Hi Palomino,
Contributions to the list are welcome. Please list your details here and I will make a final list as Daimon suggested and edit it into the starting topic of this thread so that a complete list is readily available once this thread has run its course.
GZ Digital Media
I remember when this company was called Grammofon Zavody (Record Factory, if I am not mistaken) and their international reputation is very impressive. It shows that you dont need automatic presses to make a good records and that good old-fashioned manual presses will do the job nicely. What I dont get is the manual presses are backed up with an automatic 7" trimmer with a robotic arm to take the record off the trimmer and presumably stack it. Who was the brilliant guy that decided a manual pressing plant needed automatic removal of the record from the trimmer? He gets the Einstein award!!
Interesting that one operator operates two manual presses. I like the Sick Light Curtains that protect the operator's hands from the closing press. A nice little add-on.
Steve,
Yes I know that the depth of the grooves has nothing to do with the weight of the record. I spent enough years cutting masters and pressing records (and plating, and printing labels) in my own plant. What amuses me is that DJs seem to think that a thick record = deep grooves = more bass. I hate this kind of ignorance which DJs are famous for. We all know one has no relevance to the other hence my example with the very lightweight 12" Island single.
List of Confirmed Record Pressing Plants
Moderators: piaptk, tragwag, Steve E., Aussie0zborn
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Aussie0zborn
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Missed Post's
Disregard last post missed a couple of pages I did say it is quite Finite
I think I do have a photo of a Krauss Mafei machine somewhere also of a Fabeldis manual press a poor copy of the Alpha but quite a few around in Europe
Fabel where more well known for their steam heated extruders which worked extremely well and they still do We have two of them
It was their method of establishing pressing plants on a joint venture basis with local entities so as to sell their gear
There was a magnificent plant in Greece which was recently buldozed, a fully equipped Fabel plant, which was on of those joint ventures
If people are interested I can post the photos up or pm me if you wish to have a copy
Thanks to Matt for correcting the issue for PressThisRecord He asked for a copy of some SMT manuals that I have in my possession so I assumed that he had presses Jumping into conclusions is not a good thing it seems
Matt
Thre are references to double cavity presses in there as well as a photo of the press I have never seen one
I think these manuals are for it
Any way on their way to the photocopy shop amongst some other stuff Than on their way to you I can detect that you are not in a hurry for them
Cheers
I think I do have a photo of a Krauss Mafei machine somewhere also of a Fabeldis manual press a poor copy of the Alpha but quite a few around in Europe
Fabel where more well known for their steam heated extruders which worked extremely well and they still do We have two of them
It was their method of establishing pressing plants on a joint venture basis with local entities so as to sell their gear
There was a magnificent plant in Greece which was recently buldozed, a fully equipped Fabel plant, which was on of those joint ventures
If people are interested I can post the photos up or pm me if you wish to have a copy
Thanks to Matt for correcting the issue for PressThisRecord He asked for a copy of some SMT manuals that I have in my possession so I assumed that he had presses Jumping into conclusions is not a good thing it seems
Matt
Thre are references to double cavity presses in there as well as a photo of the press I have never seen one
I think these manuals are for it
Any way on their way to the photocopy shop amongst some other stuff Than on their way to you I can detect that you are not in a hurry for them
Cheers
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Aussie0zborn
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MossBoss is quite correct. Fabel set-up a number of plants in Europe and Africa on a joint venture basis. I believe Fabelsound in Greece is still operating and is the largest CD/DVD manufacturer to the Greek music industry.
Astor Records in Melbourne had six Fabel presses and what became EMS Sound Industries Pty Ltd in Adelaide started with one Fabel. EMS had constant problems with the hydraulic cylinders on each side of the tilting-head press that open and close the head - these kept leaking so when it came time to buy more presses they bought five or six Alpha Toolex. When the plant closed and was sold to Festival Records in Sydney, the Fabel press went to the scrap heap.
When I met the owner of EMS many years later, he told me he fixed the leaking "hydraulic" cylinders by replacing the hydraulic fluid with water and the problem was solved. It seems he never got any after-sales service from Fabel because these cylinders were actually designed for water and not hydraulic fluid...
