@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ July 2026; the underlying THB estimates are unchanged, because EUR/THB at |---|---|---|---| | Newbilt semi-auto line, full Duplex | 350k – 370k | 11.5M – 12.2M | 2024 quote EUR 200,500 (~USD 232k) + quoted 2nd press/extruder ~USD 115k; expired, needs re-quote | | 2 automated presses (Pheenix AD12) | 580k – 920k | 19.1M – 30.5M | unverified ~USD 340k/press indicative + delivery and commissioning | -| Galvanics line (Digital Matrix or Pheenix Alpha) | 320k – 650k | 10.7M – 21.4M | six-figure-USD turnkey inference from vendor research; the Pheenix range (2024 flyers, [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)) is unpriced too | +| Galvanics line (Digital Matrix or Pheenix Alpha) | 320k – 650k | 10.7M – 21.4M | six-figure-USD turnkey inference from vendor research; the Pheenix range (2024 flyers, [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)) is unpriced too; OMS's reference prices (letter, 9 October 2026) put a complete 4-cell wet room at EUR 224k basic to 311k advanced (~USD 259k to 359k; ~270k to 371k with know-how transfer), installation and water treatment extra: at or below this block's low end, kept until quotes exist | | Zero-discharge water treatment (ZLD) | 90k – 240k | 3.0M – 8.0M | utilities CSV option row | | Stamper prep (Sibert VSP, VSF, VSC) | 60k – 170k | 1.9M – 5.7M | estimate kept until the re-base; Sibert has since confirmed USD 250k for the three (its time, spares, shipping and travel extra), the difference is in the table below | | Mastering and cutting room (Agnew or Sillitoe lathe system, cutter amps, console, room treatment) | 290k – 580k | 9.6M – 19.1M | estimate, bespoke market; the Sillitoe SDMS lists at USD 125k for lathe, head, amplifier and automation (ex tax, shipping), which makes the low end reachable; band kept until both quotes exist | diff --git a/docs/roadmap.md b/docs/roadmap.md index 8874931..6eb4587 100644 --- a/docs/roadmap.md +++ b/docs/roadmap.md @@ -52,8 +52,9 @@ These three run in parallel and gate everything downstream: 6. **Galvanics quotes**: Digital Matrix, and Pheenix Alpha in the same conversation as item 5 (it builds the electroforming line too), plus OMS (Optical Media Services), named by Sibert as the alternative to a - Pheenix turnkey line (first contact from Lou Wullms 7 October 2026; - Alexander has replied; OMS sends material to calculate from next), and + Pheenix turnkey line (reference prices of 9 October 2026: EUR 224,000 + basic and 311,000 advanced for a 4-cell wet room, installation extra; a + dedicated offer needs our plans, ideally after a visit to Baarlo), and Sibert's itemised quotation for the stamper prep machines (a USD 250k budget for all three is confirmed, its time, spares, shipping and travel extra); equipment data in @@ -86,7 +87,8 @@ These three run in parallel and gate everything downstream: 12. Secure the site (lease preferred for the phased entry; purchase only with land privileges under BOI) 13. Order long-lead items: mastering lathe (Agnew or Sillitoe, both built - to order, see [vendor landscape](suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)), + to order, or second-hand through the contacts OMS named, see + [vendor landscape](suppliers/vendor-landscape.md)), stamper-prep machines, first utility packages 14. Engage Stamper Discs for the bridge-stamper relationship with written turnaround SLAs, and settle where lacquers are cut meanwhile: SST in diff --git a/docs/scale.md b/docs/scale.md index 0741d05..c04b0c7 100644 --- a/docs/scale.md +++ b/docs/scale.md @@ -215,7 +215,11 @@ small against the connection, but its own feeder and meter. Rough mature-operation headcount (estimate): 4 to 6 press/finishing operators per shift, 2 to 3 galvanics, 1 to 2 mastering/cutting engineers, 1 to 2 QC, 2 maintenance, 3 to 5 admin/sales/logistics. Roughly **15 to 25 -people** across shifts at maturity, fewer than half that at launch. +people** across shifts at maturity, fewer than half that at launch. For +galvanics, OMS's rule of thumb (one person runs about 20 stampers a day, +two from about 30) against the 8 to 20 parts a day at full capacity +points to one operator per shift +([galvanics and stamper prep](equipment/galvanics.md)). ## Money (cross-references) diff --git a/docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md b/docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md index b44212c..2f784ee 100644 --- a/docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md +++ b/docs/suppliers/equipment-suppliers.md @@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ Cutting service (until the in-house room runs): | Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | Schallplatten Schneid Technik (SST) | Frankfurt am Main, Germany | Lacquer cutting for pressing (7"/10"/12"), dubplates, half-speed, locked-groove and inside-out cuts; two Neumann cutting rooms; independent