http://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/15/b...-region®ion=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well
In case anyone was wondering whether Vinyl LPs were big business again..... Not a bad article, I had never seen an LP manufactured before. Not sure how long the link will work for, but you can search the NY Times for the article on the 15 Sept date, after the link breaks.
Scott
In case anyone was wondering whether Vinyl LPs were big business again..... Not a bad article, I had never seen an LP manufactured before. Not sure how long the link will work for, but you can search the NY Times for the article on the 15 Sept date, after the link breaks.
Scott
profitable and big business are two different things. Clearly profit is tenuous as they bought the lathes from canada where the pressing plant was shutting down.
The interesting part of the article was the fact that a lot was said about the fact that these were 40 year old lathes and no spare parts available so everything has to be hand made to keep them running. And only one person who actually knows how they work (who installed them originally).
Unless your name is Chad its a high risk niche business.
The interesting part of the article was the fact that a lot was said about the fact that these were 40 year old lathes and no spare parts available so everything has to be hand made to keep them running. And only one person who actually knows how they work (who installed them originally).
Unless your name is Chad its a high risk niche business.
The plant isn't that far from where VPI assembles their turntables.
I was surprised they were using water as a coolant.
WRT spares. NJ used to have a thriving metal-working industry. Now friends of mine who supply big pharma's pill manufacturing industry say that they can't get anything made in the State, but have to go to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan or Wisconsin for parts. You can get anything made if you have SolidWorks, etc.
I recall the the Epitaph label as being geared towards metal acts. I could be wrong.
It doesn't require much imagination or navel-gazing to see similarities between this and the solid-state vs. tubes situation. Especially since it perpetuates a tangible medium instead of the high-tech-jukebox service that is audio streaming.
Of course, if the returns are significant enough, new presses will be manufactured.
There might also be comparisons to be made with the fledgling USA craft brewing business of the 1980's.
It doesn't require much imagination or navel-gazing to see similarities between this and the solid-state vs. tubes situation. Especially since it perpetuates a tangible medium instead of the high-tech-jukebox service that is audio streaming.
Of course, if the returns are significant enough, new presses will be manufactured.
There might also be comparisons to be made with the fledgling USA craft brewing business of the 1980's.
$5.000 to replace a singe screw?
Speaking as someone who has worked for companies that had custom machinery made.... there has has to be much more to that it than reported.
Anyway as long as there is money to be made, there will always be someone to sell manufacturer and sell the product.
Let's all keep in mind that all machinery used in manufacture is expensive and needs frequent adjustments and repairs.
This includes machinery for the manufacture of CDs DVDs, Blu- rays etc.
Compared to those machines and processes, a LP press is just a plastic molding machine using 75v year old technology.
There are any number of custom machinery builders around the globe who can make any machine given the plans etc.
Most All machinery used in manufacturing is custom designed and made by these companies.
The problem with the resurgence of vinyl is no one knows how long the vinyl resurgence will last so, no one want to invest in new presses...... yet.
However, when the need comes and new machines need arises, there will be someone to step up and invest in a press to make money.
Right now, it's like, no one wants to build an ark just yet as they all think it will stop raining soon.
Speaking as someone who has worked for companies that had custom machinery made.... there has has to be much more to that it than reported.
Anyway as long as there is money to be made, there will always be someone to sell manufacturer and sell the product.
Let's all keep in mind that all machinery used in manufacture is expensive and needs frequent adjustments and repairs.
This includes machinery for the manufacture of CDs DVDs, Blu- rays etc.
Compared to those machines and processes, a LP press is just a plastic molding machine using 75v year old technology.
There are any number of custom machinery builders around the globe who can make any machine given the plans etc.
Most All machinery used in manufacturing is custom designed and made by these companies.
The problem with the resurgence of vinyl is no one knows how long the vinyl resurgence will last so, no one want to invest in new presses...... yet.
However, when the need comes and new machines need arises, there will be someone to step up and invest in a press to make money.
Right now, it's like, no one wants to build an ark just yet as they all think it will stop raining soon.
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Well, I'm happy to see manufacturing of almost anything return to New Jersey (or NY, or US), but especially turntables and LPs.
Now, perhaps a vacuum tube factory........... ;-)
Scott
I am. But who is making the money from the $30 records being sold. We don't know how much the pressing company makes (unless its Chad who controls the whole chain).
Based on the only data point I have, a single press can make around 350 slabs o profit a day. But that didn't tell me how many shifts were being run. I am guessing a 2 minute cycle time for a press. so potentially you could make 600 a day. If you only have 6 presses and need a full time specialist to run them that is not a way to make a good living!
Building a new press from scratch... Guessing about 750k in tooling before you start putting control systems on it. Would love to see someone doing that.
Based on the only data point I have, a single press can make around 350 slabs o profit a day. But that didn't tell me how many shifts were being run. I am guessing a 2 minute cycle time for a press. so potentially you could make 600 a day. If you only have 6 presses and need a full time specialist to run them that is not a way to make a good living!
Building a new press from scratch... Guessing about 750k in tooling before you start putting control systems on it. Would love to see someone doing that.
Guessing that included setting up to run off a batch so that there were some on the shelf, including working out what the broken part was made of etc. In the old days the big pressing plants would have had a machine shop with a toolmaker working there who could knock up spares in a few hours. Some of us call those the good old days!
Not really.. .
A tool maker has to be a machinist..... depending on the types of tools of course.
To make a simple hammer you just need to be a blacksmith but other tools need fine machining.
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Often one replacement part will cost more than the second-hand value of the machine. One time I had a broken tie-bar on a DiscJet 600. The supplier recommended replacing all three tie-bars with a cost of EURO 7000 in parts plus two days labour. Luckily I had a spare machine. It was cheaper and quicker to just to replace the whole machine.
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