Brief description of Fabel TC press :
* Temperature controlled rather than timer controlled.
* Water cylinders open and close the press rather than a rack-and-pinion hydraulic system
* Press stroke is only 1/2" so once the press closes the vinyl pattie is already half pressed just by virtue of the press having closed, even before the pressing cycle begins.
* locking bits at the top of the crown were bolt-on rather than cast.
* Colour : Green.
* This was the only record press that came complete with a nurse to operate the machine for you!!
Thanks to Flozki for the pic!!
The extruder bolted to the side of the press in the pic is the "Fabelmix 130" - a single zone steam-heated extruder. They also made a smaller extruder.
The temperature control is a big bonus as the press will not close or open until temperature is where it should be. Disadvantage with Fabel was dealing with them - their correspondence with their customers was most often rude and abrupt. Not what you expect in after-sales service of an expensive machine.
Fabel also developed a process for silvering lacquers. When the nickel plate was removed from the silvered lacquer, the silver stayed on the lacquer. If necessary, they could go back to he lacquer and plate it again!!
They also patented a plating tank that moves the cathode closer to the annode during the plating process - the effect being that the current increases as the two move closer together and the puropose of this invention was to produce flatter metal parts. This is quite interesting.
It seems that Fabel has vanished without trace and have left a legacy of NIL. The only known Fabel press in the world today is the one at United Record Pressing, USA which they describe as "a Belgian press" - maybe they dont even know the brand of this machine.
An Australian guy who travelled to the USA and bought some SMT presses in the late 80's met with Bill Westermann, owner of SMT who apparaently told him that the first record press he automated was a Fabel. I have just found his patent for automating a manual press so this could be true and SMT might very well owe its existence to Fabel.
Looking forward to pics of the Krauss Maffei.
Astor Records in Melbourne had six Fabel presses and what became EMS Sound Industries Pty Ltd in Adelaide started with one Fabel. EMS had constant problems with the hydraulic cylinders on each side of the tilting-head press that open and close the head - these kept leaking so when it came time to buy more presses they bought five or six Alpha Toolex. When the plant closed and was sold to Festival Records in Sydney, the Fabel press went to the scrap heap.
When I met the owner of EMS many years later, he told me he fixed the leaking "hydraulic" cylinders by replacing the hydraulic fluid with water and the problem was solved. It seems he never got any after-sales service from Fabel because these cylinders were actually designed for water and not hydraulic fluid...
Brief description of Fabel TC press :
* Temperature controlled rather than timer controlled.
* Water cylinders open and close the press rather than a rack-and-pinion hydraulic system
* Press stroke is only 1/2" so once the press closes the vinyl pattie is already half pressed just by virtue of the press having closed, even before the pressing cycle begins.
* locking bits at the top of the crown were bolt-on rather than cast.
* Colour : Green.
* This was the only record press that came complete with a nurse to operate the machine for you!!
Thanks to Flozki for the pic!!
The extruder bolted to the side of the press in the pic is the "Fabelmix 130" - a single zone steam-heated extruder. They also made a smaller extruder.
The temperature control is a big bonus as the press will not close or open until temperature is where it should be. Disadvantage with Fabel was dealing with them - their correspondence with their customers was most often rude and abrupt. Not what you expect in after-sales service of an expensive machine.
Fabel also developed a process for silvering lacquers. When the nickel plate was removed from the silvered lacquer, the silver stayed on the lacquer. If necessary, they could go back to he lacquer and plate it again!!
They also patented a plating tank that moves the cathode closer to the annode during the plating process - the effect being that the current increases as the two move closer together and the puropose of this invention was to produce flatter metal parts. This is quite interesting.
It seems that Fabel has vanished without trace and have left a legacy of NIL. The only known Fabel press in the world today is the one at United Record Pressing, USA which they describe as "a Belgian press" - maybe they dont even know the brand of this machine.
