Brand new vinyl record pressing machines enter the market

[Jommeke]

http://www.factmag.com/2015/12/07/vinyl-record-pressing-machines-enter-market/

For the first time in 30 years, vinyl production capacity is on the up.

Jack White’s new Third Man pressing plant in Detroit will be kitted out
with eight brand new presses, when it opens doors in Spring 2016.

Built by German start-up Newbilt Machinery, the new presses update the
existing workhorses with new features like an electronic control system
and a hydraulic power supply to squeeze the molds made by Record
Products of America (RPA).

The company claims that material and energy loss during stand-by times
will improve although the multi-step, labour-intensive process that goes
into pressing a record won’t actually change.

“We haven’t invented anything new. We’re just making old manual pressing
machines with new parts,” RPA technical sales manger Dan Hemperly told
Plastic News.

Newbilt’s double system featuring two presses and an extruder, hydraulic
power supply and a trimming machine costs $161,250 while a single-press
system will set you back $100,000. The company added that it hopes to
develop a method of automating the machines in the not too distant future.

With old machinery proving rarer than hen’s teeth, tales of
serendipitous entrepreneurs stumbling upon record presses in abandoned
warehouses have taken on near-mythical status. Independent Record
Pressing in N.J. reportedly bought six used presses for $1.5 million and
paid $5,000 to make and replace an obsolete screw on a press.
Difficulties in press capacity is creating one of several bottlenecks in
the chain, contributing to distressing lead times and an anti-majors
sentiment.

“It’s a world wide epidemic. You can’t get a record made quickly,”
Hemperly said. “That’s why there’s so much interest in getting vinyl
pressing machines. It’s a good time to be in the business of making
those machines and making vinyl records.

In September, Newbilt invited guests to experience the very first new
vinyl presses in almost three decades. “I can’t tell you exactly where
those presses are going because the customers want to keep it
confidential until they open their doors. Detroit was hush-hush until
now,” Hemperly added.

White opened a Third Man record store and retail area in Detroit a few
weeks ago. Only last week was it revealed that within that space, a
10,000 square-foot plant will start pressing records in the new year.
Via a viewing window, the entire pressing operation will be on showcase
to the public.