grabowski
f1334f4756
OMS (Lou Wullms) sent its introduction letter, filed in docs/equipment/oms/: wet-room units with reference prices, two 4-cell configurations (EUR 224,000 basic with two EFS2-200, EUR 311,000 advanced with one AEFS4-250 and PLC; installation days extra), capacities of 24 and 32 shells in an 8-hour day, utilities, rooms, staffing, used equipment, and five contacts for buying a cutting lathe. Recorded in galvanics.md (tables, our reading: the advanced units add up to EUR 314,000, know-how transfer is left out of both totals although CNX has no plating know-how, the basic set has no passivation unit), the exhibitor follow-ups, vendor landscape (new section on used lathes and cutting-room contacts, plus Lou's three websites), supplier map, roadmap items 6 and 13, total investment (basis note only, block unchanged) and the scale people estimate. Open: forward the letter to Simona, as Lou asked. Sibert (Ian Locke, 9 October): footprints and formal quotations when we are ready; settle the pressing side first, hopefully with Pheenix, and mention his recommendation if we do; impressed by the green-factory plans (supplier feedback). Open: pass on the recommendation if Pheenix is chosen. CNX-01 in proplan: OMS basic and advanced added as options to D-002 with their reference prices in THB; budget line 3 notes the OMS range.
33 KiB
Making Vinyl Europe 2026: Exhibitor Briefing and Questions
Event: Making Vinyl Europe 2026, PHIL Haarlem (Lange Begijnestraat 11), 30 September to 2 October 2026. Theme "Building Value Beyond Volume". Attendee list (17 Sep 2026): https://makingvinyl.com/europe-2026-attendee-list Program (Whova app): https://makingvinyl.com/europe-2026-schedule/
The eleven names below are the booths on the event app's floor map. Company facts are from vendor sites and the Making Vinyl channels, checked 19 September 2026; anything not on a datasheet is a vendor claim. Questions are written against this repo's open items (roadmap Phase 1 quotes, the traceability spec, the steam decision, the Thai PVC lead, the 50/50 fleet).
After the show
- Traceability drew the strongest reaction. Most people Alexander talked to in Haarlem were very interested in the plan's full traceability (traceability, digital factory).
- Sibert: traceability was one of the reasons Sibert's representative was willing to talk to us at all; without it he would strongly advise against the plan. Seeing buildfor.life's software development and data 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, total investment).
- 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 item 23 and is taken into the digital factory 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).
- 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.
- Alexander's reply (October 2026): back in Thailand and preparing a meeting with the investor (separate from Simona and Alexander); Ian's 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 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 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):
- Pheenix has helped many plants start production or add capacity and counts more than 300 presses worldwide (vendor figure). Its team supports automatic and manual presses and electroforming, which matches the single-vendor path in roadmap items 5 and 6.
- He proposed a Teams meeting, invited us to the factory near Stockholm to see the presses demonstrated, and offered to put us in touch with reference clients.
- Simona's reply: no visit fitted this trip; we plan to be back in Europe in February 2027 and will set up a call once our questions and plans are concrete, in the coming weeks. No datasheet or quote yet. Ask for the reference clients with the call (Deepgrooves first, for biomass steam).
- OMS (Lou Wullms, met in Haarlem; first email to Alexander, in
German, 7 October 2026): he asks Alexander to confirm he received it,
then will send material so that we can start calculating and see what
the galvanics side involves, and asks whether Simona will work on the
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.
Details in
galvanics and stamper prep.
- 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). 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, 006 and 013, so it is already a Poy supplier.
- He praised the pressing quality of Chiang Mai Sound vol. 1 and Fabulous Forever and asked whether they are ResurRec pressings (answer from Poy's records).
- SST is on good terms with Sarit of ResurRec and his mastering partner Chalotorn, so it knows the incumbent (revenue model).