since 1969 (SST website, checked October 2026) | Already cut lacquers for Poy Records (POY003, 005, 006, 013, per SST's archive); met in Haarlem and offered help (email, 7 October 2026); on good terms with ResurRec; Daniel Krieger (MD), daniel@sst-ffm.de, mail@sst-ffm.de, +49 69 57 50 57. See [vendor landscape](vendor-landscape.md#lacquer-cutting-service-schallplatten-schneid-technik-germany) | +| Used lathes and cutting rooms (contacts via OMS) | Germany, Switzerland | Railroad Studio Tracks (complete cutting studio for sale, October 2026), Mike Papas, Andreas Bauer (AB Mastering), Flo Kaufman (flokason), Martin Sukale | Leads from Lou Wullms' introduction letter, unverified; details in the [vendor landscape](vendor-landscape.md#used-lathes-and-cutting-room-contacts-via-oms) | ## 2. Silvering and Electroforming (Galvanics) @@ -59,7 +60,7 @@ 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)); first email from Lou Wullms 7 October 2026, Alexander replied to confirm, calculation material to follow; Lou Wullms (technical), lou.wullms@gmail.com, +31 6 5490 3443; Wilma Peeters (accounting and logistics), wilmapeeters6@gmail.com; office +31 77 477 8054 | +| 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); introduction letter of 9 October 2026 in [`../equipment/oms/`](../equipment/oms/): reference prices EUR 224,000 for a basic 4-cell wet room (2 × EFS2-200) and EUR 311,000 advanced (AEFS4-250, PLC), installation days extra, used equipment on offer ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)); possible link to Newbilt's announced electroplating equipment, unconfirmed; Lou Wullms (technical), lou.wullms@gmail.com, +31 6 5490 3443; Wilma Peeters (accounting and logistics), wilmapeeters6@gmail.com; office +31 77 477 8054 | Open: industrial water-treatment vendor for the zero-discharge system; clean-room design/build contractor; fume scrubbing. @@ -76,7 +77,7 @@ Suppliers identified: | Supplier | Location | Offering | Notes | |---|---|---|---| -| 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) | +| 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 and footprints when we are ready (Ian Locke, 9 October 2026, who advises settling the presses first); 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) diff --git a/docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md b/docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md index df98dc1..0cb0466 100644 --- a/docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md +++ b/docs/suppliers/making-vinyl-europe-2026-exhibitors.md @@ -54,6 +54,16 @@ traceability spec, the steam decision, the Thai PVC lead, the 50/50 fleet). advice on OMS and Pheenix is noted; we get back to him when there is news, with the aim of working together. The itemised quotation has not been requested yet ([roadmap](../roadmap.md) item 6). + - Ian's answer (9 October 2026): take our time; he will supply + equipment footprints and formal quotations when we are ready. Get the + pressing side resolved first, "hopefully with Pheenix" (in his view + they make the best presses, with robust international support), and + if we go with Pheenix he asks us to mention his recommendation. He + expects to work well together once the "green" factory is further + along and says he is very impressed with those plans: supplier + feedback on the [sustainability](../sustainability.md) plan, not buyer + validation. **Open:** if Pheenix is chosen, mention Ian Locke's + recommendation to Pheenix. - **Pheenix Alpha follow-up** (Robert Gunnarsson, CEO, to Simona and Alexander, email 5 October 2026; Simona replied on 9 October with Niklas Poblenz copied): @@ -77,8 +87,22 @@ traceability spec, the steam decision, the Thai PVC lead, the 50/50 fleet). project too. Contacts: Lou Wullms for technical matters, Wilma Peeters for accounting and logistics. Alexander replied to confirm: Simona covers management and the audio side, Alexander the technical side. - OMS's material is the next step. Details in + Details in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md#a-third-candidate-optical-media-services-oms). + - *Introduction letter* (9 October 2026): reference prices for a 4-cell + wet room, EUR 224,000 basic and 311,000 advanced, installation days + extra; capacities of 24 and 32 shells in an 8-hour day; utilities, + rooms and staffing; used equipment also on offer; and five contacts + for buying a cutting lathe + ([vendor landscape](vendor-landscape.md#used-lathes-and-cutting-room-contacts-via-oms)). + Lou asks for a copy to go to Simona so she can work through the + figures (**Open:** forward it), and would rather show the equipment + in Baarlo before making a dedicated offer. + - *Links* (separate email, same day): vinyl-pressing-plants.com, a + directory of cutting studios, electroforming houses, pressing plants, + brokers and machine makers; cdvdpacking.com, a dealer in used CD, DVD, + vinyl and solar