An Australian guy who travelled to the USA and bought some SMT presses in the late 80's met with Bill Westermann, owner of SMT who apparaently told him that the first record press he automated was a Fabel. I have just found his patent for automating a manual press so this could be true and SMT might very well owe its existence to Fabel.
Looking forward to pics of the Krauss Maffei.
Not sure if your paragraph is directed toward me or not, but regardless here is some info on our operation. We have an all-in-one in house setup that allows us to master, electroform, and press.Aussie0zborn wrote:Hi Palomino,
Contributions to the list are welcome. Please list your details here and I will make a final list as Daimon suggested and edit it into the starting topic of this thread so that a complete list is readily available once this thread has run its course.
Pressing equiptment:
Finebilt manual press
Al-be Industries extruder
Fulton boiler
Bryan Steam feed system
...and some custom one-off machines for labels and such.
For the last five or so years we have stayed under the radar and just produced vinyl for a small industry. Now as we are looking to expand, we are going to build up our second manual press and put it to work. 7" pressings are our bread and butter but we are venturing into 12" and hopefully soon some 10" work. We aren't really trying to compete against big plants, however we realize there is a market for 'the small guys' too. Being able to take a source of music and turn it into vinyl before the end of the week seems to be something most plants can't offer. So far this forum has been great to us. We have learned many things and made some great contacts. I am thinking about listing some pricing info in our introduction thread but I don't want to seem unprofessional in any way.
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Aussie0zborn
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Hey Palomino.. yes that was directed towards you! I was hoping you would list your contact details and your URL if you have one.
It seems that you are one of only two plants in the USA with cutting, plating and pessing all under one roof!! This has got to be a major selling pont.
What happned to the recording studio owner late last year that uncovered an unused pressing plant with the two Finebilts and the Scully?? Has he ever come back to this forum? Apparently the owner of the plant stopped pressing twenty years ago, left everything intact and only just remembered that he owned the building which he thought he would sell seeing as it wasn't earning him any money.
It seems that you are one of only two plants in the USA with cutting, plating and pessing all under one roof!! This has got to be a major selling pont.
What happned to the recording studio owner late last year that uncovered an unused pressing plant with the two Finebilts and the Scully?? Has he ever come back to this forum? Apparently the owner of the plant stopped pressing twenty years ago, left everything intact and only just remembered that he owned the building which he thought he would sell seeing as it wasn't earning him any money.
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dietrich10
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- Location: usa
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I spoke to perspective buyer Bill(forum member here) last month about the progress. They were getting both presses up and running while working out any issues(replacing parts etc). I know he has the issue of real estate. Old owner wants to sell building which would mean Bill moving presses and setting back up. much easier to keep em where they lie!Aussie0zborn wrote: What happned to the recording studio owner late last year that uncovered an unused pressing plant with the two Finebilts and the Scully?? .
cutting lacquers-vms70 system
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Aussie0zborn
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mr_scratchy_esq
- Posts: 7
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- Location: Pittsburgh, PA
- Contact:
G+C Record Mfg.
Hello everyone,
I still haven't figured out where exactly the presses will end up. We have a rental place lined up, but I hope that the seller will work out a last minute arrangement to let me keep everything where it is.
The owner has made excellent 12" and 7" records with my new materials. It took a while to get all the adjustments right after switching from NOS pellets to new Kenan pellets. The new pellets require more heat and are "stiffer." We have no problems now, and can make quiet, heavy flat records. Glenn made some over 200g just to experiment. Little things keep breaking so until everything is running smoothly and I'm trained on the equipment, I won't close on the sale.
-Bill
I still haven't figured out where exactly the presses will end up. We have a rental place lined up, but I hope that the seller will work out a last minute arrangement to let me keep everything where it is.
The owner has made excellent 12" and 7" records with my new materials. It took a while to get all the adjustments right after switching from NOS pellets to new Kenan pellets. The new pellets require more heat and are "stiffer." We have no problems now, and can make quiet, heavy flat records. Glenn made some over 200g just to experiment. Little things keep breaking so until everything is running smoothly and I'm trained on the equipment, I won't close on the sale.