- He offered to help with the plant. A cutting-side contact: a lacquer source for the launch phase and cutting-room know-how for roadmap item 27, not buyer validation (vendor landscape).
- Filed since: the Newbilt flyers (pressing line), Sibert's current VS specifications and line-up drawing (with the 2021 issues kept), Pheenix Alpha's electroforming flyers, and OMS's introduction letter (galvanics and stamper prep).
The briefing below is kept as written before the show.
Priority order for the three days
- Newbilt and Pheenix Alpha: the pressing-line decision. Both must leave Haarlem with a re-quote in motion.
- M-Tech Engineering: the only Asian press vendor on the floor, and the only one advertising a non-steam option. Cheap to check, could reshape the steam question.
- PlastChem, CAF, Granulat2000: three compounders in one room. Same question sheet to all three, compare answers.
- Matrix 4.0, Sibert: stamper bridge and stamper prep.
- Tullis Russell, IBA Hartmann: consumables and packaging benchmarks.
- High End Society: demand side, not a supplier.
Questions for everyone (ask at every booth, note the answers side by side)
- Do you have customers in Thailand or Southeast Asia? Who, and can we contact them?
- How do you handle service for a plant 10,000 km from your workshop: remote diagnostics, regional partner, spare-parts stocking list, guaranteed response time?
- Current lead time from order to delivery, and payment terms. (The BOI duty-free import window runs roughly 30 months from the certificate; machinery must arrive inside it.)
- Incoterms and packing for sea freight to Laem Chabang; any experience with Thai import formalities.
- Which of your products or processes are sensitive to a tropical climate (30 °C, 60 to 90 % RH ambient, burning-season PM2.5)? What do your customers in hot, humid regions do differently?
- "Value beyond volume": if you were building a new 1 to 1.5 million record/year plant in 2026 with a clean sheet, what would you do differently from the plants built in 2016 to 2022?
1. CAF srl (Truccazzano, Milan, Italy)
What they are. Plastics processor since 1976, in Truccazzano since 1979. Product lines: PVC compound for phonographic records, silicone sealant cartridges, thread spools, ABL tubes. Exports to the US via CAF NA Corp (customs records show ~12 t shipments from Genoa). Already on this repo's 2021 PVC supplier list; never quoted. Site: https://cafsrl.com/ (Italian only).
Why they matter. One of the few dedicated record-compound producers in Europe; the record line is a side business next to industrial products, which usually means good pricing and thin technical support.
Questions.
- Record compound share of your output, and how many pressing plants you supply today (references we can call).
- Stabiliser system (Ca/Zn vs. other), lead-free confirmation, REACH and RoHS documentation we can hand to Thai customs and to customers.
- Black and colour portfolio: how many stock colours, transparent/opaque, and how do you handle splatter and effect work (pre-coloured compound vs. masterbatch we dose ourselves).
- Tolerance for in-house regrind: we plan ~20 % recycled from our own grinder. Any limit before noise floor or flow changes?
- Price per kg FOB Genoa and CIF Bangkok for black 12" compound at 20 t and 40 t per year; MOQ; packaging (25 kg sacks vs. big bags); shelf life and storage guidance in a hot, humid warehouse.
- Sea-freight lead time and whether you already ship to Asia.
- Have you ever worked with a Thai or Southeast Asian compounder, or licensed a formulation for local production?
2. Granulat2000 (Granulat GmbH, Troisdorf-Spich, Germany)
What they are. PVC compounder and masterbatch maker. Brand "Troilit" covers hard PVC compounds; their product list explicitly includes "record mass" (Schallplattenmasse). Also colour concentrates and additive masterbatches (Troibatch), fibre compounds (Troispun). ISO 9001. Exhibited at K 2025. Contact: info@granulat2000.com, +49 2241 9636-0. Site: https://www.granulat.de/en/
Why they matter. Compound and masterbatch under one roof. The ResurRec photographs showed "MADE IN THAILAND ... Pigment" sacks; the masterbatch question (dose colour ourselves into a local base compound) is exactly Granulat2000's specialty.