production machines; and lathetrolls.com for + questions on the process. - **SST** (Daniel Krieger, Schallplatten Schneid Technik, Frankfurt, to Simona and Alexander, email 7 October 2026): - SST's archive shows it cut the lacquers for Poy Records POY003, 005, @@ -95,8 +119,8 @@ traceability spec, the steam decision, the Thai PVC lead, the 50/50 fleet). ([vendor landscape](vendor-landscape.md#lacquer-cutting-service-schallplatten-schneid-technik-germany)). - **Filed since**: the Newbilt 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 + specifications and line-up drawing (with the 2021 issues kept), + Pheenix Alpha's electroforming flyers, and OMS's introduction letter ([galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md)). The briefing below is kept as written before the show. diff --git a/docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md b/docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md index caf8510..8d0f9f0 100644 --- a/docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md +++ b/docs/suppliers/vendor-landscape.md @@ -110,7 +110,8 @@ console, spares and service terms. At the Sillitoe list price the cutting room is a smaller decision than the 290k to 580k USD line in [total investment](../finance/total-investment.md) assumed, which makes it, alongside galvanics, a candidate for moving earlier than Phase 5 in -the [roadmap](../roadmap.md). +the [roadmap](../roadmap.md). A second-hand route exists too: +[used lathes and cutting-room contacts](#used-lathes-and-cutting-room-contacts-via-oms). ## Lacquer cutting service: Schallplatten Schneid Technik (Germany) @@ -137,6 +138,44 @@ Lacquer travels worse than nickel (production timeline), so a Frankfurt cut fits a European stamper service (Stamper Discs, OMS) better than plating in Thailand. +## Used lathes and cutting-room contacts (via OMS) + +Lou Wullms' introduction letter (9 October 2026, filed in +[`../equipment/oms/`](../equipment/oms/)) closes with five contacts for +buying a cutting lathe, a second-hand route next to a new Agnew or +Sillitoe. As the letter gives them (phone numbers and emails are in the +letter): + +- **Railroad Studio Tracks** (Germany, between Cologne and Aachen; owned by + John Cremers, with his son Moritz Cremer in charge): selling its + complete cutting studio "at this very moment". The website + (railroad-tracks.de) did not load for checking (October 2026). +- **Mike Papas**: sometimes has a cutting lathe for sale. +- **Andreas Bauer**, AB Mastering (Andreas Bauer Medientechnik, + Tiefenbach, Germany): could help with a lathe. His site (abmastering.com, + checked October 2026) offers lacquer cutting on a Neumann VMS-80, master + checks, one-off dubplates, and help choosing a pressing plant with + quality control. +- **Flo Kaufman** (flokason, Switzerland; spelling as in the letter): very + highly respected in the cutting world and, Lou warns, always very busy. + His site describes handcrafted audio gear. +- **Martin Sukale**, Ramona Records GmbH, Hamburg, a good friend of Flo + Kaufman's. ramonarecords.com led to the site of Discosville, a vinyl + pressing plant, when checked (October 2026); confirm his current company + before writing. + +What it means: a complete used studio could put a working cutting room in +place well before [roadmap](../roadmap.md) item 27, at a price still to be +asked. A used lathe still needs a head, amplifiers, service and a cutting +engineer, so compare it as a whole room, like the new systems above. + +Lou also recommended three sites for finding vendors and answers: +vinyl-pressing-plants.com (directory of cutting studios, electroforming +houses, pressing plants, brokers and machine makers), cdvdpacking.com (a +dealer in used CD, DVD, vinyl and solar production machines; its +categories include mastering and galvanics, and pressing lines, checked +October 2026) and lathetrolls.com (questions on the process). + ## Silvering and electroforming equipment: Plating Power / Digital Matrix (USA) [Plating Power](https://www.platingpower.com/) is the vinyl brand of Digital @@ -166,9 +205,12 @@ 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. Simona and Alexander met Lou Wullms in Haarlem; he wrote -on 7 October 2026 and Alexander has replied; material to calculate from -follows, no -datasheet or price on file yet. Details, company data and open questions +on 7 October 2026 and Alexander has replied. On 9 October OMS sent an +introduction letter with reference prices: EUR 224,000 for a basic 4-cell +wet room (two 2-cell EFS2-200 units) and EUR 311,000 for an advanced one +(one 4-cell AEFS4-250 with PLC), installation and water treatment extra, +used equipment also available. For stamper finishing the letter points to +Sibert, as Sibert pointed to OMS. Details, company data and open questions in [galvanics and stamper prep](../equipment/galvanics.md). ## Stamper preparation: Sibert Instruments (UK)