-Bill
Re: G+C Record Mfg.
*cough* end em up here in omaha, real estate is cheap and i will work for cheap too *cough*mr_scratchy_esq wrote:i still haven't figured out where exactly the presses will end up.
all the best!
- tommie 'plan 9' emmi
poly-cut lathe cuts / cymbalism recordings
- tommie 'plan 9' emmi
poly-cut lathe cuts / cymbalism recordings
Let's hope so! I added a record pressing URL to our square dance industry website:Aussie0zborn wrote:Hey Palomino.. yes that was directed towards you! I was hoping you would list your contact details and your URL if you have one.
It seems that you are one of only two plants in the USA with cutting, plating and pessing all under one roof!! This has got to be a major selling pont.
http://www.dosado.com/pressing/pressing.htm
It is kind of under construction as I just threw it together, however there is a doc file at the bottom with pricing and contact info.
Thanks Aussie!
Hello all,
For multiple reasons, the more people cutting, plating, printing and pressing the better for the vinyl phonograph record community.
The focus on supplying quality product has kept many parts of the business around for us all to enjoy.
In the, "no more skipping records thread," CD4cutter makes very good points about learning from the past and the limitations of the format.
My best
For multiple reasons, the more people cutting, plating, printing and pressing the better for the vinyl phonograph record community.
The focus on supplying quality product has kept many parts of the business around for us all to enjoy.
In the, "no more skipping records thread," CD4cutter makes very good points about learning from the past and the limitations of the format.
My best
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Aussie0zborn
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OK so adding to the list, we have...
Palomino Records, USA
brooklynphono, USA
EKS Manufacturing, USA
Hitbound, USA
Record Technology, USA
Erika, USA
Rainbo,' USA
United Record Pressing, USA
Musicol. USA
The New Guy In Ohio, USA
and possibly Mr Scatchy Esq. and a record lable who recently bought presses.
Is that it for the USA?
Palomino Records, USA
brooklynphono, USA
EKS Manufacturing, USA
Hitbound, USA
Record Technology, USA
Erika, USA
Rainbo,' USA
United Record Pressing, USA
Musicol. USA
The New Guy In Ohio, USA
and possibly Mr Scatchy Esq. and a record lable who recently bought presses.
Is that it for the USA?
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TotalSonic
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I've compiled this list and added and subtracted as necessary - and organized it a bit as well - it's at -
http://www.totalsonic.net/vinylplants.htm
Best regards,
Steve Berson
http://www.totalsonic.net/vinylplants.htm
Best regards,
Steve Berson
Another
http://www.totalvinyl.net/ In uk self contained I believe
TotalSonic
Steve, The Zenith records entry should be Victoria 3020 Thanks Cheers
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TotalSonic
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Re: TotalSonic
Thanks - I'm not compiling exact addresses (at least not yet) - just links to where people can find all the contact info for the plants.mossboss wrote:Steve, The Zenith records entry should be Victoria 3020 Thanks Cheers
Best regards,
Steve Berson
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TotalSonic
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Re: Another
thanks, I added them to the listmossboss wrote:http://www.totalvinyl.net/ In uk self contained I believe
Best regards,
Steve Berson
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gearheadgirl
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AES Historical Committee List of all pressing plants known
AES Historical Committee just came up with this list of all pressing plants in the known universe
released by Tom Fine:
Here is the finalized list of vinyl pressing plants I could confirm. There is allegedly an old Russian plant about to restart, but I could get no first-hand confirmation. Also, I would be very surprised if there are zero vinyl pressing plants in Latin America, Africa and Asia outside of Japan. That said, I could track down no first-hand information of such plants. This list may be used on your websites or blogs as you see fit.