Questions.
- Same compound questions as CAF (stabiliser, regrind tolerance, price at 20/40 t, MOQ, shelf life, Asia shipping).
- Do you sell colour masterbatch for records separately from base compound? Dosing ratios, which carrier resin, and can it be used with a third-party (Thai) base compound?
- Batch-to-batch colour consistency: do you supply colour-metric data with each lot (their site says yes for panels; ask for records)?
- Do you know of any Thai or Southeast Asian PVC compounder producing record grade, or would you consider tolling / licensing a recipe to one?
- Melt-flow and thermal stability data sheet for the record grade, and recommended extruder zone temperatures for a Newbilt VEX 50 or a Pheenix AD12 extruder.
3. High End Society (Wuppertal, Germany)
What they are. Organiser of the HIGH END show, the largest hi-fi exhibition (500 exhibitors, 1,000 brands, ~23,000 visitors), which moved from Munich to Vienna in 2026 (HIGH END Vienna 2027: 6 to 9 May). Gold sponsor of Making Vinyl Europe 2026. Not a supplier; they are the audiophile demand side. Site: https://www.highendsociety.de/
Why they matter. The plant's positioning is quality and traceability, not volume. The audiophile channel is the one that pays for that.
Questions.
- What do audiophile buyers and hi-fi press actually judge a pressing on today: weight, flatness, noise floor, plating quality, packaging? Which of these do they measure, and which are perception?
- Is there measurable growth in the Asian audiophile market (Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore)? Do you run or partner on shows in Asia?
- Would an Asian pressing plant with a full quality/traceability story be of interest to HIGH END exhibitors (audiophile labels, turntable brands bundling records)? Who should we talk to?
- What does "value beyond volume" look like from the listener side: are audiophile reissues, half-speed masters, and one-step pressings still growing, or plateauing?
- Cost and format of a small exhibitor presence at HIGH END Vienna 2027.
4. IBA Hartmann (Augsburg, Germany)
What they are. Print and packaging manufacturer, 60+ years. For vinyl: the "Smartsleeve" tip-on cover (thick board core, laminated printed sheets), Mediabook vinyl-size hardcover, LP box sets, gatefolds with glued-in booklets, hot-foil numbered limited editions, an "iba green" sustainable line. Fully automated production. Contact: hallo.logo@iba-hartmann.de, +49 821 79409-0. Site: https://logo.iba-hartmann.de/en/package/vinyl-covers/
Why they matter. The plan is to source jackets and sleeves from Chiang Mai carton makers, none identified yet. IBA is the benchmark for what a premium jacket spec looks like; take samples home and hand them to the local candidates.
Questions.
- Ask for physical samples: standard single jacket, tip-on Smartsleeve, gatefold with booklet, box set. Ask for the technical spec behind each (board grammage, paper, lamination, varnish/foil).
- Which spec do the big European plants order as the default, and which as the premium option? Rough price ladder at 500 / 2,000 / 5,000 units.
- Do you export to Asia, and at what run size does it make sense vs. a local carton maker?
- What do local packaging suppliers most often get wrong when a plant tries to replicate a tip-on jacket (glue, board memory, print registration, warping in humidity)?
- Sustainable line: FSC, recycled board, plastic-free lamination. What do labels actually order?
- Do you supply inner sleeves and printed labels too, or only outer packaging?