CONFIRMED VINYL PRESSING PLANTS AS OF 4/8/09
RECORD TECHNOLOGY INC (RTI) - Camarillo, CA USA
http://www.recordtech.com/
UNITED RECORD PRESSING - Nashville, TN USA
http://www.urpressing.com/
RAINBO RECORDS - Canoga Park, CA USA
http://www.rainborecords.com/vinyl.htm
MUSICOL RECORDING - Columbus, OH USA
http://www.musicolrecording.com/vinyl/index.html
MMP - Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, GERMANY
http://www.master-media.net/en/index.php
ERIKA RECORDS - Downey, CA USA
http://www.erikarecords.com/
DYNAMIC SUN - Newark, NJ USA
http://www.dynamicsun.com/
CURVED LTD - Hackney, London, UK
http://www.curvedpressings.com/abou.htm
ZENITH RECORD PRESSING - Albion, Victory, AUSTRALIA
http://www.zenithrecords.org/
ARCHER RECORD PRESSING - Detroit, MI USA
http://www.archerrecordpressing.com/
BROOKLYNPHONO - Brooklyn, NY USA
http://brooklynphono.com/
RECORD INDUSTRY - Haarlem, Netherlands
http://www.recordindustry.com/
PORTALSPACE Records - Hayes, Middlesex UK
http://www.portalspacerecords.com/da/13007
BILL SMITH CUSTOM RECORDS - El Segundo, CA USA
http://www.billsmithcustomrecords.com/index.html
A&R RECORD MANUFACTURING - Dallas, TX USA
http://www.arrecords.com/
GZ VINYL - Lodenice, CZECH REPUBLIC
http://www.gzdm.cz/vinyl/
TOYOKASEI CO., LTD - Yokohama, Kanagawa, JAPAN
http://www.toyokasei.com/
PALLAS GROUP - Diepolz, GERMANY
http://www.pallas-group.de/
OPTIMAL MEDIA PRODUCTION - Röbel, GERMANY
http://www.optimal-online.de/Vinyl.341.0.html
R.A.N.D. MUZIK - Leipzig, GERMANY
http://www.randmuzik.de/english/home.html
MPO GROUP - Averton, FRANCE
http://www.mpointernational.com/en/services/vinyl.asp
TAIL RECORDS VINYL - Göteborg, SWEDEN
http://tailrecvinyl.com/index-eng.php
released by Tom Fine:
Here is the finalized list of vinyl pressing plants I could confirm. There is allegedly an old Russian plant about to restart, but I could get no first-hand confirmation. Also, I would be very surprised if there are zero vinyl pressing plants in Latin America, Africa and Asia outside of Japan. That said, I could track down no first-hand information of such plants. This list may be used on your websites or blogs as you see fit.
CONFIRMED VINYL PRESSING PLANTS AS OF 4/8/09
RECORD TECHNOLOGY INC (RTI) - Camarillo, CA USA
http://www.recordtech.com/
UNITED RECORD PRESSING - Nashville, TN USA
http://www.urpressing.com/
RAINBO RECORDS - Canoga Park, CA USA
http://www.rainborecords.com/vinyl.htm
MUSICOL RECORDING - Columbus, OH USA
http://www.musicolrecording.com/vinyl/index.html
MMP - Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, GERMANY
http://www.master-media.net/en/index.php
ERIKA RECORDS - Downey, CA USA
http://www.erikarecords.com/
DYNAMIC SUN - Newark, NJ USA
http://www.dynamicsun.com/
CURVED LTD - Hackney, London, UK
http://www.curvedpressings.com/abou.htm
ZENITH RECORD PRESSING - Albion, Victory, AUSTRALIA
http://www.zenithrecords.org/
ARCHER RECORD PRESSING - Detroit, MI USA
http://www.archerrecordpressing.com/
BROOKLYNPHONO - Brooklyn, NY USA
http://brooklynphono.com/
RECORD INDUSTRY - Haarlem, Netherlands
http://www.recordindustry.com/
PORTALSPACE Records - Hayes, Middlesex UK
http://www.portalspacerecords.com/da/13007
BILL SMITH CUSTOM RECORDS - El Segundo, CA USA
http://www.billsmithcustomrecords.com/index.html
A&R RECORD MANUFACTURING - Dallas, TX USA
http://www.arrecords.com/
GZ VINYL - Lodenice, CZECH REPUBLIC
http://www.gzdm.cz/vinyl/
TOYOKASEI CO., LTD - Yokohama, Kanagawa, JAPAN
http://www.toyokasei.com/
PALLAS GROUP - Diepolz, GERMANY
http://www.pallas-group.de/
OPTIMAL MEDIA PRODUCTION - Röbel, GERMANY
http://www.optimal-online.de/Vinyl.341.0.html
R.A.N.D. MUZIK - Leipzig, GERMANY
http://www.randmuzik.de/english/home.html
MPO GROUP - Averton, FRANCE
http://www.mpointernational.com/en/services/vinyl.asp
TAIL RECORDS VINYL - Göteborg, SWEDEN
http://tailrecvinyl.com/index-eng.php
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TotalSonic
- Posts: 227
- Joined: Tue Sep 30, 2008 7:08 pm
- Contact:
Re: AES Historical Committee List of all pressing plants kno
Again - this list contains a number of inaccuracies - i.e. Dynamic Sun has closed, Portal Space Records has been renamed, and there's a good number of plants missing from the list.