5. M-Tech Engineering (Hong Kong; factory in Guangzhou; partner MCS Sironi, Italy)
What they are. Machine builder from the optical-disc industry now selling vinyl equipment: Allegro II production line ("steam and compatible with non-steam system", automatic and manual modes, 7"/10"/12", ten Mitsubishi servo axes, Mitsubishi Q motion control, DLC-coated moulds, fast stamper exchange, remote support via TeamViewer), Adagio manual line (extruder, press, trimmer), Vivace cutting lathe (Mitsubishi PLC, 0.001 mm table flatness claim), and a sputtering service (titanium, gold, platinum coating on pressed records). Reference install: Press On Vinyl (UK) runs Allegro II lines. Contacts: Man Lui (man.lui@m-tech-engineering.com), Peter Tsang (info@m-tech-engineering.com); Guangzhou: Ken Deng, Mark Chen. Site: https://m-tech-engineering.com/
Why they matter. Three reasons: they are 3 hours' flight from Chiang Mai (service, spares, training in the same time zone); the non-steam option speaks directly to the open steam decision (electric vs. biomass vs. solar-thermal); and the lathe is the only alternative to Agnew Analog on the floor. The trade-off is the unknown: reputation, build quality and longevity are unproven compared with Newbilt/Pheenix.
Questions.
- Non-steam heating: what is it exactly (electric oil/water, induction), cycle time and energy per record vs. steam, and how many non-steam lines are in production today? Can we visit one?
- Cycle time and yield in daily production at Press On Vinyl or another reference, not the brochure figure. Uptime measured over what period?
- Semi-automatic mode: is one Allegro II a credible replacement for a Newbilt-type manual press on splatter and effect work, or is it an automatic press with the guards open?
- Utilities: steam pressure and kg/cycle (if steam), cooling water flow and temperature, compressed air, electrical load, footprint, floor load.
- Controls and data: Mitsubishi PLC, is there OPC UA or MQTT access to cycle parameters for our traceability system? Who owns the PLC program?
- Adagio manual line: full spec and price of extruder + press + trimmer; mould compatibility with third-party stampers (Newbilt/Toolex geometry?).
- Vivace lathe: cutter head and electronics supplied with it or sourced separately, references who cut on it daily, lead time and price.
- Service model for Thailand: engineer travel from Guangzhou, spare-parts stock, warranty terms, training in English.
- Price and lead time for one Allegro II, and for a two-press cell.
6. Matrix 4.0 (Peschiera Borromeo, Milan, Italy)
What they are. Independent stamper maker since 2001, originally optical-disc glass masters and stampers, now also vinyl stampers (7"/10"/ 12") and lacquer cutting. Exports to Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Claims to be the only independent company in Europe making both vinyl and digital stampers. Site: https://vinylstamper.com/
Why they matter. Second candidate for the stamper bridge (buy stampers while the in-house galvanics line is built), next to Stamper Discs (also attending, no booth). Optical-disc background means they work with nickel-thickness and flatness metrology, which is what the quality automation spec asks for.
Questions.
- Turnaround from lacquer received to stamper shipped; DDP delivery to Chiang Mai; price for a 12" 3-step set and for extra stampers per side.
- Which Far East customers do you supply today? Any in Southeast Asia?
- Which press moulds do you form stampers for (Newbilt, Toolex/Pheenix, Viryl, M-Tech)? Do you supply them punched and coined, or flat?
- Quality data with each stamper: nickel thickness, TIR, surface inspection; can we get a certificate per part with a serial we can log?
- Do you offer DMM cutting as well as lacquer? Cost difference.
- Would you consider consulting or training for a plant setting up its own silvering/electroforming room (process know-how is the hardest hire for this project)? Terms.
- Can you cut for us and keep the lacquer/father in Milan, shipping only mothers/stampers, to reduce freight risk?
7. Newbilt Machinery (Alsdorf, Germany)
What they are. Our primary semi-automatic candidate (Single 2.1: VEX 50 extruder + HRP 12 press, Duplex upgrade path; June 2024 quote EUR 200,549.50 incl. freight, expired) and builder of the Classic 12" fully automatic press (3-column hydraulic frame, built-in extruder, automatic patty/label/cooling-plate handling, Siemens Safety PLC, 28 s cycle even at 180 g, claimed ≥95 % yield and ≥95 % uptime). Duplex: two presses on one extruder, ~30 s average cycle. ResurRec Bangkok runs one Classic 12" plus one semi-automatic Newbilt. Contacts: Hans-Juergen Helm (Sales Manager), Erwin Neubauer (Managing Director).
Collected at the booth: six 2026 product flyers (Classic, Duplex,
EX 35, Edge Trimmer, Granulator 400, Label Punch) plus the 2024 Classic
flyer, in ../equipment/newbilt/flyers-2026/
and summarised in pressing-line.md. They
answer part of the list below: Classic and Duplex share inserts; the
Classic is 12" (110 to 180 g) with 7" in development, and Newbilt
recommends the Duplex for splatter; the Classic monitors steam
temperature and cooling-water temperature and flow, records cycles and
trends, and offers SCADA/OPC UA. They also raise new conflicts (panel
size, extruder power, 10" on the Classic); see pressing-line.md.
Site: https://newbilt-machinery.com/machines-equipment/
Why they matter. The Newbilt-only path covers both fleet halves from one vendor. The re-quote is roadmap item 4.
Questions.
- Re-quote of the June 2024 Single 2.1 / Duplex offer at 2026 prices; current build time and order-book position; validity period.
- Budget price and delivery time for the Classic 12" automatic, and for a mixed fleet of 2 semi-auto + 2 Classic 12".
- Basis of the ≥95 % yield and uptime figures: measured where, over what period, at what run lengths, which stoppages are excluded (stamper changes, colour changes, label reels)?
- PLC data access as a purchase requirement: OPC UA / SCADA tags for temperatures, pressures, cycle time, counts per stamper; who owns the PLC program; remote access model. (Traceability spec: log at the source.)
- Thai install base: who serviced ResurRec, response time on the last call-out, spare parts stocked in Asia or shipped from Alsdorf.
- Steam: confirm 10 bar saturated, kg per cycle for HRP 12 and Classic 12"; any customer running on electric or biomass boilers (Deepgrooves style)? Any non-steam development?
- 7"/10" changeover: insert sets, time to change, and whether the Classic 12" is 12"-only (the name suggests it).
- Mould geometry: are stampers from Stamper Discs / Matrix 4.0 / a Pheenix-style coiner interchangeable, or do we need Newbilt-formed stampers?
- Floor loading and vibration data sheets per machine for the structural engineer (press: 1,350 kg on under 1 m²).
- Hot-climate installations: any changes to cooling circuits, hydraulic oil grade (ISO VG 32 vs 46), or electrical cabinet cooling for 35 °C ambient?
- Training beyond the included 5 days; 2026 service rate card (2024: EUR 84/h plus travel); recommended two-year spare-parts kit and its price.
- Financing or staged delivery options (extruder + first press, second press later).
8. Pheenix Alpha (Solna, Sweden)
What they are. Successor of Toolex Alpha (founded 2006 by former Toolex staff; owned by Arbona). AD12 fully automatic press: 24 to 26 s cycle (~140 records/h), one operator per four presses, 7"/10"/12" up to 200 g, 25 kW installed, ~1.2 kg steam and 12.5 L chilled water per cycle in a closed platen circuit. AD12 Manual (twin) launched September 2025 for splatter and short runs. Also a compact 7" centre-hole punch unit. New CEO Robert Gunnarsson from September 2026 with an explicit commercial focus; founder Niklas Poblenz stays on innovation and customer support. Sibert installed equipment at Pheenix in January 2025. Deepgrooves (NL, attending) runs AD12 presses on biomass steam. Contacts in this repo: andreas.runsten@pheenixalpha.com; Robert Gunnarsson (CEO), robert.gunnarsson@pheenixalpha.com, +46 8 598 933 00; Niklas Poblenz, niklas.poblenz@pheenixalpha.com. The CEO's signature gives Pheenix Alpha AB, Skepptuna Borgen 299, 195 93 Märsta (north of Stockholm), the same address as the flyers.