Best regards,
Steve Berson
Best regards,
Steve Berson
gearheadgirl wrote:AES Historical Committee just came up with this list of all pressing plants in the known universe
released by Tom Fine:
Here is the finalized list of vinyl pressing plants I could confirm. There is allegedly an old Russian plant about to restart, but I could get no first-hand confirmation. Also, I would be very surprised if there are zero vinyl pressing plants in Latin America, Africa and Asia outside of Japan. That said, I could track down no first-hand information of such plants. This list may be used on your websites or blogs as you see fit.
CONFIRMED VINYL PRESSING PLANTS AS OF 4/8/09
RECORD TECHNOLOGY INC (RTI) - Camarillo, CA USA
http://www.recordtech.com/
UNITED RECORD PRESSING - Nashville, TN USA
http://www.urpressing.com/
RAINBO RECORDS - Canoga Park, CA USA
http://www.rainborecords.com/vinyl.htm
MUSICOL RECORDING - Columbus, OH USA
http://www.musicolrecording.com/vinyl/index.html
MMP - Neunkirchen-Seelscheid, GERMANY
http://www.master-media.net/en/index.php
ERIKA RECORDS - Downey, CA USA
http://www.erikarecords.com/
DYNAMIC SUN - Newark, NJ USA
http://www.dynamicsun.com/
CURVED LTD - Hackney, London, UK
http://www.curvedpressings.com/abou.htm
ZENITH RECORD PRESSING - Albion, Victory, AUSTRALIA
http://www.zenithrecords.org/
ARCHER RECORD PRESSING - Detroit, MI USA
http://www.archerrecordpressing.com/
BROOKLYNPHONO - Brooklyn, NY USA
http://brooklynphono.com/
RECORD INDUSTRY - Haarlem, Netherlands
http://www.recordindustry.com/
PORTALSPACE Records - Hayes, Middlesex UK
http://www.portalspacerecords.com/da/13007
BILL SMITH CUSTOM RECORDS - El Segundo, CA USA
http://www.billsmithcustomrecords.com/index.html
A&R RECORD MANUFACTURING - Dallas, TX USA
http://www.arrecords.com/
GZ VINYL - Lodenice, CZECH REPUBLIC
http://www.gzdm.cz/vinyl/
TOYOKASEI CO., LTD - Yokohama, Kanagawa, JAPAN
http://www.toyokasei.com/
PALLAS GROUP - Diepolz, GERMANY
http://www.pallas-group.de/
OPTIMAL MEDIA PRODUCTION - Röbel, GERMANY
http://www.optimal-online.de/Vinyl.341.0.html
R.A.N.D. MUZIK - Leipzig, GERMANY
http://www.randmuzik.de/english/home.html
MPO GROUP - Averton, FRANCE
http://www.mpointernational.com/en/services/vinyl.asp
TAIL RECORDS VINYL - Göteborg, SWEDEN
http://tailrecvinyl.com/index-eng.php