On file (filed with the Making Vinyl material, October 2026): four
electroforming flyers from 2024 (PASU silvering, PPPU pre-plating, PDPU
dual-cell plating, PMPB passivation bench) in
../equipment/pheenix-alpha/, summarised in
galvanics and stamper prep. Pheenix builds the
galvanics line as well as the presses, so the quote below should cover
both.
Site: https://www.pheenixalpha.com/
Why they matter. The alternative single-vendor path (AD12 + AD12 Manual), and the only vendor with a documented biomass-steam customer. Roadmap item 5.
Questions.
- Current metric datasheet and budget quote for AD12 and AD12 Manual; lead time; validity.
- AD12 Manual: is it a de-automated AD12 (same frame, extruder, moulds)? Cycle time with an operator, and can it be upgraded to automatic later?
- Basis of the 140/h figure and typical daily OEE at a reference plant; which reference plant can we visit (Deepgrooves is here; ask for an introduction).
- Data: remote monitoring is advertised; what protocol (OPC UA, REST, vendor cloud), which tags, and can we log locally without a cloud subscription?
- Asia install base and service: any presses in Southeast Asia, who services them, spare-parts hub.
- Steam and cooling numbers confirmed for 35 °C ambient; experience with electric boilers; what Deepgrooves needed to change for biomass steam.
- Stamper compatibility: Toolex-geometry stampers from Stamper Discs / Matrix 4.0; do we need the Pheenix punch and coiner or does Sibert's VSC cover it?
- Extruder: compound sensitivity (Ca/Zn, regrind share), zone temperatures for PlastChem Bio-Vinyl vs. standard black.
- What did the new CEO change commercially: financing, leasing, staged delivery, regional agents?
- What are the "latest releases" mentioned in the Haarlem announcement?
- Galvanics line (PASU, PPPU, PDPU, PMPB): budget quote next to the AD12, measured cycle per part per cell, empty and filled weights, PLC protocol, and the water-treatment partner their customers use.
9. PlastChem (Hardenberg, Netherlands)
What they are. PVC compounder since 1994 (Parcom portfolio company). Record compounds: standard, Bio-Vinyl (bio-ethylene from used cooking oil and plant residues; ISCC certified; ClimatePartner-certified as lowest carbon-footprint record compound, their claim), and PlastChem Circular (post-consumer PVC waste into hybrid compounds, announced at Making Vinyl Europe 2025). 100 % recyclable, ISO 14001, EcoVadis. Contact: info@plastchem.nl, +31 85 086 5800. Site: https://plastchem.nl/en/our-products/vinyl-record-compounds
Why they matter. The sustainability story (renewable energy, zero discharge, biomass steam) needs a matching material story; Bio-Vinyl is the best-documented one on the market. Not on the 2021 supplier list.
Questions.
- Same base questions as CAF and Granulat2000 (stabiliser, regrind tolerance, price at 20/40 t, MOQ, shelf life, Asia shipping).
- Bio-Vinyl vs. standard: price premium per kg, any processing difference (temperatures, cycle), any audible or durability difference in independent tests.
- ISCC and ClimatePartner: what documents can we pass through to a label so the claim survives on the customer's product sheet?
- PlastChem Circular: what share of post-consumer content, sourcing of the waste stream, and could a plant in Thailand feed its own waste/regrind into a similar compound locally?
- Thermal stability of Ca/Zn compound in tropical storage; moisture pickup and pre-drying needs.
- Do you supply any Asian plants today? Would you toll-compound or license to a Thai producer at volume?
- Colour and effect range; masterbatch or pre-coloured; MOQ per colour.
10. Sibert Instruments (Hampshire, UK)
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 (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 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/,
summarised in galvanics and stamper prep. 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 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 presses. Small one-off capital items; the open question is which of the three we need for the mould set we end up with.
Questions.
- Spec sheets and prices for VSP, VSF, VSC; lead time; 400 V / 50 Hz three-phase for Thailand.
- Which press moulds does the VSC form for (Newbilt, Toolex/Pheenix, Viryl, M-Tech)? Tooling per mould type and its cost.
- If we buy Newbilt presses, is the VSC redundant with anything Newbilt supplies? Same question for Pheenix's punch unit.
- Tolerances: centring accuracy of the punch, back-finish flatness; can the machines log a measurement per stamper (serial in, result out) for our genealogy database?
- What did you install at Pheenix in January 2025?
- Customers in Asia; service model (these are simple enough to maintain locally if drawings and spares are available: ask for the spares list).
11. Tullis Russell (Bollington, Macclesfield, UK)
What they are. Coated-paper maker; "Premier Record Label" paper is the industry-standard centre-label stock: 120 gsm, supplied blue/white (blue side to the vinyl), heat resistant, lay-flat, stock sheets 450 mm. Used by Deepgrooves and Takt (Takt: 15 million records on TR paper). Sponsor of Making Vinyl Europe 2026. Contact: info@tullisrussell.com. Site: https://www.tullisrussell.com/trlabel/products/record-label-material/
Why they matter. Label paper is a small cost with a large failure mode: blistering, curling and misregistration are humidity problems, and the plant will sit at 60 to 90 % RH ambient. The label dry oven in the Newbilt quote exists for this reason.
Questions.
- Storage and conditioning guidance for a tropical plant: target RH for the paper store, pre-drying time and temperature before pressing, shelf life once opened.
- Do you sell direct to plants or only through label printers? Which printers in Asia already print on your stock (we need a Thai or regional printer we can qualify)?
- MOQ in sheets or reels; lead time to Thailand; price per 1,000 sheets.
- Print process compatibility: offset, digital, UV; inks that survive the press; foil and metallic options.
- Recycled or FSC grades; any difference in pressing behaviour.
- Common label defects you get asked to diagnose, and the root cause in each case (moisture, ink, oven temperature, stamper heat profile).
- Sample pack for tests on a Newbilt and on a Pheenix press.
Also at the conference, no booth (find them in the Whova app)
- Stamper Discs (Sheffield): the other stamper-bridge candidate; get a written turnaround SLA and Asia freight experience.
- Matrisfabrik AB (Sweden) and Elsaesser GmbH (Germany, galvanics and electroforming equipment, DMM cutting): both relevant to the in-house galvanics plan; Elsaesser is a European alternative to Digital Matrix for plating equipment.
- INEOS Compounds Aycliffe (UK): fourth compounder, on the 2021 list.
- Deepgrooves (NL): the biomass-steam precedent; ask for a visit.
- Record Industry (Haarlem host plant), GZ Media, Pozzoli, Takt, optimal media: large-plant operators; one question each on what they would build differently today.
- Schallplatten Schneid Technik (SST, Frankfurt): lacquer cutting studio (first noted here as DMM cutting; SST's own site lists lacquers and dubplates only). Met at the show, see After the show.
- POYSOUND Co., Ltd. and TOYO RECORDING: Asian attendees worth identifying (POYSOUND may be Thai; unverified).
Bring home
- Newbilt re-quote request confirmed in writing, with PLC/OPC UA access and Thai service terms listed as requirements.
- Pheenix AD12 / AD12 Manual datasheets and budget quote; Deepgrooves introduction.
- M-Tech Allegro II and Adagio specs, non-steam details, Press On Vinyl reference contact.
- Compound price/MOQ/spec sheets from PlastChem, CAF, Granulat2000 (and INEOS if found), plus any lead on Thai compounders.
- Stamper price and turnaround from Matrix 4.0 and Stamper Discs.
- Sibert spec PDFs and prices; mould compatibility matrix.
- Tullis Russell sample pack and Asian printer list.
- IBA Hartmann samples and specs for the Chiang Mai carton makers.
- Every business card photographed and filed under
docs/suppliers/contacts/after the show.